California-Pharmacist-Winter-2024 - Flipbook - Page 39
entrepreneurial pharm tech
The Entrepreneurial Pharm Tech: A Journey of
Micro-Adjustments
Amantha Bagdon
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead
as I stood behind the counter, my dark
blue smock crisp and unflattering. The
name tag pinned to my chest proclaimed “Amantha, Pharmacy Technician” in bold letters. It was a warm
summer evening in Beverly Hills, and
the pharmacy hummed with its usual
frenetic energy.
“You know, dear, you’re always so
helpful,” Mrs. Jones said, her weathered
hands clutching the white paper bag
containing her diabetes medication.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a pharmacist?”
I froze, that all-too-familiar phrase
echoing in my head: “I'm just a tech.”
But as I caught my reflection in the
glass cabinet, for a split second, I saw
something more – an innovator, an
advocate, an entrepreneur.
This moment, this realization, was
years in the making. It started with my
mom’s simple question when I was 16:
“What do you want to do with your
life?” Pharmacy school seemed like
a solid choice – stable career, good
income, helping people. But my mom,
ever practical, suggested I dip my toes
in first.
“Get a job at a pharmacy,” she said.
“Make sure you like it before committing eight years and a small fortune.”
That’s how I found myself at Rite Aid,
working under Steve, a quiet man with
thick-rimmed black glasses who communicated more with raised eyebrows
than words. The pharmacy lingo came
easily to me, and before long, I was
studying for my pharmacy technician
certification.
The Entrepreneurial Pharm
Tech column is coordinated
by Amantha Bagdon,
Founder and CEO, RxPost,
Los Angeles, California.
amantha@rx-post.com
Fast forward to UC San Diego. I can
still smell the eucalyptus trees that
embraced the modern buildings, see
the Geisel Library standing like a
concrete spaceship ready for liftoff. But
amid this beauty and promise, I faced a
harsh reality: pharmacy school would
leave me drowning in debt.
So, I made the difficult decision to put
my dream on hold and work as a tech
to save money. Fate, with its twisted
sense of humor, led me from a brief
stint at Ralph’s Pharmacy to an independent pharmacy in Beverly Hills.
I didn’t know then that this detour
would change everything.
Dr. Greta Golshtein, the owner of
Roxbury Pharmacy, was an Advanced
Practice Pharmacist with fierce intelligence and an even fiercer commitment
to patient care. “There ain’t no rest
for the wicked, money don't grow on
trees,” she would often quote the song
lyric, her tireless work ethic infectious.
It was a busy Tuesday in 2014 when
inspiration struck. A patient had
canceled their order for an expensive,
specially ordered medication that we
couldn’t return. I was tasked with calling other pharmacies to see if anyone
else could use it.
As I dialed number after number,
I couldn’t help but think about the
inefficiency of it all. Here we were, a
network of pharmacies, each potentially holding the solution to another’s problem, yet connected only by
time-consuming phone calls and a bit
of luck.
I glanced around our pharmacy. The
fax machine churned out prescriptions.
Post-it notes to follow up with patients
were everywhere—stuck to computer
screens, lining the edges of shelves,
and even fluttering on the pharmacy
counter. I found myself jotting down
yet another note to tape to the wall:
“Elliot’s pharmacy owes us a check for
X drug.” What would happen if that
piece of paper fell off and disappeared
under the refrigerator, never to be seen
again?
That night, sitting at my kitchen table,
I scribbled furiously on a notepad. The
idea for RxPost began to take shape – a
pharmacy-to-pharmacy marketplace
that could streamline these manual
processes and connect independent
pharmacies more efficiently.
With trembling fingers, I drafted
an email to a renowned pharmacy
attorney and former owner of the same
Roxbury Pharmacy, Herb Weinberg,
asking several crucial questions about
the legality of pharmacies transferring
medications to each other, and his
answers confirmed what I’d hoped –
this wasn't just possible, it was already
permitted within clearly defined
boundaries. I still have that email,
a digital reminder of the moment I
stopped being “just a tech” and became
an innovator.
Now, as I write this column, I want to
share with you, my fellow technicians,
what I’ve learned. It's hardly ever a
straight line to achieve your dreams.
But it starts small, with micro-adjustments.
This column is your guide, your
resource, your call to action. We’ll
explore leveraging technology, building
relationships, developing leadership
skills, and understanding the business
side of pharmacy.
Remember, being an entrepreneurial
pharm tech isn’t just about starting
your own business. It’s about fostering
the skills of an entrepreneurial thinker
and combining them with your love for
community. It’s about embodying our
core values: Integrity, Superb Customer Service, Efficiency, and Financial
Success.
As we embark on this journey together,
I want you to remember that we are
not “just techs.” We are a vital part of
the healthcare system, we are patient
advocates, and we are community
innovators.
California Pharmacist | vol. 71, no. 4
37
