Pharmacy technicians play an important role in a healthcare team. With pharmacy technicians, patients can connect with pharmacists and receive the healthcare they need. If you are the kind of person who enjoys patient interaction but not a lot of clinical work, this opportunity may be the perfect choice for you.
Learn more about pharmacy tech certification and opportunities for pharmacy technicians when you continue reading.
What Does a Pharmacy Technician Do?
A pharmacy technician is not quite a pharmacist, but the role is vital to a team. Just as the name implies, a pharmacy technician’s role is to handle and dispense pharmaceuticals. The work of a pharmacy technician is vital to creating the right environment for a pharmacist to do the work he or she does.
A pharmacy technician can be the person who fills the prescription at a pharmacy. The role of a pharmacy technician is to ensure the accuracy of the patients’ medication and to ensure that it is administered correctly. The job usually involves more than simply filling a prescription drug order.
In addition to filling prescriptions, the pharmacy technician may also take inventory, transport medication, put together orders, and maintain patient records.
What Are the Common Tasks and Duties of Pharmacy Technicians?
Pharmacy technicians work with pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to help patients with the medicine they need. A typical day may include:
- Counting pills
- Preparing and mixing medications
- Entering information into computers
- Answering phones
- Printing labels and filing paperwork
- Contacting insurance companies and getting authorization for prescriptions
What Does the Work Environment of a Pharmacy Technician Look Like?
A pharmacy technician’s office may be at the front desk of a pharmacy. Much of the work may be done inside the pharmacy, but some work may be done outside the pharmacy, such as filling prescriptions from physicians’ offices.
Pharmacy technicians work with a team, including other healthcare professionals and pharmacists. The job can be stressful at times, and many pharmacy technicians work more than 40 hours a week.
How Can You Become a Pharmacy Technician?
If you want to become a pharmacy technician and work with a team to help patients get the medicines they need, you will need to fulfill a set of requirements in order to be able to take the exam. These requirements vary from state to state, so you should check with your state board of pharmacy or academic institution to find out the specific requirements in your area.
The requirements usually include:
- A high school diploma or equivalent
- Certification or an associate degree from an accredited school of pharmacy technology or a pharmacy technician training program
- Working for a licensed pharmacy for at least 6 months
- Having knowledge of pharmacy terminology
- Passing the NHA exam
What Do the Career Path and Growth Opportunities Look Like for Pharmacy Technicians?
Technicians may start out with a certificate, but they can always get a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy technology, which allows them to advance in their careers. They can also attend specialized training programs to open more opportunities for growth.
Final Thoughts
A pharmacy technician is a very important member of the healthcare team. Without this person, medications may not be counted and labeled correctly, which can cause a lot of problems.
If you enjoy working with people and solving problems, then becoming a pharmacy technician may be the right choice for you. You can learn more about it and take the first step to getting a job as a pharmacy technician by contacting Northwest Suburban College today.
Northwest Suburban College offers a pharmacy technician course that will help you learn the theories and get the training you need to begin your career as a pharmacy technician. Get more information about the program by giving us a call today.
