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What's some things I should know about pharmacy tech before making it my career choice?

Also what steps do I need to take to become a pharmacy technician?

pharmacy pharmacist pharmacists
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Leslie’s Answer

Most pharmacy technicians work on their feet all day. It's healthier that way but can be tiring. If you work in retail, you may have to deal directly with people who don't feel well or are upset about how much money medications cost. The work is repetitive but satisfying in the sense you leave with a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.

Steps to become a tech: you wll need to attend a pharmacy technician training program and pass a certification exam. You can google this with your city and probably find a training program that will list the courses you will need to take. I

Pharmacy techs are a great way to investigate if you want to go on to pharmacy school and become a pharmacist.
Thank you comment icon Thank you! Lauranne
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V. Sean’s Answer

Hello Lauranne,
Thank you for posting your question.
Please allow me to share the link to the US Department of Labor's Occupational Handbook for Pharmacy Technician.
www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacy-technicians.htm

The information is factual, current and reliable. Additionally, on the webpage there are tabs to access additional information for: A Summary of the the job,
What Pharmacy Technicians do, Description of their working environment, Next Steps for How to Become one, The Pay, The future Job Outlook, Data by State and Area, Similar Occupations, More Information regarding educational/training , even a You Tube Video of the role.
Copied the Pharmacy Technician Quick Facts Summary from the webpage for you.
2021 Median Pay $36,740 per year $17.66 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education High school diploma or equivalent
Community Collage Associate Degree, Vocational Trade Schools
Number of Jobs available during 2021 - 447,300
Job Outlook for 2021-31, need will increase by 5%
Job increase/change for years 2021-31, will be 22,400

With the passage of the recent Federal Bill, the funding available for you to attend the school for this job has increased significantly!
Education and Training - there is no better investment in yourself and your future!


Thank you comment icon Thank you so much, V. Sean! Lauranne
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Dana’s Answer

There are many different types of pharmacy practice. I recommend that you research all to determine what fits you best. Chain, community, non-sterile compounding, sterile compounding, hospital, and long term care to mention just a few. All types require a certain knowledge base. Each type has a different skill set once passed the basics. Community and chain require different skills than hospital, hospital differs from compounding, and chronic care/hospice differs from others. You can also work in industry. Being a pharmacy technician can be a very rewarding career. It’s up to you to find your best fit.
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Niko’s Answer

Hello, as Dana Nelson has mentioned, there are many scopes within the field of pharmacy, even as a technician! Technicians are vital to pharmacists almost as nurses are to doctors. So technicians are assigned many different roles depending on the setting that they are in. For example, if you were to choose a retail pharmacy such as CVS or Walgreens, your responsibility as a technician would be to help fill medications, focus on medication inventory, data entry for prescriptions, and helping customers with insurance related issues since the pharmacist will be busy working on verifying prescriptions filled and giving out vaccines. In an hospital setting, many technicians will focus on compounding drugs (think IVs) and delivering other skills that you would not normally see in a retail chain. There are even remote technician jobs that focus on patient care and the adherence of medications or again remote data entry and insurance processing. So there are many different options that you can explore with being a technician. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND becoming a Nationally certified technician through PTCB. This is because as a certified technician, you have a wider skill set and a lot of specific knowledge on medications, compounding, and pharmacy laws that give you a greater responsibility. Some states even allow certified technicians administer immunizations. Therefore you have the take the time to explore which ever option would be best for you and your time and work ethics. :)
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Megan’s Answer

Hi Lauranne! Being a technician is a very rewarding job but can be stressful and you will most likely be on your feet all day if you start as a retail pharm tech. Good news is you can get some experience under your belt and move up into other types of pharmacies and learn lots of new things. I have been a technician for almost 18 years and I am still learning new things. You start from the bottom but there is so much room to move up in this career.
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Jyoti’s Answer

The hours are long and you are standing on your feet most of the time. In retail setting, you also have to deal with patients and they are not always pleasant to deal with especially if their insurance doesn't go through and have to pay cash. They will lash it out on you. If you are really interested, go further and become pharmacist where you do actually make a difference. Start at a slow setting to see if you like being in the field of pharmacy. You can also volunteer to see if it is a good fit for you. I hope this was helpful.
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Dinah’s Answer

I tell everyone that being a pharmacy technician is not for the weak and to not take things personally because patients come in not having a good day. Pharmacy technicians are on their feet all day and it can get tiring at times. Working in retail is not easy as many think because you are working directly with patients and some are not that nice. Since Covid, patients are rude, don't have patience, and will literally argue about everything, which makes it harder going to work everyday. Many pharmacies are short staffed and you will be doing 3x the work and there is not enough time to get everything done. The pharmacist has to deal with these patients as well and it can get overwhelming at times, but if you can delegate and communicate it really can help.

Shadowing is another way to feel up if being a pharmacy technician is for you and if you really want to apply for pharmacy school to become a pharmacist. You can start by applying to pharmacies as a pharmacy technician and you can get nationally certified through your employer.
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Jaya’s Answer

I agree with the answers above. Do your research to find out what type of jobs are available, what career pathways it can lead you to, the pay and physical demands.
One piece of advice I have is if you decide to become one, look into public programs through occupational centers and schools districts before signing up with heavily advertised private schools that charges thousands of dollars. Most of public schools are very low cost in or free.
Good luck
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