Jillian M. Ingram

Why I Do What I Do

I have been a pharmacy technician for close to 12 years, with 7 of those years being in retail pharmacy. When I first began my career as a pharmacy technician, I had every intention of either continuing my education to become a pharmacist or a nurse. I ended up going to nursing school four years after becoming a technician and found it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

For the past three years, I have been Residency Coordinator here at Aetna Medicaid and have found a passion for developing programs, whether they are clinical or educational in nature. When I first started in this position in August 2015, the residency had practically nothing developed or ready for the residents that were starting three weeks after I was hired. I hit the ground running and became an integral part of building the program from the ground up. I now co-manage the program with the residency program director. For the past year, I have been spending part of my time assisting our pharmacy medication management director in building clinical programs and trying to find unique ways to streamline pharmacist workflow and use technicians for the programs that have been developed. I love the fact that my role as Residency Coordinator has afforded me with experiences that have exponentially increased my professional growth and leadership skills, and that the role is very innovative for a pharmacy technician.

Latest Accomplishment

In October 2017, the Commission on Credentialing awarded our residency program 6 years accreditation, the longest approval period that can be granted. This was a huge feat! The PGY-1 Managed Care Residency Standards were changing at this time and were to be implemented by July 2018. Even though we were a brand new program, we implemented the changes early and became the first program surveyed against the new standards. I think we knocked it out of the park! Our lead surveyor cited many of our policies as being best in class, many of which I wrote. I was extremely proud that everyone’s hard work paid off.

Most Memorable Experience as a Pharmacy Technician

My most memorable experience was being nominated for the inaugural ASHP Pharmacy Technician Forum Executive Committee. This was something I never would have thought of doing before my current role. For the longest time, I thought dispensing was the limit of what technicians could do, but I’ve learned otherwise in the past three years.   

Why I Became Certified

I became certified because I believe certification opens the doors to opportunities that otherwise would be unavailable for technicians. Certification is also a great way to ensure employers know you have at least a standard set of skills needed for the job role.

My Passion Outside of Work

I’m a total nerd at heart. I love reading manga, watching anime, and playing video games. I have a huge appreciation for the Japanese culture, so much so that I began taking Japanese language classes at a local community college. I also frequent the gym a lot as of late.  

Latest Book Read

Memnoch the Devil (The Vampire Chronicles) by Anne Rice

Advice to Up-and-Coming Technicians

• Go above and beyond
• Be inquisitive and ask lots of questions
• Do your own research
• Come to a discussion prepared and armed with knowledge
• Share your knowledge with those around you
• Don’t wait to be told to do something
• Maximize effort