Astute experts in the medical sector predict that pharmacy technicians will be very much in demand in the coming decade. This is due to medical and technological advancements in the pharmaceutical arena, which will grant the general public convenient access to prescription drug coverage.
If you have been thinking about pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician, read on and discover tips and tricks on making the most out of your training.
Pharmacy technician education and training
Before you can call yourself a pharmacy technician, you’ll learn a myriad of lessons such as maintaining proper medical records for patients. You may need to be technologically savvy as this involves concise electronic record-keeping.
You will also learn how to prepare medication while learning proper measuring methods to help you count or pour medicine before storing them in the right containers. And just like a storekeeper, you will also be trained on good stock keeping and inventory management as you deal with prescriptions and other medications prior to dispensing them to patients.
Lastly, you can be sure that all pharmacy technician training programs will teach students all about insurance claims and how filling in the appropriate forms and submitting them to the right parties.
Becoming a certified pharmacy technician
The beauty of being a pharmacy technician is that this career is relatively easy to get into as basic training will not last longer than a year, but should you desire to make it big, you should aim towards proper certification from an accredited program. Not only will you learn more by being up-to-date with the latest trends and medical innovations, you will also gain more perks in the form of higher salary and work appreciation.
Before enrolling in an accredited pharmacy technician certification program, you need to possess a high school diploma or GED and ensure that you are free from criminal felonies and convictions involving drugs.
If you’re in the clear, you can easily sign up for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board test. Once you pass that, you need to keep track and go through 20 hours of continuing training every 24 months. It is mandatory to study pharmacy law during that period.
Benefits of enrolling in pharmacy technician schools online
Freedom to study at own pace: Good online pharmacy technician schools will provide flexible courses that will enable students to study and complete the course at their own pace, be it fast or slow. But due to the relatively short duration of courses (9 to 12 months each), students find that they are more comfortable studying and passing exams at home as long as they have a secure Internet connection.
Save cost of travelling and boarding: Long gone are the days when parents would fork out an arm and a leg (and perhaps in the process even putting their homes up for mortgage) for their children’s education.
Online pharmacy technician schools are usually affordable, and students don’t need to pay for extensive travel and boarding as they can complete the course in the comfort of their own home. Some students may even opt to study and work part time, thus paying for the course themselves instead of relying on their parents.
Graduate faster: Online pharmacy technician courses usually require students to study and pass the exams, all within 9 to 12 months. This allows them to graduate faster and seek employment sooner in life compared to other peers in the medical sector.
Opportunity for externship: Studying online won’t prevent budding pharmacy technicians from acquiring real-life work experience before embarking on a shining career. You’ll have the flexibility to complete externships while studying online, which will increases your chances of gaining a good job upon graduation.
Pharmacy technician duties
At the head of the pharmacy is a pharmacist, assisted by his trusty pharmacy technician who will be tasked with carrying out pharmaceutical duties in the front and backend of the office.
Most people do not realize this but a pharmacy technician is an integral profession that helps power the pharmacy and health care sector. He or she is an individual who assists a pharmacist and performs a myriad of pharmaceutical-related duties.
Under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, a pharmacy tech is free to assist or even head activities that do not require a pharmacist’s all-important professional judgement.
Besides assisting in obvious duties such as dispensing prescriptions, keeping the pharmacy stocked with medical supplies and helping patients with their queries, pharmacy technicians are also hired to spearhead administrative tasks.
This includes data entry, insurance claim completion, record keeping and liaising with other health care providers. Most importantly, a good pharmacy technician knows that he or she should assist the pharmacist and their employers to ensure the business runs smoothly.
Core responsibilities of a pharmacy technician
A pharmacy technician should be conscientious enough to dispense the right type and amount of prescription drugs or intravenous injections required by the patient. He or she will need to ensure that the drugs are package and labelled correctly with the right information, otherwise this might endanger the patient’s life and possibly result in an expensive lawsuit.
Oftentimes, a pharmacist is often busy with important pharmaceutical tasks, so a pharmacy tech has to process medication for his or her superior to verify.
The sale of drugs is a billion dollar industry, which is a pharmacy technician is tasked to ensure proper storage of all drugs to prevent theft and loss.
A pharmacy technician should ideally develop good communication skills in order to respond and deal with patient queries.
Pharmacy technicians who want to impress their superiors should also possess some technical knowledge of payment processing and insurance claims.
Occasionally, pharmacy techs will also be assigned to deliver and administer medication to patients in hospitals.
Vital skills for a pharmacy technician
Good pharmacy technicians are able to advance far in their career if they possess active listening skills. They should take time to understand their superior’s advice and instructions, and at the same time listen carefully to their patients’ needs.
A great pharmacy tech never stops learning. He or she is proactive in constantly gathering information and actively looking for ways to improve other people’s lives.
Prudent time management is also an important trait to possess as pharmacy technicians are required to be multi-taskers, so he or she must be able to juggle between numerous tasks at work without affecting their personal lives.
Pharmacy technician work environment and schedule
5 out of 10 pharmacy technician graduates find it easier to accept work in retail pharmacies and drug stores due to the availability of jobs in that particular sector. The others opted to work in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and even neighborhood grocery stores.
Interestingly, in the recent years, it has become a trend for fresh pharmacy technician graduates to work at large retail chains like Wal-Mart and Target. While the starting salary ($10 to $15) and work hours aren’t much to shout about (20 to 32 hours per week), pharmacy techs working at these chains find that they can quickly gather the experience and skills needed to attract better employment prospects in the future.
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