Missy Smith

I started my career in pharmacy in October 1988 as a pharmacy technician. I became nationally certified, which opened up opportunities for me to apply myself to other positions in the pharmacy world beyond just being a technician. I've taught pharmacy technician certification at the college level, and I've gained expertise in all aspects of pharmacy, from the technician side to billing, account management, customer retention, and cost containment. I know the entire workflow of the pharmacy. My success is something I attribute to the mentors I had when I first started in pharmacy, and I still talk about those mentors today, all these years later. They really helped me to be who I am today. I didn't need a college degree to get where I am. I started out with national certification and on-the-job training, and that was able to get me where I'm at today. To me, customer service is the biggest responsibility as a pharmacy technician, whether you work in a retail setting or at a closed-door pharmacy. Understanding what the customer's needs are and what you can do to help them is one of the big responsibilities. Having a lot of patience with customers is essential because obviously all the customers are sick. You don't just come to the pharmacy because you're well. So the biggest thing is just treating everybody with respect. I'm very passionate about the pharmacy and the work that I've done.