If you’re looking for a healthcare career that has good pay, benefits, and doesn’t require a lengthy education, consider becoming a pharmacy technician.
Job DutiesPreview
Depending on the employer, a pharmacy technician’s job duties can include:
- Counting, measuring, pouring, and weighing medications and tablets
- Creating labels for prescription bottles
- Taking inventory
- Using the cash register to accept payments from customers
- Preparing insurance claims
- Mixing medications
- Maintaining proper storage for the drugs
- Answering medications
- Pricing filled prescriptions
- Disposing of expired medications
Education
One can become a pharmacy technician through on-the-job-training or by graduating from an accredited pharmacy technician program. In six months to two years, a certificate, diploma, or associate degree can be earned, and classes often include:
- Drug Classification
- Introduction to Pharmacy Practice
- Pharmacy Technician Fundamentals
- Medical Terminology
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Pharmacy Law and Ethics
Certification
Both the Pharmacy Technician Board and the National Healthcareer Association administer a certification exam. Becoming certified is a requirement in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Pharmacy technicians who reside in a state where it’s optional should still obtain certification in order to receive a higher salary and promotions.
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Salary
A pharmacy technician’s salary is determined by employer as well as location, education, and experience.
Compounding Pharmacy
Technicians who work at a compounding pharmacy mix medications in order to help patients who have special circumstances such as an allergy to an ingredient in a prescribed medication or they can no longer swallow pills. The average salary for a certified pharmacy technician is $25,000.
Retail Pharmacy
This type of pharmacy is where most people fill their prescriptions. Before advancement, pharmacy technicians will earn $19,000.
Insurance Company
Insurance companies often hire certified pharmacy technicians to work in their prior authorization department. The technicians are responsible for authorizing prescription medications for patients that are not covered under their insurance plan. The yearly salary ranges from $30,000 to $40,000.
Hospitals
The salary for pharmacy technicians who work in hospitals vary. Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals paid an average salary of $33,470 in 2012, while in that same year, general medical and surgical hospitals paid pharmacy technicians an average salary of $34,450.
Job Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job growth of pharmacy technicians is expected to increase twenty percent until 2022.
Interview Questions
When you go on a job interview, you’re likely to be asked questions such as:
- What do you think you will like most about being a pharmacy technician?
- What do you think you will dislike most about being a pharmacy technician?
- What was your favorite college course?
- What was your least favorite college course?
- What do you think are the most important pharmacy technician qualities?
- What are your future goals?
- What are your faults?
- What do you do in your free time?
- What makes you standout among other applicants?
- Why did you chose pharmacy technician as a career?
- Why do you want to work for our company?
- Why did you leave your last job?
- Why should we hire you?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Do you know any foreign languages?
- How will you deal with an upset customer?
- How would your friends describe you?
- How often do you participate in social activities?
- How do you respond to deadlines?
- How do you handle stress?
- How do you feel about working with indigent customers?
It’s best to prepare in advance by having a mock interview with a family member or friend. This will help you know what to say so you’re not searching for answers.
To learn more about pharmacy technician jobs, please contact us.
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