Entering the world of health care can be a fulfilling and lucrative career. What’s more, a career in health care is a stable one, not subject to the ups and downs of the overall economy. There are many choices when pursing a career in the medical field: nursing, technicians, therapists and administrative professions. Among the vast choices is a career as a pharmacy technician. Becoming a pharmacy technician requires learning and executing specific skills.
What is a Pharmacy Technician?
A pharmacy technician is a person educated in pharmacology or the study of the composition, use, effects and classifications of medical drugs. Formally trained pharmacy technicians learn much about drugs and assist licensed pharmacists in processing, labeling and dispensing pharmaceuticals.
What Type of Jobs are there for Pharmacy Technicians?
There are different types of jobs a pharmacy technician can perform. The majority of pharmacy technicians work in a retail environment. Retail jobs for pharmacy technicians are typically located in a pharmacy located in grocery stores, discount stores and home goods stores. These particular jobs account for about 75 percent of all pharmacy technician jobs, according to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
The remaining 25 percent of pharmacy technicians work in other environments. Among them, are hospitals, nursing homes, metal health facilities, pharmaceutical wholesalers and in the United State’s government which includes military installations.
In a hospital, nursing home, mental health facility or military base settings, a pharmacy technician works within the pharmacy, filling prescriptions ordered by doctors. While pharmacy technicians employed by pharmaceutical wholesalers may be involved in testing or sales of the company’s drugs.
Some pharmacy technicians do not work in public places. Instead, they work for mail-order companies that provide medications to patients.
What are the Duties of a Pharmacy Technicians?
Duties vary by employment environment. But in general, pharmacy technicians are responsible for a wide variety of tasks. Pharmacy technicians must be able to accept and double-check prescriptions, maintain patient records, fill prescriptions according to the doctor’s instructions, carefully label prescriptions and speak with the pharmacist about possible drug interactions.
How Do I Become a Pharmacy Technician?
There are different ways of becoming a pharmacy technician. The most common approach is to attend classes for a specialized certification. These courses are offered through community colleges and technical medical training schools. A pharmacy technician can become officially certified through two institutions: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians.
