Pharmacy technicians can work in stores, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. Education and experience requirements vary, but all require post-secondary education, experience, and a police clearance certificate. Customer service is important, and experience in a retail setting is a plus. Technicians are responsible for inventory management, record keeping, customer service, and accounting. They must be aware of potentially harmful drug interactions and accurate record keeping is critical.
There are four different pharmaceutical technician careers available to qualified candidates: careers in stores, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. A pharmacy technician is responsible for assisting the pharmacist in completing prescription drug orders. The education and experience required for these four careers vary widely, based on job requirements.
To explore drug technician careers, you must have post-secondary education, experience, and a police clearance certificate. Pharmacy technician training programs are available from a variety of community and career colleges and are typically two years long. An internship or stint is often included in this program to provide students with the experience needed to gain employment after graduation. The training program focuses on reading chemical names, understanding drug properties, how to mix drugs, and identifying potentially harmful drug interactions.
Customer service is an important part of all Pharmaceutical Technician careers and is integrated into the training curriculum, alongside administrative processes and IT skills. Experience in a retail or similar workplace is a big plus when applying for these types of positions. All pharmacy technicians must hold a police clearance certificate with no drug charges. It is important to note that anyone with a previous substance abuse conviction will not be able to work in a pharmacy.
Most pharmacy technicians work in a retail store. They serve the public in drug and grocery stores. They are responsible for inventory management, record keeping, customer service, and simple accounting. These roles often require evening hours and weekends.
Pharmaceutical technician careers may also include long-term care facilities. This may include homes for the elderly, rehabilitation centers or correctional facilities. They have more responsibility in these establishments, due to the higher volume of customers. Clients in these communities are medically fragile, and it is important to be especially aware of potentially harmful drug interactions.
Hospitals often have in-house pharmacies, where a pharmacy technician is employed. They are required to work weekends and evenings. Hospital drug orders are a combination of scheduled and emergency requests. There is a wide variety of patient needs and accurate record keeping is critical.
Rehabilitation centers for substance abuse, physical or mental illness have additional safety requirements. The pharmacy technician is responsible for supplying the prescribed medication. As part of the medical services team, they provide valuable advice on patient care, treatment options and medication issues.
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