Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of pharmacists, and must have an understanding of pharmacology. Pharmacists will generally dispense prescription medications, and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions while the Pharmacy Technicians will package and label prescriptions, collect information needed to fill a prescription, and in most states, like Washington, they can compound or mix some medications so strong math skills, accurate measurement and attention to detail are important.

Most individuals in the healthcare field are unaware of the important role that compounding medications play in pharmacology. Compounded medication is a drug that is based on each patient’s individual needs, based on a provider’s prescription. For instance, if you are allergic to certain lotions, a pharmacy technician can mix a specific topical medication in the hospital or pharmacy for you that removes the component that can make you have a reaction. The Food and Drug Administration does not approve compounded medications so individuals who combine them need special training.

The role of a pharmacy technician can include mixing, or compounding new medications, in addition to administrative work such as talking to patients or managing pharmaceutical supplies. Pharmacy technicians should be detail-oriented, have basic math skills, be organized and be able to communicate clearly with customers or patients.

Employment Opportunities for Pharmacy Technicians

There are many different practice areas for pharmacy technicians, and they can work anywhere there are pharmacists. Amanda Stringham, Pharm Tech Professor at WVC said, “I think when people think of Pharmacy tech they think of Safeway’s and Walgreens counting prescriptions. Or outpatient community pharmacies where they are filling prescriptions and dispensing them to patients. But in our program we really touch on a lot of other things because the scope of pharm tech can include compounding, which is either mixing things together that you make tablets and capsules and specialized lotions, or compounding in the hospitals like IVs. Some specialty roles for pharm techs can include medicine reconciliation, compounding (mixing) medications, pharmaceutical rep and even technology like building EMRs…we send our pharm techs to a multitude of different places to get that exposure.”

EMRs are electronic medical records, and are a digital documentation of patient records, orders and charts. Pharmacy technicians, as well as MAs, nurses, and other health professionals, will be trained in the EMRs or electronic health records (EHRs) at their employment and even can pursue careers in these fields.

Employment opportunities for pharmacy technicians are looking good. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Occupational Outlook Handbook for pharmacy technicians is projected to grow 5% from 2021 to 2031, which is on pace with other occupations. If you are interested in learning more about healthcare, and pharmacology, this could be a great entry job for you to pursue.

Pharmacy Technicians Requirements and Qualifications

Most pharmacy technician programs do not require any prerequisites to enter the program, unless there is a cap on space at the college or facility. Depending on space in the program, you may have to submit an application to enter. A high school degree or equivalent is required for entrance into pharmacy technician programs.

Attending a college training program will have its benefits in that students will get more exposure to different clinical opportunities than working within only one organization. Some states may also require certification, and the two organizations that offer this are the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the National Healthcare Association (NHA) certification.

In Washington State, many pharmacy technician programs are between 9 months and a 1-year, or a 3 to 4 quarter program. This consists of three quarters of didactic or theory instruction, and one quarter of clinical experience in the community. There are also associate degree options in Washington, which is an Associate of Applied Science degree, which can take 6 quarters, or 2 years to complete.

Attributions

1. Figure 10.1: Assistant Pharmacist.jpg by M Joko Apriya Putro is released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International