Jan 20, 2012 by Minwriter
Pharmacy technicians are individuals who assist pharmacists prepare, count, and dispense prescription medications to patients in need. Other duties performed by pharm techs include administrative work like answering phones, cashiering, taking prescriptions from patients, preparing prescriptions, counting tablets, labeling bottles, and much more.
For those wanting to enter a rewarding healthcare profession, the pharmacy field is quite rewarding with significant opportunities for advancement–mainly the position of pharmacist. However, with the extensive education requirements of pharmacists, many choose to get their feet wet and investigate the field as technicians.
Like most jobs, pharmacy technicians must be hard workers and committed to their jobs and the patients they interact with daily. In exchange for such service, they earn a pharmacy technician salary ranging from $25,000 to $40,000 depending on many factors, primarily state, city, work setting, and number of years experience working for the same employer.
To become a pharmacy technician, one must complete a 1 year vocational or community college pharmacy technician certification program. Classes include science and math related topics, medical terminology, etc. A great for those wanting to become technicians is to apply for jobs as pharmacy assistants, who typically have fewer responsibilities than technicians. Their tasks include stocking shelves, ordering products/drugs, and cashiering. Some assistant duties are shared with technicians.
After completing the 1 year training program, prospective technicians must take the National Pharmacy Technician Certification exam. This is not required to get a job, but it will give applicants more credibility with pharmacies, who like to see this credential on resumes. As with pharmacists, technicians must re-certify every two years to stay on top of the latest drug releases and industry trends.
To further advance your career within the pharmacy industry, many pharm techs continue their education to learn how to become a pharmacist. This obviously requires quit a bit more schooling, but with a salary of double to triple that of a technician, this extra effort is very well rewarded. Pharmacists are highly regarded with in the healthcare industry, and don’t have to deal with unsightly bodily trauma or other injuries that traditional doctors and physicians must.
The pharmacy industry is growing at a tremendous rate, along with healthcare as a whole, and as such, the demand for pharmacy technicians and pharmacists will continue to grow over the next decade. Not only that, but as mentioned above, it’s a relatively easy field to get into. The rewards far outweigh the commitment necessary to join this rewarding career.
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A pharmaceutical technician or a pharmacy technician, as commonly referred to, is a healthcare professional that focuses on functions that are related to pharmacology. Pharmacy Technicians work under the supervision of certified or licensed pharmacists, whether in a hospital or retail pharmacy location. Aside from hospitals and retail drug stores, pharmacy technicians work in hospices, pharmaceutical laboratories, insurance companies, computer software companies, and in other government offices. They are also hired to teach in colleges and universities.
