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Leadership Profile
Antoinette Cintron, CPhT
Where did you grow up and go to school?I grew up in Ireland, went to Elementary, High School and College in Ireland and also to College in England.
Trace your work history. Where have you trained or worked? Any special accomplishments?
I am a trained Chef with a specialty in Patisserie. I have worked in Ireland, England, Germany and United Sates in the hospitality industry. Then along came family, and I found myself in a conundrum, working for the hospitality industry did not allow for family time.
I was always interested in the medical world and got a job near my home with Walgreens. I found the perfect blend between work and life.
I got PTCB certified in 2002 and eventually moved into hospital pharmacy (MacNeal), which has a broader scope for technicians who want to learn new ideas and methods. I worked at MacNeal for over 8 years and then made the move to RUSH, where I have been for over 4 years.
Describe your current area of practice and practice setting.
Currently I am in our Specialty Pharmacy as a Patient Care Coordinator. I take care of our Allergy/Immunology and our Solid Organ Transplant (SOT) clinics. Here we work in tandem with the clinic and the patient, in setting up their care plan after they have been diagnosed. It offers a lot of patient contact and opportunities to act as patients’ guide as they start their treatment journey. Often patients will call us first, especially since we are a very hands on Pharmacy setting. We will meet with our patients in the clinic, and bring them their meds and contact them in regards to shipping their medications per schedule. So patients almost become an extended family in a sense. It is a very fulfilling job, and I love the satisfaction that I get from work every day.
What initially motivated you to get involved, and what benefits do you see in being active in a professional association such as ICHP?
Honestly, I first thought that ICHP was only for pharmacists and did not join for years. But when I came to RUSH, I found out that technicians could also become members, so I joined. I love being a member and even though becoming a pharmacist is not where I see myself going, there is so much that you can gain from being a member.
For starters there is so much out there to learn and your mind gets opened to the possibilities that are available to technicians now and in the future. Attending the Spring Meeting, Annual Meeting and Legislative Day are great ways to see all that ICHP does and learn about opportunities for getting involved. Don't forget the awesome Pharmacy Tech Topics™ modules which are a great way to fulfill technicians’ CE needs!
In addition, you get to meet technicians from other hospitals and institutions and get to hear what they are doing in their workplaces. You can swap and develop ideas that you can bring back to your workplace. Not to be looked over is the great networking that being a member allows…who knows, you might see an opportunity that would open up another avenue in your career.
What advice would you give to a new technician eager to become more involved within ICHP?
Don’t just join, come to the meetings, attend conferences and above all, don't be shy. Talk to people, and if you see a call for volunteers, sign up! You will get more out of ICHP than you put in.
Is there an individual you admire or look up to, or a mentor that has influenced your career?
Alicia Boyce, PharmD, my first hospital pharmacy manager. She was willing to take a chance on me and opened up the world of hospital pharmacy to me. This eventually led to me joining ICHP and being nominated as Tech Rep for NISHP.
What three adjectives would people use to best describe you?
Hardworking, honest, conscientious.
Do you have any special interests or hobbies outside of pharmacy/work? Any special accomplishments?
Any handcrafts! I just love them and always am trying out something new. I am a sucker for craft stores.
Do you have a favorite restaurant/food?
Spanish.
What is your favorite place to vacation?
Roadtrips with the family, no destination in particular as long as we are together.
What is the most interesting/unique fact about yourself that few people know?
I can converse in 3 languages (Gaelic, French and German) and have a pretty good understanding of Spanish.
