Career Profile:Why Pursue An Pharmacy Technician Career?
See Available Pharmacy Technician Schools
Job Description: A pharmacy technician assists licensed pharmacists, either in retail or mail-order pharmacies, or in hospitals. Regardless of the setting, technicians help provide medication and other healthcare products to patients. Technicians usually perform routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication for patients, such as counting tablets and labeling bottles.
Technicians working in pharmacies have some, most, or all of the following responsibilities, depending on state regulations. Technicians will receive prescription requests/refills from patients, as well as prescriptions sent from doctor's offices. After verifying the accuracy of the information, technicians may prepare the prescription, which could include counting pills, or weighing, measuring, or mixing the medication. Once the prescription is filled, the technician will price and file it, and it must be checked by an accredited physician before it is given to a patient. In this setting technologists may also prepare insurance claim forms, stock, and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications.
In hospitals and similar environments, technicians read patient charts and prepare and deliver the medicine to patients. The technician then copies the information about the prescribed medication onto the patient's profile and prepares a 24-hour supply of medicine for each patient (which needs to be checked by a pharmacist before being delivered).
Work Environment: Technicians work the same hours pharmacists work. As hospitals and retail pharmacies may be open 24 hours a day, shifts may include, day, night, evening, weekend, and holidays. There are many opportunities for part-time work for technicians in both hospital and retail settings; and as a technician gains seniority, they have more control over their hours and shifts.
Pharmacy technicians work in clean, well-lit, orderly environments. They spend most of the day on their feet, and in some cases are required to lift heavy boxes or find materials in supply rooms, sometimes using a stepladder to reached stored supplies.
Education and Training Requirements: For the most part, employers favor technicians who have completed some sort of formal training, although there are few state (and no federal) requirements in terms of training and/or certification for pharmacy technicians. Many technicians receive informal, on-the-job training.
Increasingly, as states rely more and more on pharmacy technicians, more and more are moving toward requiring formal certification. Eligible candidates must have a high school diploma or GED, as well as no felony convictions. There is a pharmacy technician certification examination, and through education, on-the-job training, or a combination of the two, technicians can work toward certification. Many employers will also reimburse the cost of the examination, as an incentive for certification.
Technicians are typically organized, responsible, alert individuals. Attention to detail is a must - an incorrect prescription can sometimes be a matter of life and death. There is also a good deal of interaction with patients, coworkers, and other professionals. Candidates interested in becoming pharmacy technicians cannot have prior records of drug or substance abuse.
Salary Range: Median hourly earnings of wage and salary pharmacy technicians in 2002 were $10.70. Depending on your work environment, these wages vary. The following are examples of median salaries for pharmacy technicians:
- General medical and surgical hospitals: $12.32
- Grocery stores: $11.34
- Drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers: $10.60
- Health and personal care stores: $9.70
- Department stores: $9.69
Other factors affecting wage include certification, shift (evening and weekend shifts can increase earnings in some cases), and union membership.
Job Outlook: Good, especially for technicians with formal training, or previous experience in the industry. Due to the increased pharmaceutical needs of a larger, and older, population as well as the need to replace workers who transfer to other jobs or retire, opportunities for pharmacy technicians are expected to grow faster than average through 2012.
In addition, advances in science have led to more medications becoming available to treat more conditions, which could lead to a spike in employment opportunities for properly trained technicians.
| Alabama |
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(Mobile) - Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician |
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(Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Arkansas |
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(Little Rock) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Arizona Schools |
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(Phoenix) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Phoenix) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Phoenix, Mesa) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| California Schools |
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(Alhambra, City of Industry, Ontario, Reseda, San Francisco, Torrance, Los Angeles) - Pharmacy Technician |
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Pharmacy Technician |
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(Canyon Country, Lancaster, Long Beach) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Sacramento) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Institute of Technology |
(Clovis, Modesto) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Vista North County, Palm Springs, Riverside) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Cucamonga, Visalia) - Pharmacy Technology |
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(Bakersfield, Santa Maria, Ventura) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(El Monte, Ontario, San Bernardino, San Diego, Van Nuys) - Pharmacy Technician
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| Colorado Schools |
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(Colorado Springs) - Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Assisting, Medical Insurance Billing/Coding |
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(Thornton) - Medical Assisting, Medical Office Specialist, Pharmacy Technician |
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| Institute of Business and Medical Careers |
(Ft. Collins) - Medical Administrative Assistant, Medical Assistant, Medical Insurance Billing/Coding |
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(Colorado Springs) - Medical Assisting |
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| Florida Pharmacy Tech Schools |
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(Lauderhill) -Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Medical Office Specialist, Pharmacy Technician |
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| Everest University |
(Brandon, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Melbourne, Orlando North, Orange Park, Pinellas, Pompano Beach, South Orlando, Tampa) - Assisted Living Administrator, Medical Assisting, Medical Insurance, Billing/Coding, Pharmacy Technician, Surgical Technologist, Massage Therapy |
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(Orlando) - Dental Assistant, Massage Therapy, Medical Assistant, Medical Billing & Coding, Pharmacy Technician, X-ray Technician (Ltd. Scope) |
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(Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Kendall, North Miami Beach) - Medical Assisting, Surgical Technologist, Massage Therapy, Cardiovascular Technologist, Pharmacy Technician, Medical Insurance Billing/Coding |
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| North Florida Institute |
(Orange Park) -Health Information Technologies, Medical Assisting, Medical Coding Specialist, Patient Care Technician, Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Pensacola) -Medical Assistant, Medical Billing and Coding, Pharmacy Technician, Practical Nursing |
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| Georgia Schools |
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(Jonesboro) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Atlanta) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Idaho Schools |
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(Boise) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Illinois Schools |
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(Chicago, Merrionette Park, Skokie) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Chicago, Fairview Heights) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Indiana Schools |
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| TechSkills |
(Indianapolis) - Pharmacy Technicia |
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| Kansas Schools |
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| TechSkills |
(Kansas City) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Kentucky Pharmacy Technician Schools |
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| Daymar College |
(Louisville, Newport, Owensboro) - Pharmacy Technology |
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| Louisiana Schools |
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(Baton Rouge) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Michigan Schools |
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(Detroit) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Detroit, Kalamazoo) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Minnesota Schools |
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(Eagan) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Saint Louis Park) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Minneapolis) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Mississippi Schools |
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(Gulf Coast) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Missouri Schools |
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| TechSkills |
(St. Louis) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Fenton, Maryland Heights) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield) - Pharmacy Assistant |
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| Nebraska Schools |
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(Omaha) - Pharmacy Office Assistant, Pharmacy Technician |
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| New Jersey Schools |
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(South Plainfield) - Medical Assisting, Medical Billing/Coding |
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| New Mexico Schools |
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(Albuquerque) - Medical Assisting |
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| North Carolina Schools |
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| TechSkills |
(Raleigh) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Pennsylvania Schools |
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(Broomall, Southampton) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Center City and Northeast Philadelphia) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Pittsburgh) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Lansdale School of Business |
(North Wales) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Pennsylvania Institute of Technology |
(Center City, Media) - Pharmacy Technician with Externship, Pharmacy Specialist |
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| Tennessee Schools |
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(Memphis, Nashville) - Medical Assistant, Medical Billing & Coding, Pharmacy Technician, Surgical Technologist, X-ray Technician (Ltd. Scope) |
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(Memphis, Nashville) - Medical Assisting |
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| TechSkills |
(Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Texas Schools |
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(Amarillo West) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(El Paso, Fort Worth) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Arlington, Ft. Worth) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Irving) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Austin, Houston/Bissonnet, Houston/Galleria, Houston/Greenspoint, Houston/Hobby, San Antonio) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Kaplan Career Institute |
(San Antonio) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| San Antonio College of Medical and Dental Assistants |
(McAllen) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Ft. Worth) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Southeastern Career Institute |
(Dallas) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Houston) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Utah Schools |
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(Salt Lake City, Layton) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Salt Lake City) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Provo) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| TechSkills |
(Salt Lake City) Pharmacy Technician |
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| Washington Schools |
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(Bremerton, Everett, Renton, Tacoma) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Wisconsin Schools |
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| TechSkills |
(Madison, Milwaukee) - Pharmacy Technician |
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(Milwaukee) - Pharmacy Technician |
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| Canada Schools |
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(London, Toronto, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunderbay; ON) - Pharmacy Technician
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* DeVry University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org. Keller Graduate School of Management is included in this accreditation. In New York, DeVry University operates as DeVry College of New York. DeVry University operates as DeVry Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. DeVry is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. AC0060. DeVry University is authorized for operation by the THEC. www.state.tn.us/thec. Nashville Campus - 3343 Perimeter Hill Dr., Nashville, TN 37211
Program availability varies by location.©2010 DeVry Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved
