Pharmacy Technician Wages & Salary
A pharmacy technician carries out various duties, including verifying prescription orders, counting pills, mixing liquid medications, labeling bottles, instructing customers and updating computerized patient profiles. Pharmacy techs can work in retail or mail-order pharmacies, as well as hospitals, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. This position, which reports to a pharmacist and requires good customer relations skills, garners a low- to mid-range salary.
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Wages and Salary
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Pharmacy techs earned a median hourly wage of $13.32 in 2008, the most recent year earnings data are available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This equates to an approximate median salary of more than $25,500.
The middle range of hourly pay was from $10.95 to $15.88, while the highest wage was more than $18.98. The Bureau states that certified pharmacy techs can earn more than non-certified techs in some settings. According to the Department for Professional Employees wages are typically higher for those working in hospitals and general medicine.
Education
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If you want to study for a pharmacy tech position, you can find programs at community colleges, vocational schools, hospitals and in the military, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These programs typically take up to two years and include coursework and laboratory work. You will study pharmaceutical and medical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations and pharmacy law and ethics.
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Certification
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While most states do not require pharmacy techs to be certified, this added step can help improve job prospects and future salary potential. Private organizations, including the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, offer national certification examinations. You must be recertified every two years, and this recertification requires at least 20 hours of continuing education credits.
Experience
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Pharmacy techs usually take part in internship programs while they are studying, so they can enter the job market with real-world experience. During these internships pharmacy tech students handle medications and learn the counting and measuring procedures used in a typical pharmacy.
Job Outlook
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The employment of pharmacy techs is expected to rise by 31 percent through 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the aging of Americans will come a growing need for all health care related jobs, and other factors, including pharmaceutical advances and a greater number of Americans with insurance also should create a need for more pharmacy techs.
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References
- All Star Directories, Inc: Pharmacy Technician Career Center
- Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO: Fact Sheet 2010: Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
- PharmacyTechnicianSalaryData.com: Pharmacy Technician Salaries
- United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Pharmacy Technicians and Aides
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
