CHPPC Module 25, Section 4: Building Allies
MODULE 25: YOUR FIRST 30 DAYS: STREET-SMART SURVIVAL PLAYBOOK

Section 25.4: Building Allies: Techs, Charge Nurses, and Unit Secretaries

Your Guide to the Unofficial Power Structure: Forging the Relationships That Get Things Done.

SECTION 25.4

Building Allies: Techs, Charge Nurses, Unit Secretaries

Mastering the art of professional relationship-building with the colleagues who form the backbone of the hospital.

25.4.1 The “Why”: Your Effectiveness is a Team Sport

In the complex, high-stakes environment of a hospital, no one succeeds alone. While physicians write the orders, it is an army of highly skilled support staff that makes their execution possible. For a pharmacist, your ability to get things done—to ensure a critical antibiotic is delivered STAT, to track down a missing lab value, or to get a message to the right person at the right time—is almost entirely dependent on the quality of your relationships with three key groups: pharmacy technicians, charge nurses, and unit secretaries (also known as Health Unit Coordinators or HUCs).

As an experienced retail pharmacist, you already know the immense value of a great technician. You understand that they are the engine that drives the workflow. In the hospital, this principle is magnified tenfold. Here, you are not just working with your own technicians; you are interfacing with the expert “technicians” of every other department. The charge nurse is the expert technician of patient flow and nursing resources on their unit. The unit secretary is the expert technician of communication and information flow for their station.

Ignoring these colleagues or treating them as subordinates is the fastest way to render yourself ineffective. They are the holders of immense institutional knowledge and the masters of the informal networks that truly run the hospital. Building an alliance with them based on mutual respect is not just a “nice” thing to do; it is a fundamental survival strategy. An allied technician will go the extra mile to find a missing medication for you. An allied charge nurse will give you a heads-up about a complex patient being admitted. An allied unit secretary will make sure your message gets to the resident who stepped off the floor two minutes ago. This section will give you the playbook for building that alliance.

25.4.2 The Analogy: From Solo Performer to Broadway Stage Manager

A Deep Dive into the Analogy

In many ways, a retail pharmacist operates as a Solo Performer. You are the star of the show, the main attraction. While you have a crucial supporting cast in your technicians, the patients are there to see you, the prescriber calls are for you, and the ultimate responsibility for the performance rests squarely on your shoulders. Your expertise is the main event.

A hospital pharmacist operates much more like a Broadway Stage Manager. You are a vital, highly skilled professional, but you are part of a massive production with dozens of other experts. Your specific job is to ensure one critical part of the show—the medication use system—runs flawlessly. But you cannot do it alone. For the show to succeed, you must coordinate seamlessly with the other crew chiefs:

  • The Pharmacy Technicians are your Lighting and Sound Crew. They are the technical wizards who operate the complex machinery that makes the show run. You can call out a lighting cue (verify an order), but they are the ones who actually run the light board, hang the gels, and ensure the right spotlight hits the right actor at the right time. A stage manager who doesn’t respect their lighting crew will find themselves in a very dark theater.
  • The Charge Nurse is the Head of Wardrobe and Cast Management. They are responsible for making sure every actor (patient) is in the right costume (care plan), in the right place, at the right time. They manage the chaos backstage (on the unit) and are the ultimate problem-solvers when an actor misses an entrance or has a wardrobe malfunction. A smart stage manager consults with them constantly.
  • The Unit Secretary (HUC) is the Front of House Manager and Box Office Lead. They manage all incoming communications, handle the seating chart (bed management), and are the first point of contact for anyone trying to get information. They know where every actor, director, and producer is at all times. Being rude to them is like being rude to the person who controls the entire ticketing and communication system for the theater.

Your success as a stage manager is directly proportional to the strength of your relationships with your crew chiefs. This section will teach you how to earn their respect and build the collaborative team that ensures a flawless performance, night after night.

Masterclass Part 1: Your Most Valuable Players — The Pharmacy Technicians

Let’s be unequivocally clear: you cannot do your job without pharmacy technicians. In the hospital, their roles are far more specialized and complex than you may be accustomed to. Many are certified, highly trained career professionals who are experts in their specific domain, be it sterile compounding, informatics, or inventory management. They are your hands, your feet, and often your institutional memory.

What Technicians Value in a Pharmacist

Understanding their perspective is the key to a great working relationship. Based on years of observation and countless conversations, here is what the best technicians value most in their pharmacist colleagues:

  • Respect for Their Expertise: They appreciate pharmacists who recognize and trust their skills. The veteran IV room technician knows more about the nuances of compounding and workflow in that clean room than you ever will. Ask for their input. Defer to their logistical expertise.
  • Clarity and Accuracy: They value a pharmacist whose work is clean and clear. An order verified with the wrong frequency or a missing comment creates rework and frustration for them. Double-checking your work before you hit “verify” is a sign of respect for their time.
  • A “Roll Up Your Sleeves” Attitude: The pharmacists who earn the most respect are the ones who are not “above” helping out when things get busy. Answering a ringing phone, bagging a medication, or helping to fill an ADC when the pharmacy is drowning in work shows that you see yourself as part of a team, not as a separate, higher class of employee.
  • Professional Advocacy: They value pharmacists who have their back. If a nurse is rude to a technician on the phone, a great pharmacist will step in. If a technician has a good idea for a workflow improvement, a great pharmacist will champion that idea to management.
How to Build a Powerful Alliance with Your Technicians
  1. Learn Their Names AND Their Roles. Don’t just learn “Mike.” Learn “Mike, the lead IV room technician” and “Sarah, the technician who manages the pediatric ADCs.” Using their name and acknowledging their specific role shows you are paying attention.
  2. Say “Please” and “Thank You.” Every. Single. Time. These are the two most powerful and underutilized phrases in any professional relationship. “Can you please check on this for me?” and “Thank you, I really appreciate your help” costs you nothing and pays huge dividends in goodwill.
  3. Understand Their Workflow. Ask to shadow a technician for an hour in each key area (IV room, central pharmacy, ADC filling). Seeing their job through their eyes will give you an entirely new perspective and empathy for the challenges they face.
  4. Close the Loop. When you ask a technician to investigate a problem (like a missing med), and you eventually solve it, go back and tell them the outcome. “Hey Maria, just to close the loop on that missing antibiotic—it turns out it was accidentally sent to the wrong unit. Thanks again for your help tracking it down!”
  5. Bring Food. It may seem trivial, but occasionally bringing in a box of donuts or a tray of cookies for the technician team is a simple, powerful gesture of appreciation that goes a very long way.

Masterclass Part 2: Your Unit Commandants — The Charge Nurses

The Charge Nurse is the operational, clinical, and spiritual leader of their nursing unit for that shift. They are typically the most experienced nurse on the floor, and they have seen it all. They are the master jugglers, managing patient admissions and discharges, handling staffing emergencies, de-escalating conflicts, and serving as the primary resource for all the other nurses on the unit. Earning their trust is like gaining a key ally in a foreign country.

What Charge Nurses Value in a Pharmacist

Charge nurses are dealing with a constant stream of problems. They value a pharmacist who is a solution, not another problem.

  • Visibility and Presence: They value a pharmacist who is not just a voice on the phone but a physical presence on their unit. A pharmacist who rounds, who is available to answer quick questions in the hallway, is seen as an integrated member of the unit team.
  • Proactive Communication: They are the information hub. They appreciate a pharmacist who gives them a “heads-up” on issues that will affect their unit. “Just wanted to let you know we’re running low on IV potassium, so you might see some orders for the oral alternative.”
  • Ownership of Medication Problems: When a complex medication issue arises, they value a pharmacist who takes complete ownership of solving it. They don’t want to be the middle-man between pharmacy and the physician. They want a pharmacist who says, “I’ve got this. I will talk to the resident and the nurse and get this sorted out.”
  • Clinical Competence and Reliability: They need to know that when they come to you with a serious question, they are getting a reliable, expert answer. They value a pharmacist who is a trustworthy clinical resource for them and their staff.
How to Forge the Charge Nurse Alliance
  1. The Proactive Introduction. At the start of your shift, make a point to call or walk to the units you are covering. Find the charge nurse. Use this script: “Hi [Charge Nurse’s Name], my name is [Your Name], and I’ll be the pharmacist covering your unit today until [end of shift]. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you or your team need anything at all. My number is x1234.” This 30-second act immediately establishes a professional, collaborative relationship.
  2. Make Yourself Visible. Don’t live in the central pharmacy. Find reasons to be on the unit. When you are working up a complex patient, go to the nursing station to do it. When you have a recommendation for a provider, try to find them on the floor to talk in person. The more they see you, the more they will see you as part of their team.
  3. Be a Problem-Solver, Not a Problem-Reporter. When you identify an issue, never just report the problem; always come with a solution. Instead of saying, “This order is wrong,” say, “I noticed this order doesn’t align with the protocol. I’ve already paged the resident with a recommendation to fix it. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s corrected.”
  4. Ask for Their Expertise. Charge nurses have incredible clinical and operational wisdom. Leverage it. “Hi Jane, I’m dealing with a really complex pain management issue for the patient in 603. You’ve been a nurse here for a long time—have you seen this situation before? What has worked in your experience?” This shows respect for their knowledge and builds a powerful collaborative bond.

Masterclass Part 3: Your Communication Hub — The Unit Secretaries (HUCs)

The Health Unit Coordinator (HUC), or unit secretary, is the air traffic controller of the nursing station. They sit at the epicenter of a hurricane of information, managing a constant barrage of phone calls, pages, patient call lights, alarms, and requests from doctors, nurses, and families. They are the ultimate gatekeepers and facilitators of communication. Your relationship with them can determine how smoothly your day goes.

The Cardinal Rule: Never Be Rude to the HUC

Underestimating or being dismissive of the unit secretary is a catastrophic mistake. They control the flow of information. A friendly and respected HUC will work miracles to track down the nurse or resident you need. An alienated HUC can just as easily say, “Sorry, I don’t know where they are,” and leave you stranded. Your patience and kindness toward them is a direct investment in your own efficiency.

What Unit Secretaries Value in a Pharmacist

  • Patience and Kindness: They are under immense stress. A pharmacist who is polite, patient on the phone, and acknowledges their busy environment is a breath of fresh air.
  • Clarity and Brevity: When you call, they need to know who you are, who you’re calling about, and what you need in as few words as possible so they can triage your request.
  • Being a Partner, Not a Pest: They appreciate a pharmacist who understands that they are also a hub, and sometimes information needs to be relayed through them. They dislike callers who are demanding or impatient.
Word-for-Word Scripts for Effective HUC Interactions
Scenario Ineffective Approach Effective Script
You need to speak with a patient’s nurse who is away from the desk. “Where is the nurse for room 501?” “Hi, this is [Your Name] from pharmacy. I know you’re incredibly busy, but I have a quick question for the nurse caring for Jane Doe in room 501. Would it be possible for you to ask them to give me a call at x1234 when they have a free moment? Thank you so much for your help.”
You need to find a resident to clarify an order. “Page Dr. Smith for me.” “Hi [HUC’s Name], this is [Your Name] in pharmacy. I’m trying to reach Dr. Smith from the medicine team. I know they round on your floor in the mornings—have you happened to see them recently, or would my best bet be to send a page?”
You are returning their call. “I’m returning a page.” “Hi, this is [Your Name], the pharmacist. I’m returning a call from the 8-West station regarding a patient.” (This gives them context to help you immediately).