Amplifying Technicians: Wesley Sparkmon, PhD, MPH

In episode 4 of Amplifying Technicians, host Taylor Watterson, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy, welcomes Wesley Sparkmon, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of pharmacy sciences at Creighton University.

Sparkmon has a wealth of experience in the pharmacy industry as both a pharmacist and technician. He joined Amplifying Technicians to discuss his career journey in community, long-term-care, and big-box chain pharmacy. Learn about Sparkmon’s work within various parts of pharmacy and how he realized the value technicians provide within pharmacy operations on a day-to-day basis.

“Technicians who are going for certification, they're motivated. They want to do as much as they can. They want to operate at the top of their license,” said Sparkmon. “That got me thinking about, what does motivation look like in the pharmacy technician space? Around the same time, I'd been taking a class in organizational behavior. The way businesses operate and the employees within the business are how they think and how they go about different things. And that sort of got me thinking ‘Okay, there's something that we can utilize here.’”

From his time in the field to his research and work in academia, Sparkmon serves as an authority on the current technician landscape. See how his insights combine with Watterson’s for this impactful discussion on the ever-evolving technician space.

Be sure to tune in each month on Drug Topics for conversations that highlight the impact of pharmacy technicians and the many ways they are advancing the profession. All episodes of Amplifying Technicians will be available in video format via DrugTopics.com on the last Tuesday of each month. Check out our previous episode with Grace Fick, PharmD candidate and pharmacy research assistant at the University of Illinois Chicago.

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