To be able to call yourself a PACT (Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician) is a great achievement. It gives pharmacy technicians a means to show more value in a dispensary setting. It not only frees up a pharmacist's time but also gives us an increased capacity to deal with a higher script volume.
Owners also tell me the newfound responsibilities tend to help retain staff as their PACTs are more engaged with the business after qualifying.
I wonder how many pharmacists would struggle with the 1000 script assessment log that a trainee PACT has to do…
I am picking a few of us and I am told by one owner that his PACTs are more accurate than his pharmacists!
As long as your pharmacists are on board, the commitment is an excellent way to further your career as a technician but also beneficial to our industry in a time of need and into the future.
Community Pharmacies are facing increased scope due to an ever-increasing list of clinical services. Whilst this is super beneficial for our communities, a well-trained and remunerated PACT, in my view is the secret weapon to boost staffing.
As a recruiter, I get a lot of pharmacists who want varied work including spells away from the dispensary bench. PACT utilisation allows a different kind of workflow to develop which can keep pharmacists motivated and varied in their work. It introduces the need for a clinical checking procedure at a different stage of the dispensary process whether this be at the front bench or in the packing area.
Quick facts:
To train as a PACT you must have 2+ years’ experience as a level 5 technician.
You also must have 6 months of experience in the site you intend to train in.
There is a training cost involved for the business.
Most PACTS get a pay rise on completing the course.
Not every pharmacy is suitable to train a PACT, talk to PSNZ to check if your site could be suitable.
Pointers for training:
Talk to PSNZ about the course, the site, the mentor, and the trainee. There are specific training days across a year, now in three locations so plenty of options to choose from.
Make sure your entire staff is on board with this process. They need to know why you are doing it and these conversations need to be led by the pharmacists. This shows staff that the pharmacists are in full support of this training and process. Tell them about the investment for the training course both financially and over time.
Make sure everyone knows that whilst this training process is for some time (1000 script items or more if an error is found), there will be elements of the dispensary processes that remain in place afterward to utilise the PACT. Your dispensary will need to then have the ability to flip back and forth between the non-PACT process and the PACT process to accommodate staffing on any given day.
If you have a pharmacist who feels threatened by their technician’s scope increasing, this needs to be ironed out beforehand. I have seen this behaviour badly affect progression and utilisation once training is complete. There are a small number of pharmacists with a bit of patch-protection …. It is similar to the protection felt by pharmacists when they talk to some doctors about a newfound scope in clinical practices.
Jump on an online stationery website and get yourself a couple of “clinical check” stamps (one for the dispensary bench and one for the packing bench).
Once you have got the site, the technician, the mentor, the stamp, and everyone onboard, you will need to attend a training through PSNZ to proceed and pay the fee required.
Pick a day/time for pharmacists to have turns at being the processor. They will be required to perform a clinical check against the patient’s history for each script item. The clinical check extends to the combination of drugs on the script and in the history including drug, strength, and probable use. Consider interactions and appropriate doses. If you are not a pharmacist with a natural ability for processing then I can assure you, you will get quicker. I have.
We then use two grey clothes pegs on the basket containing the “clinically checked” & processed script items. You will need the non-PACT training technician to dispense the items before the trainee PACT comes along and checks the script (removing one of the pegs when they feel happy it is correct). The final check is done by a pharmacist. You can use pegs or laminated cards to achieve this step. The key point is that you need TWO pegs/cards when training a PACT but only ONE in the future when they are qualified.
A PACT should be remunerated fairly or incentivised for their efforts and their new-found responsibilities. It is not a bad idea to have this pre-negotiated so the technician understands what is in it for them. The market sits around $2-$3 extra per hour once the course is completed and passed.
Here are my top three uses for a PACT scope.
I suggest you master these first as a team because they are the main areas of utilisation:
1.) Checking repeat reminders
Switch the repeat reminders on at three set times per week. Have a pharmacist run them through and clinically check as they go.
Have a technician dispense them and a PACT checks them.
These can also be dispensed and set aside or put in baskets for a PACT to check later. It is important early on to introduce a PACT checking area marked by peg colour or laminated card but set in a certain place.
2.) Checking sachet or blister packs
I suggest you get your PACT to check a suitable-sized wing of your packs each week. Do not load them up with all the packs, they did not train with that in mind. Respect the newfound scope and delegate one section only (especially initially).
Make sure the wing is suitable in both size (number of packs) and complexity of changes.
For this to happen, you need a pharmacist to sit down with the current medicine chart and new scripts or repeats and clinically check the wing of patients.
This is best done away from the dispensary bench. Remember, most pharmacists love getting out the back for a stint. From there the wing can be processed and dispensed by other staff members then accuracy checked by the PACT.
3.) On the front bench checking scripts
The flow on the front bench with a PACT in tow is different from a non-PACT flow.
Your team will have experienced this when your PACT was training but may not have if you have hired a PACT who has changed jobs and is already trained.
A pharmacist will need to process and clinically check as they go. You will need a technician or intern to dispense the scripts and then a PACT to check them.
It is important to have a solid system for indicating which scripts are ready for a PACT to check. It has been suggested earlier that you use a certain coloured peg on the front of a basket OR a certain coloured laminated card to highlight the process.
In summary;
The PACT programme pushes good technician operators to the top of their scope which in turn allows pharmacists to find the top of theirs. With pressure from communities to have more services available at a pharmacy level, this is a logical step forward.
Utilising your PACT takes effort and is worth it if you persevere. I have provided three good uses above and I suggest these are implemented in a staggered approach. Perhaps you try and utilise your PACT on the front bench on and off for two weeks before adding in the text reminders and then the pack checking.
It is worth also remembering that a PACT is also a very good level 5+ pharmacy technician and can still do everything that they did before they became a PACT. Having said that if you give up on the new methods to include your PACT, they may personally become disengaged and frustrated with their newfound responsibility being undervalued.
PSNZ is very approachable and helpful with assistance here.
Reach out and ask for a Zoom to discuss your processes if there is frustration.
Here at Pharmacy Recruit we value technicians wholeheartedly and advocate for their elevation and career progression.
If it is a PACT technician you want to employ OR you’d like to discuss anything you’ve read here in more detail, give me a call on mob 021 164 7368
I love community pharmacy and I love to talk about staffing!
Amelia - Founder of Pharmacy Recruit
