Pharmacy Technician Schools
Increasing numbers of people are seeing the value of education in getting a terrific job. How would you like a great job working in a clean, well-lit environment where you can interact with the public and other professionals and earn a great salary? If you like the sound of this type of job, you should consider going back to college to get your career training at one of the many pharmacy technician schools. The job of a pharmacy technician provides you with a challenging daily job that will earn you a great salary and will allow you to improve the quality of your life.
What you will learn in pharmacy technician schools
Attending pharmacy technician schools will teach you to perform all of the responsibilities of a pharmacy technician. These responsibilities will include receiving prescription requests, counting tablets, and labeling bottles. If there aren’t any pharmacy aides at your location, you will also likely answer phones, stock shelves, and operate cash registers. Your job duties will also include clerical tasks such as establishing and maintaining patient profiles and filing insurance claims. If you work in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you will likely have additional responsibilities including preparing sterile solutions and delivering medications to nurses and/or physicians. Your training at pharmacy technician schools will prepare you for this as well.
Education and training
Although there is no defined training requirement for a pharmacy technician, it is preferable to complete a formal pharmacy technician training program. This training may take 6 months to 2 years. Because of the hands-on nature of this job, you may be able to complete some work through online courses but you will have to complete clinical requirements in addition to any distance education.
Coursework for a pharmacy technician training program will include medical and pharmacological terminology, pharmacy record keeping, pharmacy calculations, pharmaceutical techniques, and pharmacy law and ethics. As a pharmacy technician, you will also be required to know the names, uses, actions, and dosages of the medications with which you will be working. Many pharmacy technician training programs also require that you complete an internship to get real world experience before employment.
After going to pharmacy technician schools and completing your training, you will be required to register with your states board of pharmacy. You may also be required to get your certification through an association such as the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians. These organizations require you to renew your certificate every 2 years. Check with your state’s regulations to be sure you are following them.
Getting your training through one of the pharmacy technician schools allows you to start working as a pharmacy technician in either a pharmacy, nursing home, assisted care facility, hospital, or other facility. This is a great career that allows you to work in a clean, professional environment. It also provides you with great benefits and a wonderful salary of around $17.00 per hour. If this sounds like your type of job, get your training as a pharmacy technician today.
