Pharmacy technician shortages remain one of the most persistent operational challenges facing hospitals, but leaders say the problem extends beyond wage competition.
While higher pay from large retailers continues to draw talent away from health systems, pharmacy executives point to a more fundamental issue: The technician role has not evolved into a clearly defined, sustainable career.
“The deeper issue is that hospital pharmacy offers technicians little visibility into a long-term career,” said David Young, vice president of pharmacy operations at Brockton, Mass.-based Signature Healthcare. Without defined advancement pathways, he added, “talented individuals will continue to leave for environments that feel more stable or rewarding.”
That lack of career mobility has emerged as a theme among leaders. Donald Dean, director of specialty pharmacy 340B at Southcoast Hospitals Group in New Bedford, Mass., put it more bluntly: “You lose your best techs if you don’t have a career path for them.” In many systems, he noted, technicians rarely move into leadership roles, pushing high performers to leave the field altogether.
Several leaders emphasized that fixing the pipeline requires more than adding titles or incremental raises; it demands a structural redesign of how pharmacy teams operate.
Kemi Olatunji, PharmD, chief pharmacy officer at Newport News, Va.-based Riverside Health System, said many organizations still rely too heavily on pharmacists for operational tasks that could be handled by well-trained technicians. That dynamic not only limits efficiency but also constrains the profession’s growth.
“If we want to stabilize the pipeline, we have to redesign the model,” she said, pointing to the need to shift pharmacists toward clinical decision-making while empowering technicians to lead operational functions such as medication distribution and workflow coordination.
Such changes, she added, must be paired with broader reforms — including updated regulations, expanded training programs and compensation models that reflect a more advanced technician role.
Other leaders echoed the need for a more formalized pipeline, starting with education and certification. John Armitstead, vice president of pharmacy services at Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health, said health systems should invest in American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-accredited training programs and support technicians in obtaining board certification, while also building career ladders that reward specialization and leadership.
“Enhancing base pay, recognizing the field as a profession and creating meaningful advancement opportunities will position the pharmacy technician role as a sustainable and attractive career path,” he said.
Still, even as some systems build internal programs, gaps remain at the national level. Brian Chu, PharmD, executive director of system pharmacy operations at Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope, said the pipeline continues to suffer from a lack of coordinated investment across health systems, educators and policymakers.
Underlying these challenges, leaders say, is a long-standing perception problem. Madeline Camejo, PharmD, vice president of pharmacy services and chief pharmacy officer at Baptist Health South Florida in Coral Gables, said the technician role has historically been treated as entry level even as responsibilities have grown more complex.
“Technicians are expected to manage increasing complexity, certifications and specialized tasks without commensurate pay, standardized training pathways or clear advancement opportunities,” she said. That misalignment continues to drive turnover and destabilize the workforce, she added.
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