Overview for Pharmacy Technicians

Pharmacy technicians help licensed pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients. Technicians usually perform routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication, such as counting tablets and labeling bottles. They also perform administrative tasks like answering phones, stocking shelves, and operating cash registers.

Pharmacy technicians who work in retail or mail-order pharmacies have varying responsibilities that vary from state to state. Technicians receive written prescriptions or requests for prescription refills from patients. They also may receive prescriptions sent electronically from the doctor’s office.

Pharmacy technicians must verify that information on the prescription is complete and accurate. To prepare the prescription, technicians must retrieve, count, pour, weigh, measure, and sometimes mix the medication. Then, they prepare the prescription labels, select the type of prescription container, and affix the prescription and auxiliary labels to the container. Once the prescription is filled, technicians price and file the prescription, which must be checked by a pharmacist before it is given to the patient. Technicians may establish and maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, and stock and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

In hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities, technicians have more responsibility, which include reading patients’ charts and preparing the appropriate medication. After the pharmacist checks the prescription for accuracy, a pharmacy technician may deliver it to the patient and copy the information about the medication onto the patient’s profile. Technicians also may assemble a 24-hour supply of medicine for every patient, package and label each dose separately, then place the doses in the medicine cabinets of patients until the supervising pharmacist checks them for accuracy.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacy Technicians

Median hourly earnings of pharmacy technicians in May 2006 totaled $12.32. The Hourly pay ranged between $10.10 and more than $17.65. General medical and surgical hospitals paid the highest median hourly earnings with $13.86, followed by grocery stories at $12.78, and pharmacies and drug stores at $11.50. Certified pharmacy technicians may earn more, and shift differentials for working evenings or weekends also can increase earnings.

Employment Situation

Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to increase by 32 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The increased number of middle-aged and elderly people—who use more prescription drugs than younger people—will spur demand for technicians throughout the projection period. In addition, as scientific advances bring treatments for an increasing number of conditions, more pharmacy technicians will be needed to fill a growing number of prescriptions.

Education Outlook

Most pharmacy technicians are trained on the job, but many employers prefer applicants who have formal training, certification, or previous experience. Strong customer service skills also are important. Pharmacy technicians may become supervisors, may move into specialty positions or into sales, or may become pharmacists.

There are few state and no federal requirements for formal training or certification of pharmacy technicians. Formal education programs and certification emphasize the technician’s interest in and dedication to the work. The military, some hospitals, proprietary schools, vocational or technical colleges, and community colleges offer formal education programs.

Formal pharmacy technician education programs require classroom and laboratory work in a variety of areas, including medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacy recordkeeping, pharmaceutical techniques, and pharmacy law and ethics. Technicians must learn medication names, actions, uses, and doses. Many training programs include internships, in which students gain hands-on experience in actual pharmacies. After completion, students receive a diploma, a certificate, or an associate’s degree, depending on the program.

Salary Expectations for Pharmacy Technicians

Median hourly earnings of pharmacy technicians in May 2006 totaled $12.32. The Hourly pay ranged between $10.10 and more than $17.65. General medical and surgical hospitals paid the highest median hourly earnings with $13.86, followed by grocery stories at $12.78, and pharmacies and drug stores at $11.50. Certified pharmacy technicians may earn more, and shift differentials for working evenings or weekends also can increase earnings.

Related Information

• All advertised Pharmacy Technician jobs
• Find a Healthcare school near you

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