Pharmacy Technician Career
A pharmacy technician works under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist, assisting with the day-to-day operations and management of a pharmacy. He or she may work in a hospital, retail or mail order pharmacy, or in a long-term care facility. This fast-growing career field offers plenty of opportunities.
As a Pharmacy Technician, you will work at the pharmacist's side, helping patients get their prescriptions. You will handle the cash register, patient records and help fill prescriptions. There is no formal training required to work as a pharmacy technician so this is a great launching pad to find out if a career in the medical field is for you. In order to secure the best positions, you may want to look into a pharmacy technician training program or certification. These are very short-term programs, but will skyrocket your resume to the top of the pile.
A good pharmacy technician needs to be analytical and well-organized. Because a pharmacy tech may find him- or herself dealing with phone calls, faxed prescription orders, paperwork, and numerous customers at the same time, it is important to be able to take on multiple tasks at once.
In addition, pharmacy workers should be friendly, outgoing, and customer service oriented, taking into account that many customers will be in pain, not feeling well, or frustrated due to their conditions. |
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At a Glance Pharmacy Technician Facts:
Job Duties:
Pharmacy technicians typically handle a number of duties on a daily basis, including answering phones, entering customer and prescription information into the pharmacy computer, maintaining pharmacy records, and dealing with patients and insurance companies.
Training:
In order to become certified as a pharmacy technician, candidates must complete a pharmacy technician program. Classes will typically include the legal and ethical aspects of handling and dispensing pharmaceuticals, the study of weights and measures, medical and pharmaceutical terminology, inventory control, and dealing with insurance companies.
Students also receive approximately forty hours of hands-on training including handling pharmaceuticals, measuring and counting procedures, and various other practical aspects of the job.
After completing training, students are required to pass the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam. Although some state laws do not require pharmacy techs to be PTCb certified, most pharmacies will only hire certified technicians in order to be sure that workers possess the pertinent knowledge and skills for the job.
Job Outlook:
Job growth for pharmacy technicians is expected to increase at a much greater than average rate over the next several years. Recent projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate that the demand for certified pharmacy technicians will grow by at least 32% by the year 2016. Salaries for pharmacy technicians range between $27,000 and $31,000 per year.
