Commander shadows pharmacy technician

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sergio A. Gamboa
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 325th Fighter Wing commander shadowed a 325th Medical Group Airman May 1 as part of the Airman Shadow Program.

Once a month, an Airman from one of the five groups at Tyndall is chosen to be shadowed. The five groups include the 325th Maintenance Group, 325th MDG, 325th Mission Support Group, 325th Operations Group and the 44th Fighter Group.

This allows Col. Derek C. France, 325th FW commander, to get an overview of one of the duties these groups perform by working one-on-one with the chosen Airman.

Out of all the Airmen in the 325th MDG, Airman 1st Class Cobretta Creamer, 325th MDG pharmacy technician, was chosen to be the one to show the commander what he does at the pharmacy.

"I first found out that I was chosen by my supervision, and having them entrust me to take this task gave me a sense of pride," Creamer said.

Creamer interprets prescriptions for appropriateness, enters prescription data into the Composite Health Care System performing required drug checks, performs and verifies pharmaceutical calculations and prepares, packages and labels prescriptions and drug orders. These were some of the duties he showed France.

"It was great to show Col. France what we do at the pharmacy on a day-to-day basis," said Creamer. "He was eager to get to work, and I believe he got to see how hard-working the pharmacy staff is every single day. I thought it was a great opportunity to highlight my job and work with him on a personal level. This was a chance for me to show him how hard I work."

During the shadow, France made calculations, composed medicine, filled up prescriptions and even manned the customer service window.
"After it was done, he highlighted the importance of the pharmacy as being the face for the 325th FW. He appreciated and thanked the staff for their hard work and positive, professional performance," said Creamer.

Even though France holds a high leadership position, he is interested in every Airman's mission.

"Spending time with an outstanding Tyndall Airman is always a great opportunity for me to see the mission in action," said France. "Airman 1st Class Creamer, along with the pharmacy staff, invests a great deal of effort to provide excellent service to our Airmen, family members and veterans.  Being in the pharmacy gave me an important understanding on why they are vital in training and projecting unrivaled combat air power."