A Pharmacy

What a Pharmacy Technician does:
Pharmacy Technicians work under the direction of and assist Pharmacists. They help the Pharmacist with the preparation of prescriptions by typing labels and entering information into a computer. They also compile and maintain drug and supply inventory and inventory records and may order supplies. They may clean equipment, shelves, and work areas and may wash and sterilize bottles and beakers. They may pick up and deliver orders and run errands.

Training required to become a Pharmacy Technician:
Preparation: A High School education is required by most employers. Many Pharmacist Technicians possess an associate degree, although shorter (around 1 year) training programs are available for Pharmacy Assistants. Equivalent experience working in a pharmacy can be substituted for formal education. Employers prefer applicants who have completed a training program or who have experience. Experienced workers are assigned to jobs requiring greater responsibility and judgment. Some community colleges have certificate programs in Pharmacy Technician training.
Recommended High School Courses are like English, Biology, Chemistry, Typing, Life Science, Mathematics, and Medical Terminology. Courses you take will vary depending on your career goals. Necessary Skills:
Through practice it’s important to be familiar with medical and pharmaceutical terminology and metric measurements. Also ability to perform pharmaceutical calculations and familiarity with computer data entry is important as well.
Average ability to use numbers to add and subtract, use eye-hand coordination, use fingers skillfully, use color discrimination, and see pertinent detail in objects, graphs, and charts. Ability to compile information, use precision when measuring materials, move from one task to another using different skills, work according to set standards and procedures, and make judgments using knowledge or experience.
These are demands required during a typical workday. Work under the supervision of a Pharmacist. Seeing is important in order to see small print on labels and boxes, and requires extreme care in handling and storing drugs and chemicals.

Pharmacy Technicians assist and support license pharmacists in providing health care to patients. In all parts of the country, pharmacy technicians must have a broad knowledge of pharmacy practice and must be skilled in the techniques required to order, stock, package, and prepare medications, but they do not need advanced college education required of a licensed pharmacist.
Pharmacy technicians may perform many of the same duties as a pharmacist; however, all of their work must be checked by a pharmacist before medication can be dispensed to a patient.

Training information:
It can be done in various schools. People can go to Technical Schools like Maric College and Bryman College in California. These schools are private colleges. It costs about $12,000. Financial aid is provided. People can get loans as well. This program lasts one year. Job Placement is provided as well. Northwest College is a private college as well. This school costs $10,000. This college has job placement as well. Also people can go to community colleges as well. A few community colleges that have Pharmacy Technician program are Cerritos College, Chaffey College, and San Bernardino Valley College. These colleges are in California. I am sure that there are more colleges that have this program in different states as well. Cerritos College and Chaffey College takes about 2 years to complete. Students take only 8 classes to complete. Before students can enter this program, they should have taken basic courses like Algebra, and English. As for San Bernardino Valley College it is a one year program. Students only take 6 classes. Classes include like Introduction to Pharmacy Technology, Pharmacology, Pharmacy Calculations, Pharmacy Systems, Pharmacy Intern Seminar, and Pharmacy Experience. Externship is needed, and required white lab jacket, TB screening, Badge from school, and 240 hours training. At community colleges costs less expensive. Financial aid is provided. Students only pay for registration for classes at a fee of $20. Once you complete the program, become Registered Pharmacy. Also it is good to take the Certification for Pharmacy Technicians test as well because then students would be certified, and will get higher pay. For this test, if you have high school diploma you can take it as well.
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB): A national organization that develops Pharmacy Technician standards and serves as a credentialing agency for Pharmacy Technicians.

*Pay: In hospitals Pharmacy Technicians pay is like Tech 1 gets paid $14.31-$21.47 an hour. Tech II gets paid $15.78-$23.67 an hour. Tech III gets paid $17.38-26.03 an hour. Tech IV gets paid $19.17-$29.00. The better you become at work, the higher you get paid. In Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, and Target you get paid around $12 to $13 per hour, in time it should get higher. Costco pays about $15 to $19 per hour, it could get higher. Also Costco gives like bonuses every 3 to 6 months. Wal-mart gives about $9 to $10 per hour. At all these stores employers get insurances and benefits as well.

My teacher has been a Pharmacy Technician for over 14 years with experience in retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, In-patient and Out-patient, Mail Order, and Long Term Care. My teacher says that “ultimate goal is for you to be successful student as well as Critical Thinkers, Responsible Thinkers of society and in the Pharmacy, Effective Communicators, and Producers prepared for the work place.”

My major was Pharmacy, but I decided to do Pharmacy Technician because I would finish in like one year. Also if I ended up doing Pharmacy, then I would need to go to university for like another 6 years. So for me Pharmacy Technician sounds better.

Important websites include:
www.pharmacy.ca.gov - State Board of Pharmacy, License and Registration
www.ptcb.org - Pharmacy Certification Board, Exam Information

Sources:
Pharmacy Technician book for Intro to Pharmacy a by Don A. Ballington
Salpi’s my job Developing center at school from San Bernardino Valley College, CA (with permission)