Nontraditional roles for certified pharmacy technicians in a pharmaceutical company.
OBJECTIVE
To describe nontraditional roles for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs) within pharmaceutical industry.


METHODS
Drug information department within a large biotechnology/pharmaceutical organization.


METHODS
The Medical Communications department within Genentech uses a skills-mix staffing model in which employees with varying educational and training backgrounds work as a team on meeting the informational needs of consumers and health professionals who contact the company. One position within the department is that of Medical Communications Associate, responsible primarily for managing product inquiries.


METHODS
Medical Communications Associates have degrees in life sciences or an equivalent combination of education and experience, including a minimum of 2 years of related experience in the health care industry. Currently, four of the seven Medical Communications Associates in the department are CPhTs.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Ability to recruit CPhTs for Medical Communications Associate positions, and job satisfaction of those hired into these positions.


RESULTS
Critical basic skills needed for the Medical Communications Associate position include strong computer literacy, ability to multitask, and ability to work in an environment with frequent interruptions. Strong oral and written communications skills, customer service skills, ability to deal with stressful situations, product-specific knowledge, ability to work on a daily basis with Medical Communications Pharmacists, and knowledge of medical terminology are also important. The skills set of CPhTs matches these requirements, as evidenced by the experiences of the four staff members who have worked in the department for a total of 17 person-years.


CONCLUSIONS
This nontraditional role for CPhTs can be rewarding and beneficial to all, affording an unique opportunity within the pharmaceutical industry. The skill set and experience of CPhTs can be used in the nontraditional pharmacy practice setting of drug information.
Fung
Stacey M
SM
Medical Communications Department, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA. Fung.Stacey_M@gene.com
Gilmour
Christine
C
McCracken
David
D
Shane
Korban
K
Matsuura
Gary
G
D002568:Certification; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004346:Drug Information Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration; D010596:Pharmacy Technicians