According to Phillip Garcia, the work a certified pharmacy technician does can be broadly summarized in one word: connection. After a decade working as a certified pharmacy technician in a variety of settings, Phillip has grown to appreciate how his role can help patients achieve their goals through Waymark’s multidisciplinary, team-based support. Below, Phillip shares more about the importance of treating healthcare as a team effort and elaborates on his part in that process.

In your words, what is a certified pharmacy technician, and how do you support and enable patients and primary care providers (PCPs)?

Certified pharmacy technicians have a broad set of skills and expertise. Under the guidance of pharmacists, we have the privilege of helping patients navigate the world of medications. Certified pharmacy technicians can specialize in a variety of settings within healthcare; I’ve worked in retail, oncology, hospital, and now community-based settings.

Healthcare relies on teamwork, and pharmacy technicians can play a crucial role in easing the workload of other clinicians by, among other things, taking medication histories, helping resolve insurance issues for medications, and assisting patients who have urgent needs for specific medications when managing a chronic condition. Most critically, I work with other care team members to make sure patients have the understanding they need to take the best care possible of themselves and reach their goals.

Why is it important for community-based teams to include pharmacy technicians? How do you work alongside other roles, like clinical pharmacists, care coordinators and CHWs? 

The expertise of pharmacy technicians complements the work of CHWs by addressing medication-specific challenges that might otherwise slow down a patient’s progress toward their goals. I often work closely with our clinical pharmacist and our CHWs to identify and tackle issues related to medication adherence, access, affordability, and insurance coverage. By working together, pharmacy technicians create solutions that remove barriers and provide education for patients. At Waymark, being able to connect patients with care coordinators and therapists quickly and with ease fills a huge gap often found in healthcare. I can gather information on a patient's medications, and our pharmacist can help provide context or identify opportunities for the rest of the team to be more effective in providing personalized care. 

What brought you to Waymark? 

I’ve worked as a certified pharmacy technician for around a decade now, and I had never encountered such a consistently upbeat and driven group of people before joining Waymark. From the very beginning, it was clear how passionate the team is about their work, and I could see an opportunity to grow as a professional and work in a space where my skills could have a broader impact. Additionally, Waymark took me out of the walls of a pharmacy and positioned me to directly help patients in the community. Like many who’ve worked in healthcare, I’ve seen firsthand how ineffective and frustrating the system can be. I’m proud to be a part of an organization whose purpose is to make a lasting and positive difference in patient experiences in healthcare. The journey has been enlightening and constantly evolving so far, and I’ve enjoyed every day of it. 

Can you share an example of how you recently helped a patient in the community? 

An instance that comes to mind is when I connected with a patient who needed urgent help accessing a diabetes medication. During our initial encounter, I provided education and guidance on how the patient could speak to their provider about similar medications more likely to be covered by insurance. During that time, the patient also accepted connections to our pharmacist, community health worker, and therapy teams, which was a step in the right direction toward addressing their overall quality of life.

From there, our care team connected the patient to PCP appointments, as well as access to regular transportation and a glucometer for ongoing diabetes management. Then, the patient was able to access the medication we discussed during our initial encounter. After a couple of months of working with care team members, the patient had a plan set up with a mental health provider, was better able to manage their diabetes, and reached a significant weight management goal. It was really nice to witness this patient’s growth. It highlights how I’m positioned here to make quick and meaningful connections with patients to provide support in their moment of need.