The pharmacy technician field is growing, creating a demand for pharmacy technician jobs in Miami and across the country. If you’re not familiar with it, you may be wondering, do you need training to be a pharmacy tech and what can a pharmacy technician do? Let’s explore the world of pharmacy technicians and discover if this career path is right for you.
What Is a Pharmacy Technician?
To start, let’s define pharmacy technician. A pharmacy technician works with pharmacists in pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics to help prepare and distribute prescription medications. They act as a go-between for customers and the pharmacist. When you compare pharmacy technicians vs. pharmacists, the biggest differences is that a tech can’t dispense any medication without a pharmacist’s approval or consult with patients regarding their medications.
How To Become a Pharmacy Technician
The first step to becoming a pharmacy technician is to enroll in a pharmacy trade school. At FVI, our Pharmacy Tech Program will help you learn the pharmacy tech skills you need to become a Florida pharmacy technician in less than a year. Once you’ve completed your training, you can sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) test and begin working as a pharmacy technician assistant.
Pharmacy Tech Responsibilities
When you become a pharmacy tech, you’ll be responsible for helping a pharmacist on a daily basis. We can break the duties of a pharmacy tech into three categories – customer service, handling medications, and staying organized.
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Customer service
A big part of being a pharmacy technician is interacting with customers. This includes answering calls from customers and doctors, resolving issues with insurance companies, relaying information to the pharmacist, and distributing prescription medications. Throughout every interaction, you need to maintain the highest level of courtesy to satisfy your customers and keep your pharmacist happy.
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Handing Medications
Along with interacting with customers, as a pharmacy technician, you’ll also have to have a good knowledge base about the medications you’re handling. Part of your responsibilities will include taking inventory of medicines, compounding specialty medications, and making sure medications are given in the correct dosages. Basically, you’d be the assistant pharmacist, carrying out instructions and avoiding pharmacy technician mistakes that could cause a major illness.
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Organization
As a pharmacy tech, staying organized is a top priority. You’ll need to be able to manage your time between filling prescriptions, working with the pharmacist, and serving your customers. This skill is also vital when you’re receiving prescriptions online, imputing medication into the computer, and properly charging the insurance company and your customers.
Think this career is right for you? If you’d like to learn more about how to become a pharmacy technician or about pharmacy jobs in Florida, at FVI we’re here to help you out. Contact us for more information about the pharmacy technician industry and how you can get started in this flourishing field.
