Pharmacy Technician Schools – Are They Worth It?

After graduating from high school, the urge to make your way in life and immediately find a job could be a paramount concern.
If your interest is geared more towards not only earning relatively well, but also having a deep sense of job satisfaction, then you would most likely be interested in becoming a pharmacy technician. One of the best ways to do so would be to take formal pharmacy technician programs and enroll in a pharmacy technician school.
Pharmacy technician programs are structured courses that focus on imparting knowledge about the nature of the job of a pharmacy technician to interested parties. Pharmacy technician classes are generally part of a ladderized program that leads to the acquisition of a degree from a pharmacy technician school.
This is misleading.  In reality, a pharmacy technician course is one that should end up with you getting a degree as a pharmacy technician.
If you were really interested in becoming a pharmacy technician, would you also be interested in taking up structured pharmacy technician classes  in a formal learning environment?
There are those who do not see the need to take up formal studies, which includes undergoing formal training to become a pharmacy technician. This is particularly true today, in the light of the proliferation of handbooks, and do-it-yourself or DIY “courses” online.
But have you ever heard of the saying that “a little learning is a dangerous thing?” That saying applies greatly to the field of pharmacy technology.  It’s not enough to simply have undertaken self-study on being a pharmacy technician, to say that you are one.
Most states in the US won’t give you preferential hiring treatment if they find out that you did not undertake formal schooling to become a pharmacy technician. If ever there are states that will, you can be sure that career paths will not be laid out for you.  More importantly, if you have only the barest minimum requirements, it is a remote possibility that you will gain access to jobs that are outside the retail setting.
In other words, as a pharmacy assistant (as opposed to being a pharmacy technician) you will be the least considered for sensitive hospital pharmacy position, whether in the inpatient or outpatient departments.
There are numerous advantages to be had from undergoing structured education in order to become a pharmacy technician. Here are some of the most important ones:
When you have an actual teacher educating you, you will be able to learn how to pronounce certain medicine-related terms, as well as understand what they mean. This is very important during persona interaction later on with consumers in a pharmacy setting.When you undergo structured education classes, you will be taught how to effectively deal with doctors and other medical and Click Here!">healthcare professionals. This will not only develop your own sense of professionalism, it can also be a way by which to broaden your own professional network.Formal education that specializes in pharmacy technology will normally include computer classes and mathematics because these are highly integrated in the modern practices of a pharmacy, specifically in the areas of using pharmacy-devoted computer software and in helping to prepare quantities.
You’ll see right away that the duties entail more than simple retail dispensing of pharmaceuticals.
For example, these three typical duties,  encompass computer knowledge:
Record keeping and filing of physicians’ orders and prescriptions.Generating revenues by calculating, issuing and recording charges.Preparing reports by obtaining and summarizing information.
Meanwhile, these two duties require a good grasp of mathematics and medical principles:
Organizing medications that the pharmacists will dispense. This task involves going through medication orders, preparing medicine labels, calculating quantities, and preparing IV solutions and other pharmaceutical treatments.Protecting both patients and employees by adhering to infection-control regulations.
Those are skills and knowledge that are honed much better in a pharmacy technician class. Of course, it may be argued that it is possible to learn how to do such things on your own. But then again, there is no guarantee that the knowledge you will acquire from self-study is indeed accurate and still valid, given how dynamic the pharmaceutical, medical, and Click Here!">health
care industries are. Reading about how to do one technique is different from actually doing it in person.
The added benefit of having undergone training from a certified pharmacy technician program is that you will get you the practical hands on training that is often missing from just reading the certification text book alone. Most schools provide an internship where you can actually practice in a real life pharmacy environment under the Preceptorship of a licensed pharmacist. You will be able to get a sense of the workflow environment and be provided training on how pharmacy is practiced in reality. In addition, schools provide training on how to intake prescriptions, verify identity, allergies, enter and submit to insurance plans, as well as how to use the real life computer systems that pharmacies run. This added experience is much valuable and will prepare yourself to become a pharmacy technician much better than reading just a simply book. Thus, this real life practical component is essential towards becoming a competent pharmacy technician.
Also, unless you will be working in a family-run pharmaceutical business, not having formal schooling behind you can greatly diminish your chances for getting a pharmacy technician’s job. And even then, it will be very beneficial to a family-run pharmacy to have someone with the correct attitude and sufficient educational background to help in running it.
Moreover, having a formal degree will enable you, as a pharmacy technician, to inspire confidence among the people you will interact with, and the consumers or public that you will deal with. This is because having taken up formal classes and training, and eventually acquiring a degree can lead you to becoming more adept when taking the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) given by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).
Consequently, owning a certification shows the world that you are truly qualified to take on the responsibilities of a professional pharmacy technician. This means that in the event a malpractice suit arises, you will be able to show more effectively that you are learned and capable, and are not just some hack who irresponsibly put the Click Here!">health
and lives of other people at risk by your ineptitude.
Just remember, not all pharmacy training schools are alike. As requirements from state to state vary, so may there be some slight variations in curriculum. When evaluating whether or not a particular pharmacy technician school or training center would best serve your needs, attend to the following considerations:
Rates of placement -  how many graduates of the facility are now gainfully employed as a pharmacy technician?Referrals and professional endorsements – a brief talk with some graduates of the facility and their program director can give you an idea of how things are being run.Instructors’ experience and credentials – are ALL the instructors PTCB certified?Tuition – amount, terms of payment, and inclusions.Support mechanisms – are students given access to school resources such as online libraries? Up to when?
These are questions you need to ask so that you will find the best among the many different pharmacy technician schools available.

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How to Become a Pharmacy Technician

Are you interested in becoming a pharmacy technician? You’re in luck if you are, because this short guide will walk you through what you need to know to become a pharmacy technician, and introduce you to the nature of pharmacy tech jobs.

A Certified Pharmacy Technician or CPhT, which is the desirable position to be attained by pharmacy technicians, is someone who, in general:

receives written prescriptions from patients, as well as prescriptions sent from doctors’ offices via email or other electronic meansprocesses physicians’ orders by phone (as allowed by the laws of the various States)retrieves, counts, pours, weighs, measures, and may even mix medications under the guidance of a pharmacistmanages a patient databaseattends to insurance claim forms and manages inventory

The following steps point out how to become a pharmacy technician.  Some of them have to do with education, some have to do with experience, and some have to do with credentials.  Each one of these steps are ideally to be regarded as a whole because while it is possible to omit certain steps and still get a pharmacy technician job, it is only in going through all the steps that a person can increase the possibilities of getting higher wages and a clear career path.

1. Basic Requirements

You must at least have a high school diploma. If you are aiming for more than simply dispensing pharmaceuticals, then it would naturally be better to acquire a college degree that is relevant to the chosen occupation. If you are going to take a certification test later on, make sure that:

-You should have never been convicted of a felony.

-You should be free of drug convictions, including misdemeanors related to pharmaceuticals.

-You should be free of any restriction or revocation of license given by any State Board of Pharmacy in the US. You should also have no record of any violation of regulation of the US State Board of Pharmacy.

2. Education

As mentioned earlier, it’s great if you could manage to pursue a college degree relevant to the job of a pharmacy technician. Remember that short term courses are not the same as having undergone a structured education and training. Also, simply studying from a manual that you will download from the Internet may give basic information, but it is not the same as having actual training.

3. Experience and Certification

Do your best to get an internship.  Volunteer work at any institutions or company with a pharmaceutical facility (examples: private companies, hospitals, military bases).

After you get your degree and have some amount of internship or volunteer work experience, do your best to get certified. Getting a certification can improve your chances in the job market, but it is not a magic key that will open all doors for you. It just makes you a preferable option above other applicants.

4. Finding a Job

Network and keep in touch with your schoolmates, trainers, instructors. Scour job ads online. There are many online sites from which you can get leads.

You can substitute your own preferred state in place of Nebraska, and the month and year, as necessary. You can also search the Craig’s List health care job postings for recent and up to date listings of positions available for pharmacy technicians

 

How Much Can Pharmacy Technicians Earn? What is the Pharmacy Technician Salary?

A rather unusual finding has emerged from recent surveys undertaken by various online sites and think-tanks. It is unusual, given the economic climate in which the surveys were done. It turned out that even in the face of an economic downturn, and even when it has become harder with the rising costs of living, more employees actually put greater importance on job satisfaction, or having a personal sense of motivation to do their jobs, much more than the value they put on their paycheck or any perks or bonuses that they may receive.

This is not to say, however, that employees these days no longer care about how much they earn. One’s take home pay is always a big factor when considering a career path or simply looking for a job.

Fortunately, pharmacy technicians are able to enjoy the best of both worlds. Not only can they be able to experience the kind of job satisfaction that comes from having a meaningful and socially integrated job, they are also able to earn competitively.

However, it’s always good to note that as is the case with other industries, there are a host of other factors to consider when determining pay scales for any job in the medical, health, and wellness industries. The salary of a pharmacy technician also has to deal with such factors, the primary ones of which are:

relevant education or schoolingrelevant experiencegeographical and/or work-environment considerations

Having relevant education and experience as requirements for determining how much the salary of a pharmacy technician should be, is a no-brainer. This is because other jobs in other industries also have the same requirements. But what about geography? Why does it matter in determining pharmacy technician salaries?

Here are the reasons:

Costs of living and other factors related to the local economy such as politics and governance, institutional frameworks, and socio-constructs unavoidably play a big role in pharmacy technician salaries. For example, in California or New York, where the cost of living is higher than that of states such as Arkansas or Kentucky, a pharmacy technician salary also has to be higher because market forces demand it to be so. In states where alternative medicine and its practices (such as lessening usage of commercially manufactured medicine in preference of herbals and “natural cures”) have a huge societal or community presence and impact, pharmaceuticals may take a backseat. When this happens, there will be, of course, less demand for pharmacy technicians.

Those who are already employed as such, may find that their salaries are lower than those received by their colleagues in other states that are not heavily preferential towards lessening the use of pharmaceuticals or manufactured drugs/medicines or methods of treatment.Again, these are market forces at work. 

The stability of the economy in any given geographic location can also determine how much a pharmacy technician salary should be. If a local government within a state is cash-strapped, then naturally, a hospital pharmacy technician salary in the public sector will be relatively lower.

 To illustrate better, we can refer to a site such as Pharmacy Technician HQ which gives specific examples of geography-bound salary differences. In one of the given examples on that site, it mentions how a high-cost of living state compares with one that has a lower cost of living, as far as pharmacy technician pay is concerned, to wit:

“The average salary for this position in California is $35,450, while in Alabama they can on average only earn $23,380. This is a difference of more than $10,000.”

 The same site also mentions how work environments affect pharmacy technician pay. It was mentioned how:

“…hospital pharmacies in general pay the best. Hospital pharmacy on average pays between $8.80 per hour and $16.73 per hour. A retail pharmacy on the other hand averages $8.43 per hour up to $16.60 per hour.” 

 Further comparative information may be gleaned from the US Department of Labor, which gives the following figures related to the occupation of a pharmacy technician, as of May 2012:

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Compare these with statistics released by the same government agency for the year 2010:

Quick Facts: Pharmacy Technicians$28,400 per year
$13.65 per hourHigh school diploma or equivalentWork Experience in a Related OccupationModerate-term on-the-job training32% (Much faster than average)

A live search could also be done online in answer to the question of how much do pharmacy techs make? For example, on the site Indeed.com, the following comparative results were arrived at, simply by modifying search parameters.

Average Salary of Pharmacy Technician Jobs (all results are in USD, and are valid as of November 6, 2013):

The comparative table above shows that “average Pharmacy Technician salaries for job postings in Washington, DC are 49% higher than average Pharmacy Technician salaries for job postings in Utah.”

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Compare these further with more statistics provided by Healthcare Salary World, and you’ll have a better understanding of how much do pharmacy techs make:

States with Highest Employment Level

Federal Executive Branch: $40,650

California (30,540 jobs): $39,150

Outpatient Care Centers: $38,750

Offices of Physicians: $37,040

Florida (23,490 jobs): $28,410

Madera-Chowchilla, CA: $44,210Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools: $36,960

New York (16,260 jobs): $31,010

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services : $36,630Illinois (15,740 jobs): $29,950

Finally, when evaluating pay scales, keep in mind the importance of work environments as a factor.  For example, compare the following salaries that can be earned by both non-certified and non-certified pharmacy technicians holding down a job in different work environments:

Practice Area                          Non-Certified             Certified

Hospital Technicians              $12 to $16 /hr            $13 to $19 /hr

In the example given, it is clear that a hospital pharmacy technician salary is higher than that of a retail pharmacy technician, and having a certification sweetens up the pot even more.

 

The Most Complete Pharmacy Technician Job Description

The pharmacy technician plays a vital role in assisting the pharmacist with the daily operations in the delivery of pharmacy services. The role is mainly supportive and allows for the pharmacist to focus more on providing clinical oriented services, such as medication reviews and injections. The role of the pharmacy technician is increasing to meet the growing clinical demands without increasing the pharmacy staff. When you are working as a pharmacy technician in a community setting, it is expected that the environment will be busy and fast pace. Most pharmacy chains will only hire a pharmacy technician if the prescription count and work flow requires it, as they tend to save money by hiring the minimum amount of staffing needed. Hence, the presence of a pharmacy technician indicates that the workflow is too much for a single pharmacist to handle alone and therefore requires the support of a pharmacy technician.

The workflow itself is often unpredictable. The best way to describe it would be akin to the eye of a storm. It may be perfectly quiet in the moment, but in a given time many patients can show up at the same time. This frequently occurs after work around 3pm and just before closing.

The pharmacy technician performs a huge diverse array of roles. This is a list of the possible roles that the pharmacy technician may have, but that would ultimately depend on the location, environment, and store policies. This list is not exhaustive, but is meant to give a general idea of an insight into the daily tasks of a pharmacy technician. This is the most accurate pharmacy technician job description.

Pharmacy technicians are often required to create patient profiles using the pharmacy’s computer system for new patients. This includes verifying the patient identity using government issued photo id, the patient’s address and telephone number, allergy status, medication conditions, preference for easy open lids, and third party insurance plans. It is vital to input the information correctly to ensure accurate records for processing prescriptions.

Many pharmacies utilize the pharmacy technician to type up the prescriptions presented by the patients. This would involve interpreting the physician’s hand writing to determine the medication, quantity, and directions of use. Knowledge of the different medications and their generic and brand names are vital to deciphering the prescriptions. Prescriptions are often abbreviated with specific codes and such knowledge of these abbreviations is required as well. An example would be a prescription with the directions “prn”, which would mean as needed.

Often, many patients will call the pharmacy requesting for a refill of their prescription. You must be able to search up the patient in the pharmacy database and select the correct amount of medication to be refilled. Many times, patients do not know the name of the medication, and would speak in general terms. They may say that they want their hypertension medication filled. As a result, you must be familiar with the frequently dispensed medications and their general class. Many times, there would be no more refills remaining, and you must be adept at interpreting the computer system to be able to correctly relay that information to the patient.

Pharmacy technicians must accurately prepare the processed prescriptions. This is done by first selecting the correct medication by cross referencing the Drug Identification Number (DIN) with the typed prescription and then counting out the correct quantity. The medication is then labeled appropriately. Depending on the medication dispensed, there are is an art associated to labeling. With eye drops in particular, the label itself is often larger than the bottle itself, as such, there are specific ways to ensure that the final labeled product is pharmaceutically elegant. Other medications may require tape over the label to ensure some degree of water proof. Furthermore, the expiry dates must be checked at all times to ensure that no expired medication is being dispensed.

The busier pharmacies will have automated dispensing machines that will dispense the medications, as opposed to using a counting tray and counting by hand. These automated dispensing machines would require technical knowledge on how to troubleshoot in case of any glitches that may happen. These machines would also require frequent loading of the medications.

Often, there will be scripts that require compounding because there is no commercially available product. Instead, the physician prescribes a specific compound with particular ingredients that they want included. Usually, it is up to the pharmacy technician to make these compounds and there are specific techniques associated with this. This is a common role of many pharmacy technicians. Some compounds may be simple, such as scooping out some hydrocortisone into a small jar, or preparing an antibiotic suspension. Others may require more work such as adding 2% hydrocortisone powder in an anti fungal cream.

Pharmacies receive plenty of phone calls throughout the day. Often, when the pharmacy is busy, the pharmacy technician is required to answer the phone calls to field the customer inquiries. Now because of the retail nature of community pharmacy practice, you will get a diverse range of calls. Some common questions would be:

Can I get a refill for my prescription?What time do you open until?Do you have _______ in stock? (Often the products would not even be pharmacy related at all. Sometimes they ask for a particular shampoo, toilet seats, detergent, etc.)Can you order me some __________ (Often an over the counter product that they want custom ordered)How much is your dispensing fee?Any therapeutic questions (involving recommendations, side effects, or drug information questions must be directed to the pharmacist)Did the physician call in my prescription yet?Is my prescription ready for pick up?Can I get my medications blistered packed?Why did my insurance not pay for my medication?How come my delivery did not come yet (For Pharmacies that do home deliveries)

Orders are done usually on a daily basis to replenish the stock that was used during the day to ensure that the pharmacy has an adequate supply of the commonly used medications to serve their patients. Some stores, the pharmacy technician is required to send the order. Usually there is a certain cut off time to ensure next day delivery and the pharmacy technician must be able to submit the order before then. During the next day, when the order comes, the pharmacy technician receives the order. This is the process of reconciling the products ordered with the order slip to ensure that no mistakes have been made by the shipper. The computer system also must be updated to ensure that the quantities listed are reflective of the actual stock on hand. If there was a mistake made, the pharmacy technician must notify the shipper within a specified period of time to ensure that the proper credit adjustment will be made.  Many stores will require the pharmacy technician to place the stock in the correct location after receiving the order. This applies to over the counter orders as well. For these products, it is important to ensure proper product facing to increase sales.

Many patients have trouble remembering how to take their medications properly and because of this, many pharmacies will offer blister packaging, which helps improve patient compliance. This type of packing helps patients easily remember when to take their medications as each slot will be labeled with the time and specific day of the week. It is often the pharmacy technician’s role to prepare these blister packs for the pharmacist to check. This involves placing the correct medications in the correct slots by following the compliance label. The blister pack is then sealed for checking.

Many pharmacies have delivery services for their immobile patients. As such, it is up to the pharmacy technician to prepare and process the prescriptions for delivery. The patient’s would often have a file with their billing details and the pharmacy technician will bag up the order and assign the correct address for delivery.

Pharmacies have a cashier at the counter for payment of prescriptions and other over the counter products. The pharmacy technician will also have to perform cashier duties when the patient pays for their medications. Often, the patient shops around the store and will bring non prescription items to the counter for payment. The typical role of a cashier is included in the role of the pharmacy technician. As such, the expected duties are:

Dealing with gift cardsRefunds and exchangesStaff purchasesProcessing different credit cardsCashing out the till at the end of the dayCashing out to the bank; making cash deposits (May not be common in all pharmacies)

Knowing the store layout is essential as many patients will come to the pharmacy asking for a particular product. Many times, these are not pharmacy related at all. You may get asked for a variety of products, such as shoes, candy, hair wash. Because of this, memorization of the store layout is vital to ensure that the patient is directed to the desired location. If the patient requires a recommendation, be sure to inform the pharmacist.

Pharmacy technicians are required to ensure the organization of the inventory and supplies. It is crucial to ensure that the inventory is up to date and because of this, the inventory is often reconciled with the computer systems to ensure that the records are accurate. Furthermore, the inventory is checked for expired medications that can be disposed off or returned.

Many times, the pharmacy does not have enough stock of a particular medication and will provide the patient with the quantity that is currently in stock. The patient will pay for the full amount upfront and the rest is owed to them once the stock is procured. The pharmacy technician must be able to fill these stock to come orders once the stock is arrived and prepare this for the pharmacist to check.

Other tasks that the pharmacy technician may need to perform include:

Printing off receipts and year expense totals for taxesCalling stores for a prescription transfer or transferring a prescription to a different pharmacyCleaning and vacuuming the pharmacy areaEnsuring that the lids, vitals, bottles are replenishedFiling and storing prescriptionsCalling insurance providers to find resolve any issuesCalling physician’s office to request a refill of prescriptions

This list is being continually updated. If you see any duties that are not listed here, please leave a comment below. Furthermore, if you require more clarification on some of these tasks, please comment as well!

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