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Welcome! Train To Be A Pharmacy Technician

Looking for a new and challenging career? A career that offers steady work and good pay? If so please keep reading because throughout this website you will find a lot of valuable information in regards to becoming a qualified pharmacy technician. But first, a brief overview of what a pharmacy technician is and what a pharmacy technician does.

A major part of a Pharmacy Technicians job, stemming from the handling and administering of prescription medication, is a considerable amount of admin work to keep track of how much of what drug is going where and how often. Technician needs to correlate the drugs with the patient’s details and medical history, including things like their weight and any allergies they may have. Thus it’s easy to see that a simple thing like keeping track of inventory is hard enough. Only now the job is compounded by patient needs.

For this reason, certified pharmacy technicians have to be familiar with certain types of field specific software that can easily manage such a task – and to then perform the necessary data capturing and all that goes with it.

What is a Pharmacy Technician?
A pharmacy technician is someone who helps the pharmacist with a number of duties, such as:

  • Stocking the pharmacy with bags, pills and bottles
  • Operating the cash register
  • Entering and correlating data into a computer for all prescribed medication
  • Answering phones
  • Counting and packing pills, capsules, ointments, creams and medicines
  • Filling out prescription forms
  • Answer questions and explain different drugs

You will have to be overseen by a licensed pharmacist at all times as you perform your duties, and there are a large number of things that you are not allowed to do as a certified pharmacy technician. There are a number of options open to you, however, and many certified pharmacy technicians in fact use this qualification as a stepping stone to achieving greater things and eventually becoming licensed pharmacists themselves.

In order to work as a certified pharmacy technician you will have to earn your pharmacy technician certification. The certification you receive will have to be accredited by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) before you can practice.

Where will you Work as a Certified Pharmacy Technician?
You’ll find a Certified Pharmacy Technician in the following places:

  • Private doctor practices
  • Clinics
  • Hospitals
  • Retail pharmacies
  • Third party insurance companies
  • Some software companies
  • Pharmaceutical manufacturers
  • And even in some instances, government organizations.

Salary Expectations
Hourly rates and salaries depend greatly on the state in which technicians work as well as the industry. The United States Department of Labour provides an overall indication of the annual salary figures as below, per industry:
Industry Average Salary

  • Health Stores $26,150
  • Hospitals and Clinics $30,950
  • Grocery Stores $27,700
  • Department Stores $25,230
  • General Merchandise Stores $25,840

Studies (as provided by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment & Wages database) are also indicative of the fact that the five top-paying states are as follows:

  • Alaska
  • Washington
  • California
  • Hawaii
  • District of Colmbia

Industry Employment Rates
Much can be said about the rate at which employment opportunities are opening up for pharmacy technicians. The main reason for the evident increase in these job opportunities is the subsequent increase in demand, caused by shortages of pharmacists in relation to the need for their expertise and technical abilities. This shortage of pharmacists automatically entails that technicians are having to play more prominent roles in the pharmacy, alongside pharmacists.

Check here for more information on salaries and pay rates.

Required Personal Traits
One’s personal strengths and abilities will also contribute towards success in this career path. A day in the life of a pharmacy technician at an entry-level may require long and arduous working hours, especially in a 24 hour retail or clinical environment. Technicians should have an attitude of attitude of perseverance and determination to deal with emergency situations. They will also spend most of the day on their feet – requiring stamina and endurance. Apart from being presentable and approachable especially within a retail environment, technicians need all the above characteristics to nurture success in their careers.

To find out more about becoming a certifide pharmacy technician, check out all the links on the website here. There is a lot of good information to be found.