News>Feature - Cannon behind the scenes: prescription for perfection
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U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Brandy Palmer, 27th Special Operations Medical Support Squadron pharmacy technician, attempts to locate a particular prescription while searching through inventory in the pharmacy at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 21, 2012. The pharmacy staff works diligently to cater to the countless needs of all those served on base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Randy Hoffer, 27th Special Operations Medical Support Squadron pharmacy technician, checks and verifies prepared prescription orders in the pharmacy at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 21, 2012. More than 200 prescriptions are handled daily at the pharmacy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Randy Hoffer, 27th Special Operations Medical Support Squadron pharmacy technician, looks over a prepared prescription order in the pharmacy at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 21, 2012. Medications are carefully monitored for the safety of all patients under care within Cannon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal)
by Airman 1st Class Alexxis Pons Abascal
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
8/27/2012 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- *This feature is sixteenth in a series of Air Commando highlights at Cannon.
As a customer approaches the window and is greeted by an eager technician, their order is taken and prepared within minutes. Names are called out over an intercom system and patrons return to collect what they requested. These aren't your typical fast-food orders, but with the expert speed and efficiency displayed in the Cannon pharmacy, you might not know the difference.
Like a skilled assembly line, pharmacy technicians with the 27th Special Operations Medical Support Squadron work diligently to cater to the countless needs of all those they serve at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.
"We handle more than 200 prescription fills and refills on an average day," said Staff Sgt. Randy Hoffer, 27 SOMDSS pharmacy tech. "Speed aside, taking care to check and double-check everything before the customer receives their prescription is very important."
Doctors and providers issue prescriptions to patients who then head to the pharmacy to have those orders filled. Pharmacy technicians will carry out the task of ensuring new prescriptions don't conflict with any existing ones patients might be taking and that proper dosages are given out.
Medications are portioned and weighed before being bottled. Bottles are then labeled and coded before being scanned into a database for tracking. This ensures careful monitoring for the safety of all patients under care within Cannon.
"We pay very close attention to detail to eliminate mistakes or the potential for errors," Hoffer said. "When you're dealing with something like prescribed medications or narcotics, you can't afford slip-ups."
Hoffer added that keeping troops healthy and mission-ready is one of their biggest tasks as pharmacy technicians. Ensuring service members have what they need for deployments and TDYs to safeguard against foreign illness is something they take a lot of pride in.
"Our job is more stressful and demanding than people might realize," said Airman 1st Class Brandy Palmer, 27 SOMDSS pharmacy tech. "There is a certain amount of pressure that comes from meeting customer needs, especially when those needs are medical in nature. At the end of the day I feel accomplished when patients walk away happy with the services we've provided them. Even on a small scale, we are saving lives."
