Highly commended Pharmacy Technician of the Year, Myra Gauntlett from Knights Pharmacy in Rubery, Worcestershire, embraces the varied opportunities that the role of pharmacy technician opens up

In addition to checking prescriptions and medipacks, Myra recruits patients for MURs and the NMS, runs the pharmacy’s stop smoking service, and works for head office, where she prepares clinical and information governance audits and conducts staff appraisals. She has also assisted with the design of practice leaflets and helped all the branches of Knights Pharmacy to prepare for the new GPhC inspection model.

“I love my job and I’m always looking forward to new challenges, working closely with the team to become a friendly, efficient pharmacy that customers keep coming back to,” she says.

Myra believes that carrying out regular CPD is a vital aspect of the pharmacy technician role, as it helps her improve her knowledge and skills and come up with new ideas.

“It’s important to keep on top of your CPD,” she says. “If I come across something I’m not sure about, I do an entry on it, which ensures that my CPD folder is always relevant to me.” This dedication prompted judge Helen Darracott, PAGB, to declare that “every pharmacy should have a Myra to keep things running smoothly,” while judge Joanne Taylor, ACPT and national secretary at the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK, remarked that “she has developed her role to its full potential and pushed the boundaries with extra roles at head office.”

The award has spurred Myra on to achieve even bigger things in pharmacy, and she has recently applied to be an NPA training course marker.