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Pharmacy technician training programs prepare you for a satisfying job in which you fill an important role in your customers' lives: safe, quick and accurate preparation of their prescriptions. Most pharmacy technicians' work is divided equally between prescription preparation and customer care, so this career is a good choice if you enjoy performing technical tasks but also crave interaction with people. Pharmacy technician is also one of the fastest growing jobs in the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of jobs for pharmacy technicians should increase by 31 percent by 2018.
Overview of Pharmacy Technician Training
According to the latest information from the BLS, the May 2009 median hourly wage for pharmacy technicians was $13.49. The top 10 percent of pharmacy technicians earn more than $19.31 per hour. Holders of pharmacy technician certification may have higher earnings than those who do not have the certification.
There is no formal national standard for pharmacy technician training programs, but according to the BLS, employers prefer to hire candidates who have completed training in the medical field. The prerequisite for these programs is a high school diploma.
Programs take between six months to two years to complete and, upon completion, many help to place you in an internship in the field so you can gain on-the-job experience before entering the job market. Depending on the program, you can earn a certificate, an associate's degree or a diploma.
Once you complete your pharmacy technician training, you might find work in one of these settings:
Pharmacy Technician Training: Degrees and Coursework
Once you decide to pursue a career as a pharmacy technician, you can find training programs at a variety of places, including:
Some community colleges and vocational schools offer online programs, which can be useful if you do not live close to a pharmacy technician program or if you have a busy or non-traditional work schedule.
Pharmacy technician coursework is wide-ranging, including math, science, medicine, law, communications and administration. Courses you might take include:
Once you have completed coursework, you should see if your state requires you to be registered with the State Board of Pharmacy. Most states do. The registration procedure is relatively simple: prove that you have a high school diploma and pay a fee.
Some states might also require you to be certified by one of two national organizations: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT). Certification by these organizations requires you to pass a test on pharmacy technician procedure and the certification is valid for two years.
Pharmacy Technician Career Outlook
According to the BLS, employment prospects for pharmacy technicians over the next ten years should be good, with the best prospects for those who have completed pharmacy technician training programs or who have previous experience in the field.
There were 326,300 pharmacy technician jobs in 2008 and the BLS projects that by 2018 there should be 426,000 jobs, which makes pharmacy technician one of the fastest growing fields in the country. Conversely, the employment of pharmacy aides, who have less training and whose duties are more administrative, is expected to fall by 6 percent. Some of this drop is because pharmacy technicians are taking over tasks that used to be performed by pharmacy aides.
Pharmacy technicians possess a unique blend of excellent people skills, an aptitude for organization and a talent for precision. As the average life spans for U.S. residents increase and more and more people gain access to health care, pharmacy technicians form a vital bridge between pharmacists and patients.
Resources for Pharmacy Technicians
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