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Official Newsjournal of the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists

ICHP Leadership Spotlight
Meet Becky Ohrmund, CPhT

What is your leadership position within ICHP?
I am the Technician Representative-Elect.

Where is your practice site?
I am a Pharmacy Technician Specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL. I am one of 6 Lead Technicians in the central pharmacy.

Tell us about a time that you made a difference.
When COVID-19 made its way to my hospital, there were a lot of patients that were intubated. With the help of one of our ICU pharmacists, I came up with a plan to make ketamine and midazolam drips for patients in our COVID ICU. We calculated the patient specific drips so that we made enough to last for a 24-hour period and then we delivered them to the units. This helped our nurses to be able to focus on their patients and not have to run over to the pharmacy every few hours.

What pharmacy related issues keep you up at night?
I’m not sure that this issue keeps me from sleeping, but there is definitely a concern with technician pay scale. There are so many excellent technicians in the world of pharmacy; however, we are not always able to show our talents because the compensation is lower than what one can live on. We have done little over the course of my 17 years as a technician to break down these barriers. I believe that with advanced roles there should be advanced compensation.

What makes ICHP great?
ICHP is great because you can meet so many people. It really is an organization that allows people to make great connections and friendships. I have met so many people just working in pharmacy that I normally would not have met.

What initially motivated you to get involved in ICHP?
I was a P1 at Midwestern University when I joined ICHP. I really wanted to go to Legislative Day to get out of class. I ended up joining and that was my first Legislative Day that I attended. Since then, I decided pharmacy school really wasn’t for me, but I became involved in ICHP as a technician member. I was really hooked after I volunteered for my first planning meeting committee.

What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is Mexican. Tacos to be more specific, but I love almost all Mexican food.

Where is your favorite place to vacation?
I don’t have one favorite spot to vacation, but my favorite in the last few years has been Niagara Falls. Not the touristy part of it, but the beauty that is the vineyards and wineries of the area. I never knew that there were vineyards in the region, but when I was researching what to do when I went to Toronto last year, I found out much more about the area. I will definitely return in the future to explore more. ■