Avita Pharmacy Technician James Barnes enlisted in the Army straight out of high school in 2009 as a Signal Collector Analyst (labeled as a 35S). Over the next seven and a half years, he held Intelligence posts of increasing responsibility within the Army, at times working alongside the NSA and foreign military cohorts. At duty stations including Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu, South Korea; Fort Meade in Maryland; Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany; and Buckley Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado, James managed personnel security clearances, led mobile communications teams, and collaborated with search and rescue operations.
In 2017, James honorably separated from the Army as a Sergeant (E5) to take advantage of the GI Bill and pursue a bachelor’s degree in game design. During a tech hiring downturn in 2020, he began working at a nearby pharmacy. Two years later, he joined Avita Pharmacy, an Avita Care Solutions company, where he quickly became known as a team member with a knack for problem-solving who goes above and beyond to serve marginalized patients compassionately.
Read on to learn this Veteran’s take on how the Army’s core values uniquely positioned him for a job on the front lines of community health care.
In the pharmacy, like in the Army, I respect others as individuals. I value their time, who they are, and what they do.
Avita: James, as you know, Avita’s core values are compassion, collaboration, and resourcefulness. Tell me about the Army’s core values: How do they integrate with ours and position you and our patients for success in the pharmacy?
James Barnes, CPhT, U.S. Veteran and Pharmacy Technician at Avita Pharmacy located onsite at Kind Clinic South: Sure, I can walk you through some examples. The Army’s seven core values are actually an acronym: LDRSHIP. This stands for Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal courage. I still strive to incorporate them into my everyday life and work. Here’s how:
- First, let’s talk about loyalty. In the Army, this represents loyalty to those you serve. That includes your country and its people, regardless of who they are. At Avita, I can apply this to my commitment to the overall organization, as well as to serving my patients and team members from all walks of life.
- Next up: Duty. In the military, you must fulfill your mission to the best of your ability, no matter what. If you think you can’t…figure it out! But seriously, the Army taught me how to manage my time, tasks on and off duty, and to lead others in accomplishing day-to-day tasks. The technical aspect of my job in the Army has played a big role in the development of the problem-solving skills essential to my work in the pharmacy today.
- Now, respect may seem like a simple thing, but it’s one of the easiest values to forget, especially if you’re not in the right mindset. In the pharmacy, like in the Army, I respect others as individuals. I value their time, who they are, and what they do.
- Selfless service is putting your needs below what you need to accomplish. For example, at the pharmacy, it could be 5:30 pm when a patient walks in to pick up their prescription. Technically, we’re closing, but I don’t have to go home yet. There’s someone who needs their medication right in front of me!
- The Army’s core values of honor and integrity go hand in hand. You must know the difference between the right way and the easy way to handle a situation. For example, should I go the extra mile in getting a patient’s medication payment authorized by calling the decisionmaker and spending 45 minutes on hold, or simply tell the patient, “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do!” To me, it’s a no-brainer to help the patient.
- Personal courage stands for “face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral” in the context of the Army’s set of core values. However, it also applies to many aspects of the daily work we do in the pharmacy, including having the hard conversations with patients. For example, sometimes we do have to tell patients, “We’re so sorry, but we don’t have your prescription ready. We’re waiting on information from your provider.” Pharmacists often discover themselves in tough medical conversations with patients. Finding the strength to pull through those situations means going above and beyond.
The Army’s core values of honor and integrity go hand in hand. You must know the difference between the right way and the easy way to handle a situation.
Avita: You mentioned that the military taught you a great deal about problem-solving, a skill you use often as a pharmacy technician. How do problem-solving and compassion go hand in hand when it comes to helping underserved patients at Avita?
James: During my training with the Army, they taught us a lot about recognizing patterns and knowing when something feels “just a little off.” Recognizing when something doesn’t look right was drilled into us from day one. Now I apply this skill with every Avita patient I see. I look for patterns and ask specific questions to get the answers that will help me solve the patient’s problem.
Here’s an example: A patient comes in saying they are out of medication, but their assistance program or insurance says it’s too early to refill the prescription. By checking how far out the fill date is, I can determine if it was recently refilled, possibly by another Avita Pharmacy in Austin. Looking at the patient’s profile might tell me that, sure enough, another location has the prescription ready for them. I can then call that team to put the medication on hold so we can fill it.
I would rather have a patient wait for five minutes and let me take care of them than have them spend another 20 minutes driving to another pharmacy.
During my training with the Army, they taught us a lot about recognizing patterns and knowing when something feels "just a little off.” Now I apply this skill with every Avita patient I see.
Avita: Those are fantastic insights, James. Before we sign off, I always like to ask Veterans for ideas on how civilians can celebrate those who have served—on Veterans Day and every day. I sense that people often want to offer thanks but aren’t quite sure what to say.
James: It’s important to show an understanding of Veterans, young and old. Try asking them to share some stories or experiences if they are willing to. I still trade stories with some of my Army/Marine/Navy Veteran buddies every year. It allows us to connect with an understanding of what we’ve all been through.
Avita: Thank you for sharing your story today, James. We’re grateful to you, other Avita Veterans, and all those who have served our country.
It’s important to show an understanding of Veterans, young and old. It allows us to connect with an understanding of what we've all been through.
