Matthew Evans, CPhT-Adv, CSPT
Pharmacy Technician Specialist
Trinity Health
Ann Arbor, MI
Certification
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
Number of Years at Organization
2
Why did you become a pharmacy technician?
At the time, I was looking for the best option for stability and growth in a job. I found that and a lot more once I became a pharmacy technician at the Detroit Medical Center.
How long have you been practicing?
I have been working in health system inpatient pharmacy for nearly 11 years. I've worked at several different health systems in many roles, including pharmacy informatics and technology, sterile compounding supervision, administration, and technician training.
What are you most proud of in your professional career?
I am most proud of my work at Trinity Health Ann Arbor and at the Detroit Medical Center. At the Detroit Medical Center, we led the way in building an exemplary cleanroom facility in 2015 after a flood significantly damaged the pharmacy. We built a new cleanroom suite that was able to meet the current USP <797> standard by 2016, and implemented our changes to fully meet the standards by the end of 2018. I'm very proud of the work we did to improve patient and technician safety for our sterile, nonsterile, and hazardous compounding. At Trinity Health Ann Arbor, I help run our technician training program. We've had a lot of success with the program. Recently, over a third of our technician staff came through the training program. Beyond that, I'm proud to work with a fantastic group of leaders at Trinity Health. This same group is implementing tech-check-tech over the next few months as well. The leadership is active with projects that improve our workflows and the service we provide to our patients.
What is your most memorable experience as a pharmacy technician?
The most memorable time for me as a technician was starting out at the Detroit Medical Center. The huge flood in Detroit (check out the pictures of the water rising to the overpasses!) seriously impacted the inpatient pharmacy in the basement. We ended up splitting the pharmacy between a small part of the basement and a converted nursing unit six floors up. Everybody figured out how they could best make it work and bonded through it.
Why did you become certified?
I took a technician training course at Madonna University and earned my Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential because I knew I wanted to work in a hospital. Certification wasn't required yet, but I knew that it would open more opportunities for me.
What career advice do you have for others interested in becoming a Pharmacy Technician?
Being a pharmacy technician often includes learning a lot and working very hard to serve your patients and customers. Like a lot of things in life, it can be very rewarding, and it can be very difficult. My advice is to look for the slivers of opportunity within the challenges you face. People turn adversity into accomplishment all the time. You can be one of those people if you work towards the opportunities within the challenges you face.
Beyond that, I would strongly encourage people to look for technician training programs through their local hospital or ambulatory pharmacy. There are lots of opportunities to earn your certification while getting paid to learn (plus getting hands-on experience).
I also encourage everyone to join TPTS! Pharmacy technician opportunities have dramatically changed over the last decade. There's all sorts of career options and paths out there, and here at TPTS we can help you plot your education and path towards any of these roles!