Zachery Holderman, a pharmacy technician at Meijer #291 in Sturgis, Michigan, was nominated by customers and coworkers who had nothing but praise for his down-to-earth approach to working in the pharmacy.

“It’s no secret that navigating healthcare in the U.S. could be a full-time job just for the patient,” his nominator wrote. “But for my small town in Southern Michigan, Zachery Holderman makes the confusion, frustration, and sometimes emotional journey of prescriptions and healthcare simpler and enjoyable.” 

After becoming certified to administer vaccinations, Holderman played an important role in vaccinating his local community against COVID-19. Along with some of his fellow teammates from Meijer’s Sturgis location, Holderman traveled to other stores to take part in mass vaccination clinics and administered vaccines at their local store as well. His incredible efforts during the pandemic have led Holderman to receive the 2022 COVID Cares Technician Award.

Holderman has been a pharmacy technician with Meijer for three years now, but he’s been with the company for much longer. After studying computer engineering, Holderman was working in the electronics department at Meijer when the pharmacy asked to poach him for their team. He didn’t know it at the time, but changing departments would make Holderman realize just how much he loves working in the healthcare sector.

Alongside his focus on keeping the community safe, Holderman is also committed to ensuring his customers can afford their prescriptions. “I think about the cost and everything that it takes to get there to the pharmacy, and the amount of prescriptions a person is paying out monthly,” he explains. “Then, if a patient is on Medicare, the amount of money that they’re paying each month is actually quite a lot sometimes. I try to think of those numbers and where they can save.” 

Here, Holderman discusses his role as a pharmacy technician, his work within the community, and his favorite customers.

Why did you decide to become a pharmacy technician?

It was a little bit of a jump from where I was. I was working in electronics at Meijer at the time, and the pharmacy team leader had actually needed help with some photos and printouts. He kept asking if I would consider a job change to the pharmacy. He handpicked me. I didn’t know anything about medicine at the time either, so I had a lot of learning to do.

Did anything surprise you about becoming a pharmacy tech?

I didn’t know that there was so much work behind the pharmacy counter to be done. Customers don’t always realize the time and efficiency that it takes in order to get a prescription from the drop off point down to being an actual filled prescription, ready to be given out. Some people think it’s just simply slapping a label on the bottle and getting it out the door; it’s not as easy as that. But I also didn’t realize how much fun the entire process could be if you worked well with a team. It was a really nice transition. Everything went smoothly. One day, all of a sudden it just clicked. Everything fell into place, and I was able to remember it all.

Do you get involved in your community as a pharmacy technician during the COVID-19 pandemic?

I actually did a COVID clinic with my boss at the start of the pandemic. We traveled to many different Meijer locations and administered shots to everybody. We’d have up to 3,000 patients a day. We would go there with several other pharmacists and technicians and run a small clinic. 

We traveled to many different Meijer locations and administered [COVID] shots to everybody. We’d have up to 3,000 patients a day.

When we were doing the clinics, a guy stood up and started giving us a round of applause. Everybody else started clapping too and said, “Thank you for all being here for us.” There was also somebody that was handing out little thank you cards saying, “God bless you for doing your job.”

Has the pandemic impacted your job in other ways?

Almost everybody has had COVID at some point or another, so there were a couple times where we would run a little short staffed. We would fit in hours and work overtime to cover those periods. Other than that, we were learning how to cope with wearing face masks, wiping down surfaces, and making sure we had guards up in the pharmacy. 

I was certified to administer vaccines in the first pilot program hosted by Wayne State University, which was early on in the pandemic, in the fall of 2020. It was the first experience of its kind being offered to pharmacy technicians, and Meijer was selected as one of the first stores to pilot the program. 

It was a choice, not a requirement, to become certified to deliver vaccines. I felt it only enhanced my job, and I wanted to be able to do everything I possibly could to offer this extraordinary service to our patients. The pandemic was a frightening time for most, but I realized it was my chance to step up and grow in my role as a technician.

How do you go and above and beyond for your customers?

I always like to look at the prices on their prescriptions when I’m ringing them up to offer them the cheapest price available for their prescriptions. When I notice something is off, such as inhalers—things like that are often overpriced on insurance—I offer up a discount card. I always try to save customers money where I can. I’ve always liked talking to people and the customer interaction part of it. We’re always there to help the customer first and then do the rest of our job.

The pandemic was a frightening time for most, but I realized it was my chance to step up and grow in my role as a technician.

What attributes does someone need to be a good pharmacy technician?

I think they just have to be willing to learn. It’s an expanding learning experience that is ever adapting. You have to be willing to have that openness and want to learn. You have to want to help people as well.

Do you have any favorite customer stories?

There’s a husband and wife who always come in and are happy to see me. They always ask me about looking up prices, and they take their time to pick on me, in a friendly way. I really enjoy that interaction and it’s more than just a customer interaction. At this point, it’s a long-time loyalty: These people are going to be customers for a long time.

What’s next in your pharmacy career?

I am actually looking to get nationally certified as a technician. I was also considering going back to school to possibly be a nurse. That was something that I did not anticipate because I originally went to school for computer engineering.

What does being nominated for this award mean to you?

It was actually a huge shock to me that somebody went out of their way and nominated me for something like this. It was definitely surprising news to hear that somebody had seen what I was doing and made an effort to nominate me.