Meet Christopher Ewing, pharmacy technician, this year’s recipient of the Nils Johanson Award for Excellence, and watch the video to learn more about the recognition and the important work he does behind the scenes for patients and caregivers.
Each year, the Nils Johanson Inspirational Awards recognize Providence Swedish caregivers who bring the organization’s values to life. Named for Swedish founder Nils Johanson, the awards honor caregivers who embody integrity, dignity, excellence, justice, compassion and safety.
Just six caregivers are selected annually from more than 10,000 across Providence Swedish, based on nominations from peers and supervisors who have seen their extraordinary impact firsthand.
This year, Christopher Ewing, senior pharmacy technician at Providence Swedish First Hill, received the Nils Johanson Award for Excellence.
During his 13 years at Providence Swedish, Ewing has become a trusted presence in the pharmacy, helping ensure medications are safe, accurate and ready for patients.
“He’s a true support person for our pharmacy,” said Heidi McCarthy, manager of Clinical Pharmacy. “We truly can’t do it without Chris.”
As a lead operations technician, Ewing is a steady presence and collaborative partner amid complexity and change. McCarthy said what sets him apart is not only what he does, but how he does it.
“Chris leads with grace, patience and humor, and he never seeks recognition,” she said. “He does it all with kindness.”
Ewing said pharmacy technicians play a vital role in patient care, even though much of their work happens out of view.
“Every medication goes through multiple hands to make sure it is the right medication and dose, intact and not expired,” Ewing said. “We take care of all those little things to help make sure patients get the right medications. We have to do the best we can for our patients and for ourselves. We also do a lot to support nursing, and anything we can do to make their jobs easier helps improve patient care, too.”
Watch the video to meet Ewing and learn about his vital role in caring for patients at Providence Swedish.
About Providence Swedish
Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 22,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics throughout Western Washington – from Everett to Centralia. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $545 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care. For more information, visit providence.org/swedish.
