Mike Roach

Mike Roach

Senior Pharmacy Technician

I bring an engineering mindset to pharmacy operations—identifying inefficiencies, building solutions, and focusing on what matters most: patient outcomes.

About

My path to pharmacy wasn't linear. I started in chemical engineering at Iowa State, where I learned to think about problems at a systems level. Following that, I first began working in a pharmacy and gained a passion for it. These experiences all led me to medical school, where I completed preclinical coursework followed by clinical rotations in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and OB-GYN before health challenges required me to step away.

What I bring into pharmacy is a way of seeing operations that most technicians don't have—understanding not just the task in front of me, but how workflows connect, where friction accumulates, and what could be improved. I've become someone who can step into any store, any volume, and contribute immediately because I understand pharmacy at an architectural level.

I don't just execute processes. I improve them. When I see inefficiencies that affect my colleagues and our patients, I document them, analyze them, and propose solutions. The projects below represent that approach in action.

Experience

2016 – Present
Senior Pharmacy Technician
Walgreens — Freeport & Rockford, IL
High-volume retail pharmacy operations. PTCB certified with immunization administration credentials. Frequently requested to fill coverage gaps across multiple locations in the district. Developed workflow tools and authored operational improvement proposals.
2024
Production Line Lead
PCI — Rockford, IL
Oversaw pharmaceutical packaging line operations and team coordination. Maintained batch records and ensured GMP compliance.
2012 – 2014
Tutor
Highland Community College — Freeport, IL
Walk-in tutoring for chemistry, biology, mathematics, and statistics. Developed communication skills through one-on-one instruction.

Projects & Proposals

Operational Proposal

Zero-Drift OOS Management

A comprehensive proposal addressing inventory management inefficiencies in retail pharmacy. Documents the current workflow friction, proposes an integration architecture to automate exception handling, and outlines a phased implementation approach. Designed to reclaim skilled labor from data transcription and improve inventory accuracy.

Read the proposal
Operational Proposal

Visual Status Indicator System

A patient communication framework using universal iconography in SMS notifications. Designed to reduce cognitive load for patients and decrease inbound status-check calls to pharmacy staff through intuitive visual shorthand.

Read the proposal
Workflow Tool

Drug Filling Machine Manager

A web-based tool for tracking and managing 220 filling machine cell assignments. Features include sortable views, CSV import/export, and local browser storage. Built to reduce friction in daily operations.

View the tool
Workflow Tool

Vaccine Tracker

A simple counter for tracking daily flu shot and total vaccine administration against goals. Built to support immunization-administering technicians during peak vaccination seasons.

View the tool

Education

B.S. Chemical Engineering

Iowa State University — GPA 3.50

Medical Coursework

University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford, 2018–2021
Completed clinical clerkships and NBME shelf examinations in Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and OB-GYN

A.S. Chemistry

Highland Community College — GPA 3.86

Contact

Interested in discussing pharmacy operations, workflow improvements, or opportunities? I'd welcome the conversation.