It takes a village to run a successful pharmacy. For starters, you need to open a pharmacy. Then you need to grow a loyal patient base. If your pharmacy is a well-oiled machine, then your pharmacy technicians are the oil that keeps it chugging along.
Few exemplify the importance of pharmacy techs more than Bremo Pharmacy’s Meredy Ayers. For nearly 25 years, Meredy has defined what it means to be a pharmacy tech, blazing a trail that has pushed the practice forward. In celebration of National Pharmacy Technician Day, read on to learn about Meredy’s journey as a pharmacy tech and what she hopes for the future.
Meredy Ayers' journey into the world of pharmacy began in 1999 while she was still a high school student. What started as an after-school job at an independent pharmacy soon turned into a calling. Meredy recalls a pharmacist lending a patient a portion of their prescription free of charge when he learned the patient wouldn’t have the money to pay for it until the end of the week.
“He explained to me, ‘You know, sometimes we do what we need to do for our community,’” she says. “That’s when I knew I wanted to help people.”
Knowing she loved the patient-facing aspect of pharmacy, she found her home as a pharmacy tech, which led her to her current position as Business Development Specialist at Bremo.
Located in Richmond, Virginia, Bremo Pharmacy has made a name for itself by putting its patients at the forefront of their operations. The pharmacy, Meredy says, makes every decision based on how it would benefit its patients before anything else.
“We don't make any business decisions unless they align with our core values,” she says. Bremo’s core values exemplify what pharmacy work is all about: putting the patient first:
Through what they dub “The Bremo Way,” Meredy and the rest of the staff stand as a pillar of the Richmond community, ensuring that their actions benefit the greater community.
They say experience is the best teacher. The best way to find your place in any industry is to dive head-first into it. Becoming a tech can determine whether you’ll sink or swim in the industry. In the case of Meredy Ayers, she can swim laps with the best of them through a combination of empathy and love for the work.
“I thrive in that chaos. If patients and customers are having a bad day, I won’t let it get to me because it’s important to not take those things personally. If somebody comes in and throws a bottle at my head, that’s not going to bother me.”
Seeing firsthand the positive impact that pharmacy technicians can have on patient care is a point of pride for Meredy. Techs are the catalyst to an efficient workflow, whether we’re talking about filling and selling prescriptions, answering phone calls, or administering vaccines. They wear all kinds of hats in the pharmacy save for the white coat.
Bremo’s pharmacy software of choice is another element of its success. Meredy credits PioneerRx for letting Bremo do what it needs to do to properly care for its patients.
“We use Care Plans like water,” she says. “Care Plans are huge for marketing and for clinical purposes. We do it for vaccines and vaccine follow up, especially for Shingrix to remind patients to come back for their second dose.”
Through a blend of empathy and pharmacy technology, Meredy and Bremo show what pharmacies can do in the modern age.
An argument can be made that pharmacy techs can be overshadowed by their pharmacist counterparts. Healthcare work is often a thankless job, where the health and safety of your patient base acts as the ultimate reward.
Though techs make the pharmacy world go round, one significant issue Meredy highlights is credentialing standards across different states. A national standardization of credentialing, she believes, would elevate a tech’s standing in the industry. On that note, she sees a light at the end of the tunnel.
“I love the moves that we're making. The APhA (American Pharmacists Association) will have a technician on their board in 2025, so I’m hoping that’s a step in the right direction.”
Meredy is a shining example of what techs can do in the industry beyond putting fills in a vial. As Bremo’s Business Development Specialist, she has expertise in identifying business opportunities that benefit both the pharmacy and its patients —a Swiss army knife in every sense.
Pharmacy technicians are the backbone of the industry. They are often the first to answer the call to take care of patients or process prescriptions. Simply put, they make it happen.
As she looks ahead, Meredy sees a bright future for technicians. However, the future is what you make it, so make the most of it.
“There is a light at the end of that tunnel,” she says. “Don't give up on pharmacy. It feels hard right now, but it will pass in due time. There are really cool options out there for techs, so look for them. Don't feel like you're limited, because the only way for techs is up.”
Want to hear more from Meredy? Check out her appearance on the Beyond the Scripts Pharmacy Podcast!
