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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 Schools
Remington College
(Mobile) - Pharmacy Technician
Virginia College
(Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile) - Pharmacy Technician
Arkansas Schools
Remington College
(Little Rock) - Pharmacy Technician
Arizona Schools
The Bryman School
(Phoenix) - Pharmacy Technician
Kaplan College
(Phoenix) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Phoenix, Mesa) - Pharmacy Technician
California Schools
Everest College
(Alhambra, City of Industry, Ontario, Reseda, San Francisco, Torrance, Los Angeles) - Pharmacy Technician
Milan Institute
(Indio) - Pharmacy Technician
Clarita Career College
(Canyon Country, Lancaster, Long Beach) - Pharmacy Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Sacramento) - Pharmacy Technician
Institute of Technology
(Clovis, Modesto) - Pharmacy Technician
Kaplan College
(Vista North County, Palm Springs, Riverside) - Pharmacy Technician
San Joaquin Valley College
(Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Cucamonga, Visalia) - Pharmacy Technology
Santa Barbara Business College
(Bakersfield, Santa Maria, Ventura) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose) - Pharmacy Technician
United Education Institute
(El Monte, Ontario, San Bernardino, San Diego, Van Nuys) - Pharmacy Technician
Colorado Schools
Everest College
(Aurora) - Pharmacy Technician
Kaplan College
(Tornton) - Pharmacy Technician
Institute of Business and Medical Careers
(Fort Collins) - Pharmacy Technician
Remington College
(Colorado Springs, Lakewood) - Pharmacy Technician
Florida Pharmacy Tech Schools
Everest Institute
(Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Kendall, North Miami) - Pharmacy Technician
Florida Education Center
(Lauderhill) - Pharmacy Technician
Everest University
(Clearwater, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Melbourne, Orlando, Tampa) - Pharmacy Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Orlando) - Pharmacy Technician
North Florida Institute
(Orange Park) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Orlando, Tampa) - Pharmacy Technician
Virginia College
(Pensacola) - Pharmacy Technician
Georgia Schools
Everest Institute
(Jonesboro) - Pharmacy Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Atlanta) - Pharmacy Technician
Idaho Schools
Milan Institute
(Boise) - Pharmacy Technician
Illinois Schools
Everest College
(Chicago, Merrionette Park, Skokie) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Chicago, Fairview Heights) - Pharmacy Technician
Indiana Schools
TechSkills
(Indianapolis) - Pharmacy Technician
Kansas Schools
TechSkills
(Kansas City) - Pharmacy Technician
Kentucky Pharmacy Technician Schools
Daymar College
(Louisville, Newport, Owensboro) - Pharmacy Technology
Louisiana Schools
Remington College
(Baton Rouge) - Pharmacy Technician
Michigan Schools
Everest Institute
(Detroit, Kalamazoo) - Pharmacy Technician
Kaplan Career Institute
(Detroit) - Pharmacy Technician
Minnesota Schools
Everest Institute
(Eagan) - Pharmacy Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Saint Louis Park) - Pharmacy Technician
Rasmussen College
(Brooklyn Park, Eagan, Eagan Prairie, Lake Elmo, Mankato, St. Cloud) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Minneapolis) - Pharmacy Technician
Mississippi Schools
Virginia College
(Gulf Coast) - Pharmacy Technician
Missouri Schools
High-Tech Institute
(Fenton, Maryland Heights) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(St. Louis) - Pharmacy Technician
Vatterott College
(Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield) - Pharmacy Assistant
Nebraska Schools
Vatterott College
(Omaha) - Pharmacy Office Assistant, Pharmacy Technician
Nevada Schools
Heritage College
(Las Vegas) - Pharmacy Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Las Vegas) - Pharmacy Technician
Milan Institute
(Sparks) - Pharmaceutical Technician
New Jersey Schools
Everest Institute
(South Plainfield) - Pharmacy Technician
New Mexico Schools
ATI Career Training Center
(Albuquerque) - Pharmacy Technician Training
North Carolina Schools
TechSkills
(Raleigh) - Pharmacy Technician
Ohio Schools
Ohio Institute of Photography & Technology
(Dayton) - Pharmacy Technician
Remington College
(Cleveland, North Olmsted) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus) - Pharmacy Technician
Kaplan Career Institute
(Cleveland) - Pharmacy Technician
Oregon Schools
Everest College
(Portland) - Pharmacy Technician
Cambridge College
(Beaverton) - Pharmacy Technician
Wilsonville Health Career Education Center
(Wilsonville) - Pharmacy Technician
Pennsylvania Schools
Everest Institute
(Pittsburgh) - Pharmacy Technician
DPT Business School
(Center City and Northeast Philadelphia) - Pharmacy Technician
CHI Institute
(Broomall, Southampton) - Pharmacy Technician
Lansdale School of Business
(North Wales) - Pharmacy Technician
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology
(Center City, Media) - Pharmacy Technician with Externship, Pharmacy Specialist
Tennessee Schools
High-Tech Institute
(Memphis) - Pharmacy Technician
Remington College
(Memphis) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Memphis, Nashville) - Pharmacy Technician
Texas Schools
Career Centers of Texas
(El Paso, Fort Worth) - Pharmacy Technician
Milan Institute
(Amarillo West) - Pharmacy Technician
Everest College
(Arlington, Ft. Worth) - Pharmacy Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Irving) - Pharmacy Technician
Everest Institute
(Austin, Houston/Bissonnet, Houston/Galleria, Houston/Greenspoint, Houston/Hobby, San Antonio) - Pharmacy Technician
Remington College
(Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, North Houston) - Pharmacy Technician
Kaplan Career Institute (San Antonio) - Pharmacy Technician
San Antonio College of Medical and Dental Assistants (McAllen) - Pharmacy Technician
Southeastern Career Institute
(Dallas) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Ft. Worth) - Pharmacy Technician
Texas School of Business
(Houston) - Pharmacy Technician
Utah Schools
Everest College
(Salt Lake City) - Pharmacy Technician
Eagle Gate College
(Salt Lake City, Layton) - Pharmacy Technician
Provo College
(Provo) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Salt Lake City)
Pharmacy Technician
Washington Schools
Everest College
(Bremerton, Everett, Renton, Tacoma) - Pharmacy Technician
Wisconsin Schools
Kaplan College
(Milwaukee) - Pharmacy Technician
TechSkills
(Madison, Milwaukee) - Pharmacy Technician
Canadian Schools
Everest College
- (London, Toronto, Ottawa, Sudbury, Thunderbay; ON) - Pharmacy Technician
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