Development and benefits of a pharmacy technician career ladder

The development and benefits of a career ladder for pharmacy technicians are described. A career ladder for technicians was implemented at a 575-bed community hospital in 1989 to provide incentives for technicians to improve their skills and take on additional responsibilities. The ladder consisted of four steps, each requiring additional years of experience, proficiency at specific skills, and involvement in specific departmental activities (e.g., maintaining floor-stock medications, preparing i.v. admixtures, and implementing new policies and procedures). Pay increases were given with each move up the ladder. At the start of the program, eight technicians were placed at level 2 and the remaining 16 were placed at level 1. Three years after the ladder was implemented, annual technician turnover had decreased from 33% to 15%. Employee surveys suggested increased job satisfaction among the technicians. Reassignment of tasks to technicians (e.g., maintaining narcotic distribution and coordinating daily purchasing activities) increased scheduling flexibility and helped provide an additional eight hours per week for pharmacist involvement in patient care activities. A pharmacy technician career ladder was associated with lower technician turnover, expansion of technicians' job responsibilities, and an increase in pharmacists' time for clinical activity.