Marika Mosley won the Best Pharmacy Technician for Savings award because helping her customers afford expensive medications is what drives her—it’s her favorite part of her job. Insurance is complicated, and many people don’t fully understand their plans, but she won’t let them overpay. With coupons, or by helping them switch pharmacies, she makes sure that price isn’t an obstacle to any Rx. She’s been with the Walgreens in Virginia Beach for nearly five years, and the smiles on her customer’s faces are all the reward she needs for going the extra mile.

What is an average day like at your pharmacy?

It’s very, very busy. We do everything from typing prescriptions, giving shots, filling prescriptions, helping patients and customers, putting away orders, placing orders, and making sure that the pharmacy has the items that we need to function—all of the above.

Filling a prescription is not just putting a couple pills in the bottle. It needs to be typed up, reviewed, filled, reviewed again, then put away. In between, there are lots of other jobs—picking up phones, taking care of customers—that all have to be handled simultaneously. I actually really enjoy interacting with the patients and customers. It’s very rewarding.

I like to help customers feel safe taking a new prescription by explaining that we’ve checked all their other medications.

How do you go above and beyond for your customers?

I’m always trying to make sure that the customer gets the best price that their insurance allows. If they don’t have insurance, I can help them with our Walgreens program. Or, I can help them with coupons. 

Many people don’t understand their medications. It’s good to explain and help make sure that they take their medications correctly and know how to store them. I like to help customers feel safe taking a new prescription by explaining that we’ve checked all their other medications, so we know it doesn’t interact.

What drives you to go above and beyond?

I like my customers. They are nice people. They are just sick people, sometimes dealing with horrible diagnoses. When there’s somebody nice to help them, I think that makes them feel better. I like knowing that I did the best I could, and my customers don’t have to worry. 

Do you have a favorite moment as a pharmacy technician?

It’s a great feeling knowing that I can vaccinate customers and that they are protected against COVID-19. Some people are still not sure about the vaccine. It’s great to be able to explain that the vaccine is not dangerous, and how important it is. When they understand it better, they feel better about it.

That makes me feel good because they are not worried. There’s still a lot of misinformation. It’s very rewarding to be able to explain things to them and make them feel safer because I think we all have enough worry as it is.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Making people happy, making people smile, and making their day better is what’s rewarding. They may have been waiting at the doctor for a long time, getting news they didn’t want to hear. When they leave the pharmacy happy and smiling, that’s a great feeling.

When you really feel that you made a difference, when you could help somebody with certain expensive medication, for instance, that’s great. Whether it’s a program or a coupon, that’s really important to people.

What should customers know about saving money?

They really need to understand their insurance plan, their deductibles, what medications are covered, which ones are not, and how it works. That’s really important because sometimes, things may be cheaper at different pharmacies. 

People need to talk to their insurance, to their doctor, and make sure that they get the correct medication. Then, they don’t have to spend more than they really need to. There are coupons available as well, if needed. 

What are the advantages of savings cards like SingleCare?

Savings cards help customers actually afford medication that they need. Because sometimes, even though they have insurance, their insurance may still not cover what they need or what their doctor prescribed. It’s a matter of whether they can stay on the medication.

Making people happy, making people smile, and making their day better is what’s rewarding.

Could you share a meaningful customer story?

I had an older lady who needed a cough medication. Her insurance wasn’t covering it, not even with a pre-authorization. I used a coupon for her. It brought it down to a reasonable price. That made her really happy because she could actually take that medication and afford it. That was very nice. She was crying, and maybe making us cry, too.

What are the attributes of a top pharmacy technician?

It’s important to understand that most people are just sick people. They have things they are dealing with we may not know about. Being patient and explaining things to customers makes a difference. Many people don’t understand what goes into filling a prescription. When people know that it’s not because we don’t want to help them, it’s just because we are busy, they are much more pleasant. 

What does this nomination mean to you?

It’s very nice. It makes me feel like somebody did notice. That’s very sweet.