Career descriptions- Pharmacy technician

Pharmacy technicians help licensed pharmacists 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 refer any questions regarding prescriptions, drug information or health matters to a pharmacist.

Although most pharmacy technicians receive informal on-the-job training, employers favor those who have completed formal training and certification. Pharmacy technician training requires classroom and laboratory work in a variety of areas, including:
* Medical and pharmaceutical terminology
* Pharmaceutical calculations
* Pharmacy recordkeeping
* Pharmaceutical techniques
* Pharmacy law and ethics

Technicians also are required to learn medication names, actions, uses and doses. Many training programs include internships. In their internships, students gain hands-on experience in actual pharmacies. Students receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate degree, depending on the program. In addition to career colleges, formal education programs are available in some hospitals, proprietary schools, community colleges, the armed forces and through online pharmacy technician courses.

Pharmacy technicians work in clean, organized, well-lit and well-ventilated areas. They spend most of their workday on their feet. They may be required to lift heavy boxes and use stepladders to retrieve supplies from high shelves. Technicians work the same hours that pharmacists work. Hours include evenings, nights, weekends and holidays – particularly in facilities that are open 24 hours a day. As their seniority increases, technicians often acquire increased control over the hours they work. There are many opportunities for part-time work in both retail and hospital settings.

There were about 258,000 pharmacy technician jobs in 2004, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pharmacy technician jobs should grow much faster than average through 2014. This is because the population is growing and aging, which means demand for pharmaceuticals will increase dramatically.

On average, pharmacy technicians earned between $9.40 and $13.85 an hour in 2004. The highest 10 percent earned more than $16.61 an hour. Technicians certified by pharmacy technician schools may earn more. Additional compensation may be awarded for working evenings or weekends.