Pharmacy Technician Schools and Training Programs

Pharmacy Technicians - Career Information

A Pharmacy Technician performs many pharmacy-related functions under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians generally assist the pharmacist in dispensing medication and other health care products to patients. Their work is typically a combination of routine tasks in the preparation of prescribed medication (e.g., counting tablets, labeling bottles, etc.) and administrative duties such as stocking shelves, answering phones, keeping records, and handling payment by customers.

A pharmacy technician's job is distinguishable from that of other pharmacy staff members based not only on different job requirements but also on differing scopes of responsibility. Technicians may prepare the medication but it must be checked by an actual Pharmacist before it is given to the patient. Also, it is only the pharmacist who may counsel patients on the proper use of medications. Another type of pharmacy staff member is a Pharmacy Assistant (also known as Pharmacy Aide). In many settings, the job description of a pharmacy aide is nearly interchangeable with that of a pharmacy technician, as they tend to do almost the same things. In general, however, pharmacy technicians usually perform more complex tasks than pharmacy aides, who often confine themselves to clerical tasks such as answering telephones, handling money, and stocking shelves.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of a pharmacy technician vary depending on their work locale. Those who work in retail or mail-order pharmacies typically receive prescriptions either in written form, as a refill request from patients, or sent electronically from the doctor's office. Upon receipt, they must first verify that information on the prescription is complete and accurate. They then must prepare the prescription; a process which involves retrieving, counting, pouring, weighing, measuring, and/or mixing the medication. After this is done, they prepare the prescription labels, select the appropriate container, and affix the prescription and auxiliary labels to the container. As the final step in the process, technicians price and file the prescription, which must be checked by a pharmacist before it is given to the patient. In addition to prescription-filling duties, technicians often maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, and stock and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Pharmacy technicians who work in a hospital, nursing home or assisted-living-type facilities have additional responsibilities. In many cases, the technician will consult a patient's chart in conjunction with a prescription before preparing and physically delivering the medicine to nurses, who later administer it to the patient. The technician will then transcribe the information about the prescribed medication onto the patient's profile. Technicians may also be responsible for managing a process for preparing and distributing prescribed medications known as "unit dose distribution". This process involves assembling a 24-hour supply of medicine for every patient, and packaging and labeling each dose separately, either by hand or with the help of packaging machines. The technician will then place the packages in the medicine cabinets of patients until the supervising pharmacist checks them for accuracy before dispensing the medication to the patients. Another form in which medications are frequently administered to hospital patients is through intravenous (IV) solutions. In order to prepare these IV mixtures, technicians need to measure and add drugs or nutrients (IV additives) to commercially-prepared intravenous solutions, in some cases using mathematical calculations which must be accurate and very precise. Additional duties for a pharmacy technician in this type of setting may include inventory control (keeping track of medications, chemicals, and other supplies, and preparing orders for additional quantities when stock gets low), delivering drugs and pharmaceutical supplies to nursing stations, keeping work areas clean and orderly, assisting in the processing of health insurance forms, and responding to telephone questions or requests from other hospital personnel.

Job Characteristics

Most work settings for pharmacy technicians are clean, neat, bright, well-ventilated, and well-organized. Technicians work the same hours as pharmacists. These are apt to include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays; particularly in venues which are open around the clock such as hospitals and some retail pharmacies. A good deal of their workday is spent on their feet. Physical requirements may sometimes include moving or lifting heavy boxes and delivery carts or using stepladders to retrieve supplies from high shelves. Although the work is often repetitive, it requires a great deal of precision, good judgment, accuracy, and constant attention to detail. The work also requires extreme care in the handling and storage of drugs and chemicals.

Being a successful pharmacy technician requires strong customer service and teamwork skills due to continuous interaction with patients, coworkers, and health care professionals. It also requires an ability and willingness to take direction along with an equal ability to work independently without constant instruction. Precision and accuracy are crucial; details can sometimes make the difference between life and death. In addition, a background in chemistry, English, and/or health education can be beneficial. Other key attributes for success in this profession include:

Employment Outlook for Pharmacy Technicians

The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (USDL BLS) projects a much faster than average job growth for this profession throughout the upcoming decade (31% from 2008 to 2018) . Demand for pharmacy techs will be spurred by an increasing population of those who use prescription drugs the most (middle-aged and elderly people). Advances in technology over this timespan will also bring about new treatments for an increasing number of conditions, which will result in a larger number of prescriptions needing to be filled and more pharmacy technicians needed to fill them.

One factor which will tend to somewhat mitigate this anticipated demand is a growing use of drug dispensing machines. These machines, which count out the pills and place them into prescription containers, replicate some of the pharmacy technician's duties. The machines, however, although increasing in use, dispense only the most common medications and therefore should only marginally affect future employment of pharmacy technicians.

Pharmacy Technician Schools, Certification, and Licensing

The majority of pharmacy technicians get their training on-the-job, but those who choose to pursue a formal training program beyond a high-school diploma have a distinct advantage in the job marketplace. Presently, few states mandate formal training or certification of pharmacy technicians; however, employers often look for job applicants who have undergone formal training and/or have received certification. There are a large number of institutions offering formal education programs in this field. Some of these include community colleges, the military, hospitals, vocational or technical colleges, and proprietary schools. Some pharmacies also offer training programs to their employees as part of employment.

The material covered in a formal pharmacy technician education program encompasses pharmaceutical techniques, medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacy record keeping, and pharmacy law and ethics. Most programs are comprised of a combination of classroom and laboratory work along with a period of internship, in which students gain valuable hands-on experience working in an actual pharmaceutical setting. Depending on the program, graduates will earn either a diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree.

Certification, although still voluntary in most states, is a requirement in some states and by some employers. Whether mandatory or not, certification is a valuable credential to hold for any individual seeking a successful career as a pharmacy technician. In order to become certified, an individual must take and pass a recognized certification examination. The largest national exams of this type in the U.S. are given by two major institutions: the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). The exam given by the ICPT is called the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) and the exam offered by the PTCB is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE). Successful completion of one of these exams earns the technician the credentials "CPhT", corresponding to the professional title of Certified Pharmacy Technician. A few states require technicians to pass a state examination administered by the state board of pharmacy, regardless of whether they pass the national exam by ICPT or PTCB.

Resources

• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• California Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• American Association of Pharmacy Technicians (AAPT)
• National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA)
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
• Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT)
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA)

Major Employers

Pharmacy technicians can be found in a variety of locations. Approximately two out of every three technicians work in some kind of a retail pharmacy. These include both independently owned pharmacies and those that are part of a drugstore, department store, grocery store or mass retailer chain. The next most-common work setting for pharmacy technicians is in hospitals. Smaller proportions of pharmacy techs are employed by mail-order pharmacies, online pharmacies, doctors' offices, clinics, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and the Federal Government.

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