How to Treat Your Technicians

A pharmacist’s guide to being decent.

Image Source: The Balance

I would say it’s 50%. Half of us have common sense and the other half, not so much. If you’ve ever worked alone in the pharmacy, you know exactly how valuable a pharmacy technician is. They are the Yin to our Yang. They are the milk to our cookies. We have different and complimentary job descriptions that allow the pharmacy to function optimally and efficiently. If we so obviously need them, then why do I still hear about the mistreatment of technicians? Here’s my guess.

1. Ego

This is the worst one. Why would we complain about a doctor’s ego, and then be egotistical to our team? We think going to pharmacy school or having a fatter paycheck means we’re more valuable. First of all, some technicians get paid more than we do. They are in demand, not us. Secondly, pharmacy school is not as big a deal as we think. The solution is to work a couple shifts in an understaffed pharmacy. Then, we will see how much we need our technicians.

2. Ignorance

Some of us are just oblivious. We speak before we think — and that’s if we think at all. The solution to that is to think before we speak, obviously.

3. Stress

It’s also possible that we’re just stressed. Trying to handle everything in the pharmacy can be hectic. For that reason, I can imagine how some of us can sound rude or insensitive at times. I’m not trying to find an excuse, but that should count for something. Unfortunately, everyone manages stress differently therefore I can only speak for myself. I find taking mental breaks to be very useful. Doing repetitive and mindless tasks like filing or cleaning can help me relax even in the most stressful of times. Oh — and your boss and techs will love you.

Image Source: Ktek

There you have it. A short list of why I think pharmacists treat technicians poorly sometimes. It’s short because there should be no reason in the first place. Our technicians are experts in things we are weakest in. Together, we form the perfect team for the pharmacy and we should value them as we value our arms and legs. So the moral of this article is to treat them to coffee and donuts every Friday.