Types Of Pharmacy Technician Jobs Available

By Author: Aaron Barrett
Total Articles: 4
Comment this article

Pharmacy technician jobs provide good career opportunities. A technician's job includes the duties of working under a licensed pharmacist and filling prescriptions. They are not simply responsible for pills. They must also measure liquids, prepare ointments, count pills, and place them in correct containers. Well over half of their work will take place in retail settings like drugstores, department stores, and supermarkets. Job options include mail order pharmacy technician jobs and hospital based pharmacy technician jobs. Experience is not usually essential as a lot of entry level pharmacy technician positions give on the job coaching. However, to advance in this field, it will be necessary to gain education from an established and certified college. The authoritative website PayScale has estimated that a person employed in this field will earn an average of $34,000 per year.What are the Workplace Options?A person starting from the bottom usually begins in a retail setting or receives a pharmacy technician internship in a hospital. Many people obtain certification ...
... in the field at a later time to gain advancement opportunities. Once a person has gotten further training and certification, he or she can apply for a job at a long term care facility, hospital or clinic. According to online sources, an entry level position in a retail pharmacy pays $10 an hour. Working in a retail pharmacy can be a difficult job because a person must be on their feet most of the time and have great communication ability.Getting a Job as a Pharmacy Technician TraineeThose who want to get a job as a pharmacy technician trainee might be able to get on-the-job training, but such positions are not typical. Most pharmacists prefer to work with people who already have been trained and are certified. However, there are some things that a trainee can do in order to increase his or her chances of landing a job. It helps to get some experience in a medical field before applying for a job; this can be gotten via doing volunteer medical work. Those who have worked as a pharmacy aide have an even better chance. It also helps for a person to have good reading, writing and math skills. A trainee will be an individual who is able to appropriately sort out medicine in the right dosages. He will also correctly label the bottles as well.Getting a Pharmacy Technician InternshipIt is possible to get a pharmacy technician internship, sometimes called an externship, at a hospital or even a retail store, like Walgreen's. While the job description is the same, an intern will not get paid for his or her work while a trainee does receive a salary. However, many people opt to work as an intern nonetheless because it provides valuable on the job training that helps one to land a good job later on. It is important to figure out how many hours of consistent work will be required for the internship. If there is not an established number, experts say to volunteer for at least 80 at a hospital. He should be prepared to dress professionally and behave in an appropriate manner. Even though most hospitals do not pay their interns, some institutions eventually hire them to fill their open technician positions. This leaves the door open for further employment opportunities.Working at a Retail StorePeople who are employed by retail chains usually get prescriptions by telephone or doctor's emails. These may be sent by email or given over the phone. The data concerning these prescriptions must be logged on the computer and one must be sure to get the amount and price right. The label must be printed in a clear and easy to read manner . They might also do such things as keeping track of inventory and ordering needed supplies. They have a lot of contact with a variety of people.Mail Order Pharmacy Tech JobsAs the name implies, being a mail order technician involves handling online or snail mail medicine requests. Some prescriptions are often continuously refilled for a chronic condition such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Such customers often receive significant discounts. Although such technicians do not have personal contact with patients, they might have to verify prescriptions with a patient's doctor.ChemotherapyA pharmaceutical chemotherapy technician who wants to handle chemotherapy prescriptions will need additional training. They work with a nuclear pharmacist and will need to be specially trained for the job. Working in a Hospital or Nursing HomeThis job is fairly straightforward. It simply involves filling out prescriptions and then giving the medicine to specialized nurses or directly to the patients.Career Field OverviewPeople who select to work in this profession have many choices for employment once they are properly trained. There are many job options that a person can choose from, depending on his or her skills and preferences. The pay is not very high but it is good and one can expect to get good benefits as well. This is a good profession for anyone who enjoys serving people and working in the medical industry, but does not want to spend years in schooling to be able to work in the field.To read more on the many kinds of pharmacy technician jobs there are, please feel free to read this in-depth article at our website, entry level pharmacy technician jobs.