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Convention Schedule

Thursday- June 4, 2026
11:00am                                                                                                                 
Invitation Only Leadership Meetings
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Friday- June 5, 2026  (6 CE)
8:15am
Morning Mixer for Members | Members-only Event
9-10am
Dr. Yanick Hicks | Maxwell Leadership
R.E.A.L. Leadership for Pharmacy Technicians: Turning Everyday Work into Exceptional Impact
10-10:15am
Recognition & Awards | Snack Break
10:15-11:15am
Rachel Wagmaister, MS, CPhT | University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy
What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pharmacy Technician
11:30-12:30pm | Lunch & Learn Session
Brenda Jensen, CPhT, PhT, CNMT, MBA | Compounding Consultants, LLC
Uncovering Common Areas of Noncompliance in Sterile Compounding
12:30-1:30pm
Russell Buzalko | University of Nebraska Medical Center
Pharmacy Technician Communication Behind and Beyond the Counter
1:30-2:30pm
TBD
2:30-3:30pm
Panel Discussion | TBD
3:30pm -on
Free Time 
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Saturday- June 6, 2026  (6 CE)
7:30-8:15am
Campus Coffee Tour
8am
Sign in
8:30-9:30am   
Annie DeReese, PharmD | PCCA
Regulatory Insights for Nonsterile Compounding and The Role of the Pharmacy Technician 
9:30-10:30am          
Renee’ Acosta, RPh, MS | The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Current Over the Counter Landscape
10:30-11:30am
Laura Cannon, PharmD, MPH, BCOP | The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Oncology Essentials for the Pharmacy Technician
11:30-12:30pm   
Lunch
12:30-1:30pm
Holli Temple, PharmD | Clinical Associate Professor | The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Calculations:  When Good Intentions Fall Short 
1:30-2:30pm
TBD 
2:30-3:30pm
TBD
3:30-4:30
Optional Activity TBD

Schedule subject to change based on Convention needs
Sip, stroll & soak it all in!
Grab your favorite to-go coffee or juice and join us for a Saturday morning 
walking tour of the gorgeous University of Texas campus.  From the charming 
turtle pond to the iconic Tower, the Main Mall and must-see public art gems, 
this is your perfect blend of sightseeing and weekend vibes.  
No charge, optional Convention activity.
R.E.A.L. Leadership for Pharmacy Technicians: Turning Everyday Work into Exceptional Impact
Yanick Hicks, PharmD | Executive Director, Maxwell Leadership
Pharmacy technicians play a vital role in ensuring accuracy, safety, and seamless patient care—but today’s rapidly evolving healthcare goes beyond technical proficiency. It requires proactive, everyday leadership that strengthens the entire care team.
In this empowering session, you’ll discover how the R.E.A.L. Leadership framework—Resilience, Empathy, Accountability, and Leadership Excellence—can help you elevate your influence, strengthen team performance, and create meaningful impact through your daily work. Whether you’re supporting clinical operations, coordinating care, or mentoring others, this presentation will equip you with practical tools to communicate effectively, stay resilient under pressure, and lead with confidence in any pharmacy setting.
  1. Practice strategies rooted in active listening, accountability, and resilience to build trust, improve workflow collaboration, and contribute to a more efficient, engaged, and
    high-performing pharmacy team.
  2. Develop emotional intelligence skills to improve communication, strengthen professional relationships, and support a positive, collaborative work culture—even in high-pressure environments.
  3. Understand and apply the R.E.A.L. Leadership framework to enhance teamwork, strengthen resilience, and elevate the impact pharmacy technicians have on patient care and operational excellence.
What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pharmacy Technician
Rachel Wagmaister, CPhT |Office of Continuing Education Manager, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy
Pharmacy technicians are sometimes spoken about in passing phrases like “they’re just a tech” or “they need more training”.  I chose to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician to better understand the profession I work so closely with, and what I discovered was a role that is far more complex, demanding, and critical than I expected.
  1. Describe the common misconceptions about the pharmacy technician role and explain how real-world practice differs from these assumptions.
  2. Identify key skills and responsibilities pharmacy technicians use daily that extend beyond certification and formal training.
  3. Recognize factors within pharmacy systems and workflows that influence technician confidence, performance and personal growth.
Current Over the Counter Landscape
Renee Acosta, R.Ph, MS | Clinical Professor & Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
This presentation will discuss the current use of nonprescription medications in the United States and the role of the pharmacy technician in patient self-care.  Topics will include current trends and uses in teh OCT market and current events related to nonprescription products.
  1. Describe the current state of the nonprescription market in the United States.
  2. Discuss new trends and uses in the OTC market.
  3. Discuss current events relating to nonprescription products.
Regulatory Insights for Nonsterile Compounding and The Role of the Pharmacy Technician
Annie DeReese, PharmD |Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA)
This presentation will provide an overview of pharmaceutical compounding and review current USP <795> requirements as they relate to pharmacies and compounding personnel. The presenter will clearly define the responsibilities and scope of practice for pharmacy technicians within a compounding environment. In addition, the presenter will discuss the FDA Insanitary Conditions Guidance and evidence-based best practices to help attendees recognize and prevent conditions that can lead to contamination.
  1. Discuss the role of the pharmacy technician in a compounding practice.
  2. Explain who the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is and describe the USP requirements for personnel in a compounding practice.
  3. Review the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) and summarize when and where it is applicable.

Calculations:  When Good Intentions Fall Short
Hollie Temple, PharmD |Clinical Associate Professor | The University of Texas at Austion College of Pharmacy
Medication calculations are a critical part of safely compounding sterile preparations, yet errors can occur even with the best intentions. This session reviews common IV calculations related to sterile compounding and highlights where errors most often arise. Practical examples and prevention strategies are used to reinforce accurate calculations as a key patient safety responsibility.
  1. Review specific drug calculations.
  2. Calculate medication doses and volumes given medication orders.
  3. Illustrate calculation errors associated with said medication orders.
  4. Discuss methods to prevent and/or catch calculation errors.

Pharmacy Technician Communication Behind & Beyond the Counter
Russell Buzalko, Ph.D., MAS |Adjunct Associate Professor | University of Nebraska Medical Center
Effective communications amongst healthcare professional can contribute to highly positive results. Similarly, ineffective communications are frequently the root cause of extremely disastrous outcomes. These assertions are quite true in the pharmacy environment and should be considered on a daily basis. The speaker and conference attendees will work together to describe how communications can affect outcomes along with the challenges when exchanging vital information with co-workers, patients, and family members. Tools and strategies to help improve communications in your pharmacy are provided.
  1. Identify communication challenges.
  2. Describe how communication affects pharmacy team processes and outcomes.
  3. Identify tools and strategies to improve pharmacy communications.
Uncovering Common Areas of Noncompliance in Sterile Compounding
Brenda Jensen, CPhT, CNMT, MAS  |Compounding Consultants, LLC
Sterile compounders often have similar struggles with compliance. This session will highlight common areas of noncompliance and provide information on how to identify and correct gaps
internally to reduce the risk of regulatory scrutiny.
  1. Identify common areas of noncompliance in sterile compounding.
  2. Review documentation requirements for USP <797>.
  3. Outline strategies to discover and correct gaps in compliance.
Oncology Essentials for the Pharmacy Technician
Laura Cannon, PharmD, MPH, BCOP | Clinical Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice Division | The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
With the rapid increase in the number of oncology treatment approvals, this session offers a straightforward, big‑picture overview of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and supportive care, helping technicians understand key differences in how these treatments work and what that means for dispensing, distribution, and patient care.
  1. Recognize big picture differences between chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
  2. Outline key dosing considerations and the importance of supportive care medications for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
  3. Recognize the importance of the pharmacy technician’s role in oncology care and discuss strategies to proactively anticipate cancer patient needs.
ACCREDITED CONTINUING EDUCATION
for PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
TARGET AUDIENCE
This accredited continuing education activity is designed for 
pharmacy technicians.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this activity, the participants should 
be better able to:
1. Describe how the roles and responsibilities of pharmacy 
technicians impact processes that support clinical pharmacy 
services.
2. Discuss best practices in medication management to better 
support pharmacy practice and patient needs for improved 
medication-related outcomes.
3. Explain how the pharmacy technician can collaborate 
with pharmacists to help maintain compliance standards 
and to ensure patients receive the correct medication 
to treat their health conditions.



The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
as a provider of continuing pharmacy education (CPE).  This activity has 
been accredited for 12 contact hours of knowledge-based CPE for 
pharmacy technicians.  To receive CPE, participants must create a profile 
on lecturepanda.com with their NABP eProfile ID number and birthdate and 
complete the activity evaluation.  CPE credit will be uploaded to CPE 
Monitor upon completion of the activity evaluation.
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