A Pharmaceutical Technician career can be very rewarding. Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists in filling and distributing medicine and prescriptions. Work environments include retail pharmacies, hospitals, medical care centers and other settings.
There are many employment opportunities for pharmacy techs. Although the economy is struggling, the demand for techs is very strong. If you are a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT), you have additional opportunities because employers prefer to hire certified techs and they generally pay a bit more when compared to techs that are not certified. Although there is not a national standard for education and certification for pharmacy technicians, most techs become certified. To become certified, take the exam administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians. The certification is valid for 2 years, after which you must recertify by having twenty hours of continuing education.
The daily duties of a pharmacy tech include the use of various math skills. You will of course need the basic skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, but you will also need to be able to compute percentages, calculate conversions between different measuring units and understand charts and graphs. There are many resources for mastering pharmacy technician math.
Customer service is also a large part of the technician's job and you will need to have a pleasant personality and the ability to "brush off" challenging confrontations or comments from customers. Successful techs are able to serve customers, handle math and dosage calculations, and provide whatever assitance the pharmacist needs...all with a smile : )
The pay for pharmacy techs has remained strong during the current weak economy. Generally, hospital environments pay more than retail settings. You can expect about $11-$13 per hour and can see the highest paying employers, the top paying metropolitan areas and more about a Pharmacy Technician Salary Range.
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