Walmart pharmacy tech honored for best service in U.S.

Boston-based SingleCare Services LLC recently named Nikki Smith, a pharmacy technician at Walmart on Mall Avenue in Fayetteville, the best technician for service in the United States.

SingleCare, a free service helping consumers save money on prescriptions, recently announced the winners of its fourth annual Best of the Best Pharmacy Awards. Smith was recognized among the top 25 pharmacists, technicians and teams across the nation. She was the only Arkansas winner.

After learning she’d won, Smith said it reassured her in her role and why she does it.

“It shows the compassion and the care that I give my patients every day,” she said. “Whether at my store or another store, I give that same energy and compassion to all my patients. It grounded that a lot.”

Asked what’s unique about her service, Smith said she spends time with patients so they understand any issues and helps them afford their medication by recommending resources, such as manufacturers’ discount cards for name-brand drugs. Also, she said she tries to treat patients how she’d want her family or friends to be treated, which is with dignity and respect.

A Fayetteville native, Smith has been a pharmacy technician for seven years, including six years at Walmart. Her first role as a pharmacy technician was at Walgreens.

“You get to help people, and a lot of people probably don’t see our jobs as that, considering we work inside a retail facility,” she said. “It is healthcare and providing for people and making sure people are getting better or that they have their medications on time.”

Smith is participating in Walmart’s Live Better U program and taking online classes at Bellevue University to earn a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management. With the degree, she said she could become a project manager in the health and wellness division at Walmart’s home office or manage one of the many clinics the retailer is opening.