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Spotlight: Pharmacy Technician James West

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James West

n one of his first jobs out of high school, James West found himself working as an air traffic control coordinator for the Air Force.

But in terms of the focus and precision required, that demanding job had nothing on West’s current role as a technician supervisor in Children’s Pharmacy Department. Both jobs demand the highest degree of accuracy at all times, and with lives at stake, mistakes simply aren’t an option.

West helps to oversee roughly 80 technicians and pharmacy interns who produce 23,000 doses of medication for Children’s patients each week. The work never stops for the department’s around-the-clock operation.
With 10 years of experience, West says, “Sometimes I am the department therapist or big brother,” he laughs, “or maybe even the bad uncle.” But he appreciates the chance to be a mentor. Many entry-level pharmacy technicians are hired without past pharmacy training, which West sees as an opportunity to ensure high-quality training from the beginning of their careers. “The better your aseptic technique, the less chance there is for introducing bacteria,” West explains. “Great training ensures that a sterile product is being delivered to the patient.”

When medication orders arrive from the inpatient floors, pharmacists review each one to verify appropriate drug choice, dose, frequency and therapy duration, and to screen for other potential problems, such as drug interactions and therapeutic duplication. Technicians and interns then prepare each medication dose and a pharmacist checks it before it is dispensed.

“The power of this place is amazing,” West says. “We can get children whatever they need, whether it’s antibiotics or advanced chemotherapy treatments, all at a moment’s notice.”—RP

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