Luxury in Scrubs: My Life as a Traveling Pharmacy Technician
Written By Tonique Hendrix, I.V. CPhT
I never anticipated spending hours on customer service, corporate American Express cards, luxury hotel stays and the like in the name of Diamond Hotel rewards. But I never calculated I’d be flown across the country to help with hurricane relief efforts or walk into a hospital on the precipice of striking staff and lend order to their phar- macy operations. However, a decade later, I am living the life I love: a travelling pharmacy technician. For the last 12 years, I’ve made travelling pharmacy my life and, since 2011, done so wholeheartedly. In terms of career, it’s got to be flexible, it’s got to be high level, and you need to have a spirit of adventure in its expression. And while that’s not easy, it’s extremely rewarding. I will tell you my path — how I got here, what it takes to succeed as a travel tech, and why this lifestyle is the most excit- ing frontier in pharmacy today.
Ideas in Brief • Travel pharmacy technicians play a vital role in emergency response, bringing order and care to crisis-affected facilities across the country. • IV sterile compounding certification unlocks access to high-paying travel con- tracts in hospitals, oncology, and infusion centers. • Beyond hotel perks and paid flights, travel techs thrive on the purpose-driven work, career growth, and fast-paced vari- ety of each new assignment. • Mastery of pharmacy operations and soft- ware systems makes travel techs instantly valuable—able to step in, suit up, and contribute from day one.
The Beginning
From Remington College to a Mobile Career Having had a great academic background from Remington College, I was ready to work in healthcare. Initially, I had in mind a job in a retail or hospital pharmacy, which most of my friends had. Somehow or another, it only took a year or so before I started a traditional role and realized I needed more challenge, variety and personal growth than a stationary job couldn’t provide. Then,
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