From Short-Staffed to High-Performing: How to Recruit and Upskill Pharmacy Technicians for Advanced Roles

With turnover rates averaging 60%, many pharmacy owners find themselves trapped in a reactive hiring cycle that often leads to desperate, poor-fit hires.

At the Total Pharmacy Solutions Summit 2026 Summer event, Mike Johnston, CPhT-Adv, CEO of the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA), argues that the most skilled technicians are rarely checking traditional job boards; instead, they must be reached through proactive, location-based social media ads that speak directly to their desire for recognition and respect.

To ensure a perfect match, pharmacies should implement a multi-layered filtering process that auto-rejects candidates lacking non-negotiables while using personality quizzes to assess communication styles before an interview even occurs.

Once on board, development is the key to retention, as technicians are twice as likely to stay when provided a clear pathway for advancement. By upskilling staff into specialized roles, such as managing med-sync programs, compounding, or immunization workflows, owners can offload their own administrative burdens and reduce the $5000 average cost associated with a single technician's turnover.

Rather than flat pay raises, Johnston suggests implementing bonus structures tied to the specific revenue-generating success of these technician-led programs. This shift from viewing technicians as “cogs in the wheel” to essential clinical partners allows independent pharmacies to finally expand their capacity for patient services and improve overall workplace morale.

Explore more of our coverage from the Total Pharmacy Solutions Summit Summer 2026: Policy, People, and Profitability.