Pharmacy Technician Career Overview
Are you thinking of making the switch to a health care career? Well, you should be. With the advancement of technology for new drugs, and the rising number of people gaining access to prescription medication due to the better health laws being made available, pharmacies and dispensaries are expecting a rapid rise in new clients. A career in pharmacy may be the best way to secure your future, and there is no better way to lay the foundation for a successful pharmacy job than to start your career as a Pharmacy Technician.
So what does a Pharmacy Technician do, you might ask. Medical assistant job duties consist of working alongside pharmacists and supervising the operations of a pharmacy, a drug store, a hospital dispensary or even a drug counter in a shopping department. With the primary job of a pharmacist to prescribe the needed medication to a patient, a pharmacy technician will see to it that the patient receives the right medication he or she was prescribed.
Other pharmacy technician duties include labeling and monitoring of the medication, whether in a drug retail store, an independently owned pharmacy, or an online drug store. You might think that a pharmacy assistant spends most of his time behind the counter of a pharmacy, but other responsibilities include taking occasional visits to a doctor’s office to make sure the right medication is being provided, and even working with insurance companies to make sure all transactions have been paid for.
So how do you become a pharmacy technician? Since the job requires a lot or organizing and labeling, you should have the skill or desire in being organized. Also, this job requires you to come in contact with doctors and patients, so a sociable character goes a long way in having a successful pharmacy assistant job. In some cases, especially in pharmacies that do not hire pharmacy aides, a technician may have to take on additional duties such as clerical and administrative jobs.
Having some background and experience on those aspects is crucial to climbing up the pharm tech ladder. When it comes to education, one must have at least a high school diploma, or the equivalent of it, to make it at entry level. This varies from state to state, but if you should take the next step and get a pharmaceutical technician certification, then a high school diploma is most definitely needed.
If job security is a must for you, or if you do have plans of becoming a pharmacist in the future, then a job as a pharmacy technician might be the first crucial step to getting the ball rolling toward your dreams. It guarantees that you will have a place in a career that gives you lots of time to grow, since positions in this area are always available in different states in the country. It also gives you a firm background on medicine and pharmaceuticals, if ever you plan on pursuing a career as a licensed pharmacist. No other job provides you with a great foundation and the knowledge needed in becoming a pharmacist.
Pharmacy Technician Salary
Each and every year or so, over 40,000 brand new positions within pharmacies are generally created. A beginning pharmacy technician salary is larger in comparison with different healthcare opportunities, beginning from near $30,000 yearly and topping out at $45,000, dependant within the job held as well as the kind of organization. Given that the training criteria is never over two years, irrespective of which plan you select, the actual salary tend to be high when compared with different positions requiring only 2 years of schooling.The same as a good number of vocations, you may start inside a a lot more entry level job and earn an entry level salary. Once you acquire knowledge or even explore new work opportunities, your current salary will also rise.
“The official pharmacy job description” below will try to cover the salient points of the profession. Technical jobs have always been on the rise due to the need for human involvement, it is a profession that touches people on a personal basis. There are standards to the job that we will embellish on, to give the reader a more in depth idea of the tasks required.
Nature of the pharmacy tech profession:
The tasks required of a pharmacy technician revolve around the retail side of the business. It is the primary task of the pharmacy technician to assist the pharmacist in handling medications, labeling and in receiving pharmacy requests. In smaller pharmacies, they also do clerical work. In a larger more commercially focused establishment they primarily act as assistants to the licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy Technician Training
Formal pharmacy tech training is offered to those interested in the profession and most states only require a high school diploma to be hired as a pharmacy technician. A majority of establishments offer on the job training opting for this since it’s customizes the learning curve of the technician.
Pharmacy Technician Certification
The official certified pharmacy technician job description would like to encourage formal training as a more viable option. Although most states do not require formal training, having the proper training creates a “paper trail” which allows more chances of advancement compared to those who did not undergo specialized training.
Pharmacy Technician Schools
Finding pharmacy technician schools that provide classes that show you the fundamental skills and knowledge is not too difficult. You need to find a good school or program that you can learn from – the right way. Pharmacy technician schools are normally certified by the national pharmacy boards and you as a prospective student should do your research in finding the right pharmacy tech school that fits your budget and schedule.
In order to establish which of those institutions you should consider, talk with course administrators and third party educators, as they may be the ones that know the current details that may be able to suggest a good pharmacy technician school or training program for you.
There are two private organizations involved in the certification process, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the Institute for the Certification for Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT). Conduct national certification examinations.
Requirements are that the applicant must be in possession of a high school diploma or its equivalent, has not been convicted or charged with a crime involving drug or pharmacy related crimes. This is to insure the character of those handling potentially addicting or prohibited drugs.
Once a candidate successfully gets certified this remains valid for up to two years. During which he must undergo 20 hours of continuing education, this may be acquired through a community college, training programs and those offered by Organizations in the profession. This may also be obtained via 10 hours direct supervision from a licensed pharmacist.
Other Considerations
Since this is a people oriented job, good socialization and interpersonal skills are considered sacrosanct. Lacking this, the pharmacy technician might very well be stuck doing menial tasks reserved for aides. A certain amount of familiarity with basic accounting as well as cash management is considered desirable in a potential candidate for employment. Having a varied amount of skills allows the technician to do more task more proficiently always a high point that employers look for.
Pharmacy Technician Jobs
The official pharmacy technician job description, lists around 54,900 pharmacy technician jobs in 1998, with a potential for growth at 25% per year until 2018. This is an area of growth that is promising for those who would consider as a viable vocation.