If you have an interest in working with people in a pharmaceutical setting, becoming a pharmacy technician could be an interesting opportunity.
What Tasks Does A Pharmacy Technician Have?
A technician's duties are not to be mixed up with those of an aide, who does most of the clerical work. A technician is responsible for taking prescriptions, counting pills, labeling bottles, checking that the prescriptions are correct and don't conflict with any other medication the patient is taking and maintain patient files and claim forms. They sometimes even mix the medications themselves. There are different places a pharmacy technician can find work, like retail pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes and retirement homes.
The latter positions often demand slightly more of their technicians; including delivering prepared medications to doctors and mixing sterile solutions.
What Education Will I Need?
No formal pharmacy technician training is actually needed to become a technician, so applicants can get a job with a high school diploma and about 3-12 months of on the job training, but these days the competition for jobs is higher so more and more people are completing pharmacy tech programs, which are preferred by employers. In a pharmacy technician course, training is offered in programs of 6 months up to 2 years, and can be taken at trade schools, community colleges or hospitals. You can also find pharmacy technician online programs.
They will cover subjects like proper terminology, recordkeeping, techniques, ethics and pharmaceutical calculations. They also have to know details of the all the drugs they use, how they react with other medications and the proper doses. Good programs will also include internships to get proper hands on experience.
Certification is not required by most states, although it is recommended to take a pharmacy technician certification exam offered by either the Pharmacy Tech Certification Board (PTCB) or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Techs (ICPT). They are optional but they will help students have an easier time find work.
One last note: Look for pharmacy technician online programs as an option if you're making a career change or there aren't any training opportunities near you.
What Salary Can I Expect?
Now is a great time to become a pharmacy tech because the industry is booming. Until 2018, there is an expected growth of about 31% for pharmacy technicians, which is a huge increase. This is to respond to the increasing demand of providing medication to elderly patients, which will likely cause many pharmacies to expand.
What about the pharmacy technician salary? A pharmacy tech can expect to make about $13.30 an hour, but this can range from $9 an hour to about $19 an hour depending on education and experience. It is a challenging, fast-paced job, but becoming a pharmacy technician will prove to be a steady, stable career choice.
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