Are you looking for information on how to become a pharmacy technician? We’ve researched the latest requirements and education needed and simplified the information to make it easy for you to understand. Continue reading to learn more about how to become a pharmacy technician.
Skills Needed
A pharmacy technician is a person who assists the pharmacist in preparing medications that will be given to patients or doctors. This includes measuring, mixing, counting, labeling and recording drug dosages and amounts. A pharmacy technician will need to be able to deal with customers effectively, answer phones, run cash registers and record drug and patient information using a computer.
Education Needed
In order to become a pharmacy technician, you will need to have earned a high school diploma or GED. You cannot have any felony or drug charges.
You will need to complete some sort of Pharmacy Technician/Assistant Training and pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, or PCTB. Although not all states require you to take the PCTB, it is becoming more popular and is highly recommended in order to make you more marketable when looking for a job and will allow you to transfer more easily if you move. The PCTB consists of 90 multiple choice questions.
Many pharmacies offer “on-the-job” training which doesn’t require any outside education. The training can take anywhere from 1-12 months. Other options are to enroll in a Pharmacy Technician program, offered as an online or in person program at many community colleges. A Pharmacy Technician program will includes courses that teach you about hospital policies, terminology related to prescription drugs and other skills, such as inventory and financial skills.
How to Become a Pharmacy Technician: Other Facts
Once you become a pharmacy technician, you will be required to take 20 hours of continuing education every two years. This will allow you to stay up-to-date on new regulations and information regarding prescription drugs.
A pharmacy technician typically makes $18,000-24,000 per year and is one of the fastest growing jobs in the United States. After you become a pharmacy technician, you can choose to work part-time or full-time and will not usually work more than 40 hours a week.
Related posts: