Pharmacy Technician - Overview

Overview

Pharmacy technicians do a variety of tasks associated with preparing and dispensing prescribed medications for patients, but may also perform compounding of medications, provide advice for non-prescription medications, inventory and track medication and supply orders, and follow up on payments and other administrative tasks. Depending on the nature and organization of the health care system, in particular the availability of licensed pharmacists and other support staff (such as general pharmacy aides), pharmacy technicians may counsel patients on the proper use of medications, oversee the operational management of the dispensary and/or perform routine clerical duties.

The professional requirements to become a pharmacy technician vary across jurisdictions, but generally entail knowledge and skills in pharmaceutical services as obtained through formal training. Generally, completion of high school is needed to be eligible to become a pharmacy technician, but a university degree is not required. Pharmacy technician training programs are mostly offered by technical colleges and community colleges, and also sometimes by the military, some hospitals, proprietary schools, or through online or distant learning (correspondence schools). Areas of study may include relevant laws, pharmacy and healthcare ethics, retail and hospital pharmacy practice, medical terminology, human physiology and diseases, alternative medicine, pharmacotherapeutics, customer care, retail and hospital software systems, inventory management, and infection control.

Practical training, such as completing an internship in a pharmacy, is also often required as part of training for employment as a pharmacy technician.

Many employers favor pharmacy technicians to be certified with a national/local pharmacy board, such as by passing a standard exam and/or paying a fee. In the United States, voluntary certification is available through many private organizations. Elsewhere, such as in Tanzania and the United Kingdom, pharmacy technicians are required to be registered with the national regulatory council.