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Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists

Hi-Tech
How Far Do You Want To Go?

by Becky Ohrmund, CPhT; Pharmacy Technician Specialist, Pharmacy Department, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Hello fellow ICHP members,

I hope everyone has had a great holiday season. As this is my first article that I have written for KeePosted, I thought that I would introduce myself to those of you who may not know me. My name is Becky Ohrmund and I was recently elected as ICHP Technician Representative-Elect. I was also honored as the 2019 ICHP Technician of the Year. I am currently a Pharmacy Technician Specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. I have been with NMH for almost 5 years; however, before coming to Chicago, I worked at Walgreens, Express Scripts, and Omnicare for a total of 16 years as a pharmacy technician.

I am a die-hard Wisconsin Badgers football fan; however, I do not watch pro football so I am not a Packers fan as most people assume. I have 1 brother and 3 adorable nephews. They live in Wisconsin and I visit them as frequently as I can. In my spare time I enjoy trying new restaurants with my friends as well as participating in paint nights (if you don’t know what this is, I suggest you google “paint and sip” and try a night out).

Now that you know a little bit about me, I would love to know more about you. How do you do that, you might

ask? In order for me to get to know you I need you to be involved with ICHP! We have a lot of technician members, however I do not know who all of you are. I encourage you to attend one of our meetings. I know that it is not always easy to take off of work to travel to the meetings if you don’t live in the immediate area; however we need your participation.

Have you ever been to a meeting and wondered how the topics get picked for presentation? Well I encourage you to participate in our planning committee. This is your chance to plan a session and really bring your ideas to life.

Now I know what you are thinking - what is the point in participating in ICHP? My employer will not pay me more for attending meetings or being on a committee. Only you can change that way of thinking. Being involved and gaining recognition within an organization shows your value. It opens a lot of doors and furthers your knowledge.

If you would have told me 5 years ago when I joined ICHP that I would be both Technician of the Year and Technician Representative-Elect in the same year, I would have told you that you were crazy.

How far do you want to go?