The History of Pharmacy Technician Day

By Marisa Doan, CPhT

This year pharmacies across the globe will recognize the contributions that pharmacy technicians make to enhancing patient care on October 19, 2021, which is the third Tuesday of October. 

National Pharmacy Technician Day was first celebrated in 1991 when a flyer was published by the AAPT as part of national pharmacy week which, is celebrated the third full week of October. In July 2015, this day was submitted by Lindsey Ahrens to the National Day Calendar in order to have this day recognized annually.

National Pharmacy Technician Day is unique in that it encourages recognition across the board and brings pharmacy technicians together regardless of the setting they work in, whether it be a Hospital setting, Community setting, Compounding setting, or Independent setting. We are all bound by the desire to deliver top-quality patient care during every interaction. This day also allows Pharmacy Technicians to explore other career options or even encourage them to move forward within the pharmacy profession by obtaining advanced certifications. 

On October 16, 2001, NPTA had a flag flown over the US Capitol Building in recognition of National Pharmacy Technician Day.

In 2020, National Pharmacy Technician Day officially became Pharmacy Technician Day. This was due to the fact that it had grown globally.

Here are a few fun facts about Pharmacy Technicians:

1. Agatha Christie (mystery author) was a pharmacy technician during World War 1.
   
   
2. Benjamin Franklin helped dispense medicines to customers, making him a de facto pharmacy technician.
   
   
3. Pharmaceutical records, which technicians deal with frequently, go back as far as ancient Egypt- as early as 1500 B.C.
   
   
4. Texas ranks as the state with the highest number of Pharmacy Technicians with over 40,000 registered.
   
   
5. About 80% of Pharmacy Technicians are female.
   
   
6.  The states with the highest salaries for Technicians are Washington, Alaska and California.

Also, on this day, Pharmacy Technicians can participate by making social media posts about their job role by showing decorated pharmacies, join pharmacy technician’s associations (Ex: National Pharmacy Technicians Association, Texas Pharmacy Association, and many more).

So, let’s do our part as pharmacy technicians to make this day special for ALL and give praises to those who deserve it for going above and beyond in the pharmacy, providing great customer service, and making everything happen day in, day out.

Reference

Pharmacy Tech Team (2013). Tuesday is National Pharmacy Technician Day. Pharmacy Technician Education and Career Guide. https://www.pharmacytechschools.com

PTCB Team (2021). Pharmacy Technician Day. PTCB. https://www.ptcb.org

National Day Calendar Team (2013-2021). National Pharmacy Technician Day-Third Tuesday in October. National Day Calendar. https://nationaldaycalendar.com

RPH On The Go Team (February 2021). When is Pharmacy Technician Day 2021. RPh on The Go. https://rphonthego.com