What it Means to Be a Certified Pharmacy Technician
A certified pharmacy technician is essentially an assistant to a certified pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians are not qualified to answer questions about medicine and health issues. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the majority (71 percent) of pharmacy technicians work in pharmacies, drugstores, department stores and grocery stores. The BLS expects the number of jobs for certified pharmacy technicians to grow by 32 percent from 2006 to 2016. The BLS attributes this growth rate to the growing number of older people and advancement in medical research, which will cause an increase in the number of prescriptions.
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Nature of Work
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The typical duties of pharmacy technicians employed in pharmacies include preparing prescriptions, attending phone calls, maintaining supplies and handling sales. Pharmacy technicians receive prescription requests from customers or directly from physicians. They first have to verify the information for accuracy. Then they prepare the medication, which involves counting, measuring and mixing the medication, as well as labeling the containers. Before they hand over the medication to a patient, they must get approval from a pharmacist.
Hospitals
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Pharmacy technicians who work in facilities that house patients, such as hospitals and nursing homes, have different responsibilities. They need to make sure that each dose of a patient's medication is packaged and labeled separately, according to the patient's chart. They also keep a record of each dose given to a patient. Pharmacy technicians may sometimes need to ensure the preparation of a 24-hour supply of a patient's medication.
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Education
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The majority of pharmacy technicians get on-the-job training, but employers prefer to hire pharmacy technicians who have a formal education and experience. A number of institutions, such as the military, technical and community colleges, and some hospitals, offer diplomas, certificates and associate degrees to pharmacy technicians. These programs teach medical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations and techniques, and pharmacy law.
Certification
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You can become a certified pharmacy technician by passing certification exams offered by the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians or the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. You must be a high school graduate or have a GED before you can take the certification test. You cannot take the certification exam if you have been convicted of a felony related to drugs. To stay certified, you need to get 20 hours of training over a two-year period. Most states do not require certification, but certification is mandatory in some states, and employers prefer to hire certified pharmacy technicians.
Earnings
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According to the BLS, 324,110 pharmacy technicians were employed in the United States as of May 2008, with an average annual salary of $28,500.
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