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Important Career Information
Job opportunities for Pharmacy Technicians (Techs) are expected to be good for full-time and part-time work, especially for those with certification or previous work experience.
Many technicians work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
About 7 out of 10 of jobs were in retail pharmacies, grocery stores, department stores, or mass retailers.
How Much Do Pharmacy Technicians Make?
Pharmacy Technician Salary
Median hourly pay of pharmacy technicians in May 2008 were $13.32. The middle 50 percent were paid between $10.95 and $15.88. The lowest 10 percent were paid less than $9.27, and the highest 10 percent were paid more than $18.98
Certified technicians may earn more. Shift differentials for working evenings or weekends also can increase salary and pay. Some techs belong to unions representing hospital or grocery store workers.
What does a Pharmacy Technician do?
Pharmacy Technician Jobs, Job Description, and Responsibilities
A pharmacy technician helps licensed pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients. A technician usually performs routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication for patients, such as counting tablets and labeling bottles. A technician refers any questions regarding prescriptions, drug information, or health matters to a pharmacist.
Pharmacy aides work closely with pharmacy technicians. They often are clerks or
cashiers who primarily answer telephones, handle money, stock shelves, and perform other clerical duties. Pharmacy technicians usually perform more complex tasks than do
pharmacy aides, although in some States their duties and job titles may overlap.
A pharmacy tech who works in retail or mail-order pharmacies have varying responsibilities, depending on State rules and regulations. A technician receives written prescriptions or requests for prescription refills from patients. A technician also may receive prescriptions sent electronically from the doctor's office. Technicians must verify that the information on the prescription is complete and accurate. To prepare the prescription, a technician must retrieve, count, pour, weigh, measure, and sometimes mix the medication. Once the prescription is filled, the technician prices and files the prescription, which must be checked by a pharmacist before it is given to the patient. A technician may establish and maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, and stock and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
In hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities, a technician has added responsibilities, including reading patients' charts and preparing and delivering the medicine to patients. Still, the pharmacist must check the order before it is delivered to the patient. The technician then copies the information about the prescribed medication onto the patient's profile. A technician also may assemble a 24-hour supply of medicine for every patient, packaging and labeling each dose separately.
Job Working Conditions for Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians work in clean, organized, well-lighted, and well-ventilated areas. Most of their workday is spent on their feet. Techs may be required to lift heavy boxes or to use stepladders to retrieve supplies from high shelves.
A pharmacy technician works the same hours that pharmacists work. These may include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, particularly in facilities, such as hospitals and retail pharmacies, that are open 24 hours a day. As their seniority increases, technicians often acquire increased control over the hours they work. There are many opportunities for part-time work in both retail and hospital settings.
Pharmacy Technician Training, College Programs, and Advancement
Although most pharmacy technicians receive informal on-the-job training, employers favor those who have completed formal training and certification. However, there are currently few State and no Federal requirements for formal training or certification of a pharmacy technician. Employers who have insufficient resources to give on-the-job training often seek formally educated pharmacy technicians. Formal education programs and certification emphasize the technician's interest in and dedication to the work. In addition to the military, some hospitals, proprietary schools, vocational or technical colleges, and community colleges offer formal education programs.
Prospective pharmacy technicians with experience working as an aide in a community pharmacy or volunteering in a hospital may have an advantage. Employers also prefer pharmacy technician applicants with strong customer service and communication skills, as well as those with experience managing inventories, counting tablets, measuring dosages, and using computers. Technicians entering the field need strong mathematics, spelling, and reading skills. A background in chemistry, English, and health education also may be beneficial. Some pharmacy technicians are hired without formal training, but under the condition that they obtain certification within a specified period to retain their jobs.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board administers the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination. This exam is voluntary in most States and displays the competency of the individual to act as a pharmacy technician. However, more States and employers are requiring certification as reliance on pharmacy technicians grows. Eligible candidates must have a high school diploma or GED and no felony convictions, and those who pass the exam earn the title of Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). The exam is offered several times per year at various locations nationally. Employers—often pharmacists—know that individuals who pass the exam have a standardized body of knowledge and skills. Many employers also will reimburse the costs of the exam as an incentive for certification.
Certified technicians must be re-certified every 2 years. Technicians must complete 20 contact hours of pharmacy-related topics within the 2-year certification period to become eligible for recertification. Contact hours are awarded for on-the-job training, attending lectures, and college coursework. At least 1 contact hour must be in pharmacy law. Contact hours can be make from several different sources, including pharmacy associations, pharmacy colleges, and pharmacy technician training programs. Up to 10 contact hours can be make when the technician is employed under the direct supervision and instruction of a pharmacist.
Successful pharmacy technicians are alert, observant, organized, dedicated, and responsible. They should be willing and able to take directions. They must be precise; details are sometimes a matter of life and death. Although a pharmacist must check and approve all their work, they should be able to work independently without constant instruction from the pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians candidates cannot have prior records of drug or substance abuse.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills are needed because a pharmacy technician interacts daily with patients, coworkers, and health care professionals. Teamwork is very important because technicians often are required to work with
pharmacists, aides, and other technicians.
Where are the Jobs? Pharmacy Technician Jobs
Pharmacy technicians held about 258,000 jobs in 2004. About 7 out of 10 jobs were in retail pharmacies, either independently owned or part of a drugstore chain, grocery store, department store, or mass retailer. About 2 out of 10 pharmacy technician jobs were in hospitals and a small proportion was in mail-order and Internet pharmacies, clinics, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and the Federal Government.
Job Outlook and Job Opportunities for Pharmacy Technicians
Good job opportunities are expected for full-time and part-time work, especially for technicians with formal training or previous experience. Job openings for pharmacy technicians will result from the expansion of retail pharmacies and other job settings and from the need to replace specialists who transfer to other careers or leave the labor force.
Almost all States have legislated the maximum number of technicians who can safely work under a pharmacist at one time. In some States, technicians have assumed more medication-dispensing duties as pharmacists have become more involved in patient care, resulting in more technicians per pharmacist. Changes in these laws could directly affect pharmacy technician jobs.
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Available Programs:
• Pharmacy Technician
Locations: Brea, CA El Monte, CA Huntington Park, CA Irvine, CA Los Angeles, CA Ontario, CA San Berardino, CA San Diego, CA
Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to grow much faster than the average for all careers through 2014 because as the population grows and ages, demand for pharmaceuticals will increase dramatically. The increased number of middle-aged and elderly people-who use more prescription drugs than younger people-will spur demand for technicians in all practice settings. With advances in science, more medications are becoming available to treat a greater number of conditions.
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Available Programs:
• Pharmacy Technician
Locations:
Alhambra, CA
Anaheim, CA
Arlington, TX
Aurora, CA
Aurora, CO
Bremerton, WA
Burr Ridge, IL
Chicago, IL
City of Industry, CA
City of Industry, CA
Colorado Springs, CO
Everett, WA
Fairfield, CA
Fife, WA
Fort Worth, TX
Gardena, CA
Hayward, CA
La Puente, CA
Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Merrionette Park, IL
Mesa, AZ
North Aurora, IL
Ontario, CA
Ontario, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Renton, WA
Reseda, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio, TX
San Bernardino, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
Skokie, IL
Tacoma, WA
Thornton, CO
Torrance, CA
Formal pharmacy technician education programs require classroom and laboratory work in a variety of areas, including medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacy recordkeeping, pharmaceutical techniques, and pharmacy law and ethics. Technicians also are required to learn medication names, actions, uses, and doses. Many pharmacy technician training programs include internships, in which students gain hands-on experience in actual pharmacies. Students receive a diploma, a certification, or an associate's degree, depending on the program.
Available Programs:
Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to grow much faster than the average for all careers through 2014 because as the population grows and ages, demand for pharmaceuticals will increase dramatically. The increased number of middle-aged and elderly people-who use more prescription drugs than younger people-will spur demand for technicians in all practice settings. With advances in science, more medications are becoming available to treat a greater number of conditions.
