Annual Report 2024
Each year, through the annual report, we share highlights of the incredible work volunteer members completed over the past year to advocate for, engage with, and inspire Alberta’s pharmacy technicians. The board and its committees continued to focus on maintaining ongoing initiatives. Their efforts have a direct link to achieving the Strategic Plan and the Society’s mission.
State of the Membership
The membership has once again remained consistent. Of the 718 members at the time of this report, 333 have a hospital practice, and 261 practice in community pharmacies. The remaining 124 practice in other settings. The membership is spread across the province geographically with about 36% residing in Edmonton and surrounding areas and 24% in the Calgary area. About 3% each of the membership live in Grande Prairie, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat and 5% in Red Deer. We also welcome a small number of associate members from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Northwest Territories.
At the September 2023 annual general meeting the membership ratified bylaw amendments that reflected changes to membership categories. The conditions for associate membership were expanded to include individuals working in a support capacity in a pharmacy, such as pharmacy assistants. This allowed the underutilized pharmacy assistant category to be consolidated with the associate member category. As a result, the membership category of five pharmacy assistant members was changed, bringing the total count of associate members to thirteen.
Celebrating and Promoting our Profession
The annual Poster Contest was the highlight of RxTechDay2023. Pharmacy teams were invited to submit a digital copy of a poster highlighting the results of an interesting project, unique workplace or best practice. Congratulations to Kirsten Shead, and her team, for their poster “When Stability Study Testing Goes Wrong”. They were awarded the $500 prize at a virtual event which was sponsored by Fresenius Kabi. Copies of all submitted posters are available to view here: Congratulations to the 2023 Poster Contest Winner – PTSA. A virtual scavenger hunt was brought back during Pharmacy Appreciation Month (PAM) in March 2024. Pharmacy technicians scoured PTSA’s socials for clues and a chance to win prizes.
The Pharmacy Technician Highlight series continued as part of the bi-monthly members’ only newsletter. Pharmacy technicians Nicole Rees, Joanne Fontaine, Nina Dueck, Diane Reeder, Carolynn Schmidt, Theresea Donaldson and Tracy Cliff shared information about their practices and what they love about being pharmacy technicians. Members can access the highlights anytime in the archived issues of the newsletter here: My Account – PTSA. In addition to the newsletter highlights, pharmacy technician Victoria Knight was spotlighted in a Success Story blog post.
Jennifer Bean joined the list of members recognized for their commitment to the profession when she was awarded the 2023 Professionalism Award. Jennifer is a long-standing member of PTSA and has previously served on the Board of Directors. Read about Jennifer’s accomplishments and why she was selected for this prestigious award here: Professionalism Award Winner 2023 – PTSA
Providing Continuing Education
The first in-person conference since 2019 was hosted in Calgary in September 2023. A total of 144 attendees came together to take advantage of networking and education opportunities to aspire to grow “beyond the dispensary”. The conference program included a lineup of engaging speakers and activities that helped registrants meet that objective.
In April 2024, the PTSA Education Committee, in conjunction with Contec Healthcare, brought a unique full-day, in-person education experience to members. The workshop was limited to 50 participants to allow for hands-on learning about best practices for microbial and hazardous drug residue control. A summary of the event can be found here: Education Event Summary – Strategies for Microbial and Hazardous Drug Residue Control – PTSA.
The 2nd winner of the Annual Blog Post Contest was Devaki Grenier, Education Director North. Each member that writes a blog post will be entered to win a free admission to the annual conference, or a $150 gift card. The posts Devaki wrote provided information on mental health in pharmacy practice, navigating job interviews, and pursuing career opportunities. You can read Devaki’s blog posts, along with others from the past year in the Blog Archives – PTSA.
Engaging with Pharmacy Technicians
This past year, a total of 78 welcome packages were mailed to new Alberta Pharmacy Technician registrants. The change to mailed welcome packages, from presentation at an in-person event, has resulted in the largest number of successful engagements to date. The number of mailed packages accounts for 74% of the total number of individuals who became registered as pharmacy technicians with the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP) between May 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Packages sent to new registrants includes a congratulatory card and RPhT pin, along with PTSA membership information and practice resources.
In addition to Bow Valley College, NorQuest College, Red Deer Polytechnic and Robertson College, Membership Engagement Committee members presented to students at Canadian Imperial College – the newest Alberta school offering an accredited pharmacy technician program.
In the Spring, PTSA representatives were invited to attend events hosted by ACP introducing pharmacy technician student graduates to the profession. At these events, students stood and recited the Code of Ethics in recognition of their acceptance of the responsibility that comes with being a health professional. Treasurer Diane Reeder, Advocacy Director Sharon VanWert and Administrator, Teresa Hennessey, were honored to have had the opportunity to network with the students as they began their professional journeys.
Advocacy
In response to the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) efforts to update entry-to-practice competency documents, members attending the annual general meeting in September 2023 engaged in a lively discussion about requirements for competence in sterile compounding. A small working group used the membership’s feedback to draft the Position Paper: Compounding Competencies for Pharmacy Professionals. Joined by representatives from the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Technicians (CAPT) and the Pharmacy Technician Society of British Columbia (PTSBC), the position paper was used to inform a response to a consultation facilitated by NAPRA. The working group reviewed the proposed changes to the Professional Competencies for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice in Canada in its entirety and submitted a feedback letter of behalf of our three organizations.
In March 2024, President Carlynn Bullock and Administrator Teresa Hennessey, attended a Human Resource Forum hosted by ACP. They represented PTSA as part of a select group of leaders, with various experiences and insights, that came together to identify opportunities to build the capacity of pharmacy teams. The leading organizations, including PTSA, ACP, the Alberta Pharmacists Association (RxA) and University of Alberta are tasked with deciding how to develop coalitions to prioritize and work on achieving proposed solutions. More information can be found here: Exploring Solutions to Workforce Challenges – PTSA
Good Governance and Partnership Connections
The Bylaw Review Committee continued work to update our Society’s bylaws, presenting a final compilation of recommended changes to the board on July 18, 2024. The membership will be asked to ratify the amendments during the annual general meeting on September 13, 2024. Members can find more information about the special resolution to amend the bylaws in the 2024 AGM Materials: Agenda, Minutes, Financial Statements and Slate of Nominations – PTSA.
President Carlynn Bullock and Communications Director Loren Voice attended the in-person Provincial Representatives Working group meeting at the CAPT Professional Development Conference. You can read more about their experience here: First Impressions: Attending the CAPT National Professional Development Conference in Niagara Falls. – PTSA. Attendance at key events throughout the year enables connections with pharmacy technicians from across the country and presents opportunities for PTSA to work with partner organizations on initiatives that are of mutual interest.
In June 2024, the PTSA board met with a renewed commitment to effective governance and strategic planning. The primary focus of an in-person meeting in Calgary was priority setting for the upcoming year. Priorities for the 2024-25 year will be finalized in the fall.
What work accomplished this past year is most important to you? Are there things you’d like to see PTSA work on that have not already been identified? Share your thoughts in the comments below or contact us at info@ptsa.ca