Pharmacy Technicians the new Healthcare professionals

[SolomonQ]

maybe were both talking about different things ehre, thats why we differ, i'm talking of professionals such as doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, opticians, physiotherapists, lawyers, accountants etc... you're probably talking about it as say plumbers, rodent..(will continue)

when i worked with a DD techs, I was surprised how respectful they were towards me as a pharmacist, I was expecting the day to be a disaster, but they were both really nice, and so were the doctors, I was well surprised.

[kemzero]

Solomon Q
whats the difference btw an optometrist and an optician?

you've classified an optician as a professional

In realitiy (regardless of education, opticians have a higher level of education than pharm techs) but the fact is

Pharmacy techs is to Pharmacists as Opticians are to Optometrists !
(An eleven plus question!)

I do concede that pharm techs can't be classified as professionals alongside with Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Physios, etc, because they work to support a professional (P'cist) and work under the direction/supervision of one (but for how long??, as this might change).

[SolomonQ]

whats the difference btw an optometrist and an optician

in lay speak there is no difference, optician is short for opthalmic optician i.e. an optometrist. So that is what I was refering to, that should have been quite obvious from the context. Is reading a 6 plus skill???

I do concede that pharm techs can't be classified as professionals alongside with Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Physios, etc, because they work to support a professional (P'cist) and work under the direction/supervision of one (but for how long??, as this might change).

Thankyou, so you accept my argument and agree with me on that.

about the "how long" bit, well i'm not sure what you are refering to because any Rx a tech dispenses must first be clinically checked by a pharmacist, if you're refering to "Remote supervision" or "responsible pharmacist" in that case it wont be just the techs who operate without supervision, anyone off the street who's managed to get a job in a pharmacy be it in the dispensary or at the counter, would be able to do so. So to make techs professionals, you've allowed more or less everyone on the street to walk into a "profession". you remind me of that quote from Ben Hur, after the General hears that his sea battle was a victory, he turns around to Ben Hur and says "your god was so eager to save you, he saved the whole roman fleet", you're so so eager to class pharmacy techs as professionals that you made the whole of pharmacy staff, professionals. Good on you!!!

[jaymags]

I have to approach my job profesionally so technically does that make me a professional person? Not on my rate of pay it doesn't but by the same token I am not bothered that my job is not classed as a profession. To common people, like myself, a professional job is usually viewed as an occupation that carries letters after your name.
Tee hee I forgot I've got GDB after mine, yay I'm a professional.

[SolomonQ]

what does GDB stand for? and for arguments sake and not offence to you jaymags, if a plumber approaches his job professionally then does that make him a profesional in the same sense as doctors, dentists, lawyers, pharmacists etc... and plumbers now days do have letters after their names too, as do most of the people who do anthing above a semi-skilled job. Just to makes things clear, I do however respect techs and the work they do, but this thread isn't about that

[Jeff]

Technicians are of course health care professionals - they have been fined by the courts for dispensing errors - so they do bear some legal responsibility for their actions.

Jeff

[SolomonQ]

hmm, best argument so far...how do I get around this now....well, i dont want to be too blunt but techs are becoming "whipping boys" for pharmacists just like we are "whipping boys" for doctors, nothing to do with being a profession or not, they basicly try to spread as much of the blame as they can. e.g. remember the shipman case where they also tried to "do" the pharmacist who dispensed the Diamorphine for him. and remember another case, the peppermint water case where they also tried to "do" the pre-reg for the mistake alongside the pharmacist, so are pharmacy pre-regs healthcare professionals too? if yes, well it is a profession with a very short life, if no then your argument breaks down why dont you try to use joe the plumber in your arguments, maybe you'd get somewhere then

[jaymags]

what does GDB stand for? and for arguments sake and not offence to you jaymags, if a plumber approaches his job professionally then does that make him a profesional in the same sense as doctors, dentists, lawyers, pharmacists etc... and plumbers now days do have letters after their names too, as do most of the people who do anthing above a semi-skilled job. Just to makes things clear, I do however respect techs and the work they do, but this thread isn't about that

1. General Dogs Body
2. I'm not offended
3. Exactly my point

[SolomonQ]

1. General Dogs Body

no tell me, sorry about the ignorance!

[taskerrose]

what ever happened to team work folks, I know community is completly different to hospital pharmacy but lets be honest as far as I am concernced community pharmacy will always have a problem with being seen as a profession and part of the NHS whilst they are tied to selling mundane things such as beauty products and food ( Boots have a lot to answer for) its no wonder we who work in the trade are arguing what is a professional. It can only be a good thing to have techs registered and be in a postion to undertake extended roles which would if all team members worked well together allow the pharmacist to concentrate on the clinical aspect of their role ( they keep saying thats their experience) but so long as we have and I have to say it, little hitlers who hate the idea that a tech can perform some of the work and refuse to acknowledge that this is a step in raising standards all round things will never change. In hospital setting pharmacists accept techs and practically beg to have a ward tech assigned to assist at ward level so they can further develope the pharmacist role. It is common knowledge that techs have to pass high standard of competencies and we are constantly having to prove we can do it, but we do and studies have proven that techs can and do do the job well, take drug history taking recent studies for an example in the pj have shown techs take a better history as we know if we don't we will penalised pretty quickly, yes there are bad techs but once they have to start doing CPD things will change and if it means that the ones who cant or wont improve their skill will leave. Are people who poo poo the current qualifications disagreeing with the very socitey which regulates them if its good enough for the socitey it should be good enough for them no matter how much they hate the idea