Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians prepare medications under the direction of a pharmacist. They may measure, mix, count out, label, and record amounts and dosages of medications according to prescription orders.
Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists give out prescription medicine to clients or health specialists. They mainly work in retail chemists and hospitals.
Pharmacy technician's jobs include responsibilities of gathering information needed to fill a prescription from clients or health professionals, measuring the quantity of medicine for prescriptions, packing and labelling prescriptions, organizing inventories and warning pharmacists of any shortage of medications, accepting payment for prescriptions, entering client data into a computer, responding to phone calls from clienteles and more.
Pharmacy technicians work under the direction of pharmacists, who must evaluate prescriptions before they are handed over to the patient.
Most pharmacy technician jobs are full-time. Many pharmacies stay open twenty-four hours, so one might have to work night and weekend shifts.
A high school qualification, on-the-job training, or a complete course in pharmacy technology answer the question of how to become a pharmacy tech. Most countries regulate pharmacy technician jobs; the process may require passing an exam or completing formal schooling, course or certification.
To be successful, pharmacy technician's need essential skills of customer service, being detail-oriented, listening, mathematical and organizational skills. The pharmacy technician's salary depends on the skills and experience of the applicant.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- M.Pharm Master of Pharmacy
- B.Pharm Bachelor of Pharmacy
Tasks
- Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate.
- Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs.
- Answer telephones, responding to questions or requests.
- Assist customers by answering simple questions, locating items, or referring them to the pharmacist for medication information.
- Price and file prescriptions that have been filled.
- Clean and help maintain equipment or work areas and sterilize glassware, according to prescribed methods.
- Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.
- Order, label, and count stock of medications, chemicals, or supplies and enter inventory data into computer.
- Transfer medication from vials to the appropriate number of sterile, disposable syringes, using aseptic techniques.
- Supply and monitor robotic machines that dispense medicine into containers and label the containers.
Progression Routes
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