Pharmacy School

Although a pharmacy technician works closely with a licensed pharmacist, this person has a very distinct job, responsible for many of the functions to keep a pharmacy running efficiently.  Typically, the pharmacy technician is qualified to provide medication, as well as other pharmaceutical products to consumers.

In fact, the responsibility of a pharmacy technician is to manage many of the daily tasks needed in the preparation of prescription medication, providing patients with drugs, and medication compounding.  While the technician gets everything together, it is the pharmacist who actually checks the medication before it is sold to the consumer.  Additionally, the pharmacist is the person responsible for providing patients with information about drugs and their use, not the pharmacy technician.

Interestingly, in the United States, the pharmacy technician is not allowed by law to provide any counsel to patients but in other countries such as the United Kingdom, the technician can.  In some countries, consultation involves providing information to patients, as well as managing anticoagulant clinics, and even dosing consumers under banding guidance.

The actual level of responsibilities of the pharmacy technician varies slightly depending on the setting in which he or she works.  For instance, if the technician works within a hospital environment, dispensary and manufacturing units are generally the responsibility of the pharmacy technician.  Other tasks performed might include assisting licensed pharmacists in various pharmacy roles.

For a person to become a pharmacy technician there is specific training and education required.  As mentioned, some technicians will handle daily functions while learning on the job while other technicians actually go through schooling where they earn a certification.  The most common examinations the pharmacy technician will take to earn the certification such as the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT).  To earn these, the technician would work with educational institutes such as:

• Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT)
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

New federal laws were passed back in 2002 whereby all people working as a pharmacy technician within the United States must meet strict guidelines for qualification.  In addition, in some states such as Virginia, there are also non-federal laws that require actual licensing for working as a pharmacy technician opposed to a certificate.  In fact, there are many states that now require the pharmacy technician to pass a state examination, which is completely disconnected from the two certification institutions mentioned above.

To get involved with the different training programs to become a pharmacy technician, there are a number of possibilities to include hospitals, military, technical schools, vocational schools, community colleges, and even proprietary schools.  Then, some of the top pharmacies in the country also have programs available for employees.  In this case, the pharmacy would provide the testing to the pharmacy technician employee, which may or may not include some type of externship or laboratory training.  With this, the individual has the opportunity to learn from hands on situations.

The great thing about becoming a pharmacy technician is that there are tons of work opportunities.  While most of the time a technician will work directly for a pharmacy, others work in hospital environments, pharmaceutical wholesalers, for the government, and even for online or mail order pharmacies.

As mentioned, the specific responsibilities of the pharmacy technician will depend on the company worked for and the type of company.  One of the common responsibilities is overseeing the daily function of a pharmacy aid.  Then, the pharmacy technician may handle doctor and patient phone calls, stock shelves, input patient information into the computer, handle the cash register, and so on.  Of course, if the pharmacy technician has a job within a hospital, the level of responsibility is a lot more.

In addition to more responsibility for hospital technicians, those working in any type of assisted living or nursing home situation would also have increased workloads.  As an example, the pharmacy technician in this case might work with the patient prescription and reading patient charts, confirm orders with the pharmacist and even doctor, deliver prescription medication to the nurses on duty, and so on.

Other possible tasks of the pharmacy technician include organizational type of work.  Packaging and labeling medication, matching bar codes with products, and checking dosage and expiration date is also a common responsibility of the pharmacy technician.  Obviously, this individual plays a very important role in the proper operation of a pharmacy, regardless of the type.  As demand for pharmacy workers continues to rise, it is expected to see responsibilities of the pharmacy technician evolve over the years.