A degree can take you anywhere. The question is where to go.
For pharmacy technicians, it comes down to two choices: hospital or retail pharmacy.
What is Retail Pharmacy?
Retail pharmacies are the pharmacies that you visit in groceries and drug stores. These pharmacies fulfill medical prescriptions sent from medical institutions. Retail pharmacy workers also deliver quality customer service to their patients, from answering their questions to filling accurate prescriptions.
- Purpose of Retail Pharmacy – A retail pharmacy’s purpose is to provide clients with medications that they will bring home to take over the course of several weeks. This is different from how a hospital pharmacy operates. A retail pharmacy is focused on customer service and helping the patient understand their medication and when to take it.
Retail Pharmacy Requirements
Retail pharmacy technicians are detail-orientated professionals who greet every customer with a smile. Important customer service skills for retail pharmacists to have include:
- Be Positive: Positive experiences keep patients coming back. Asking customers how their day’s going means more than you know.
- Listen: As unpleasant as a bad customer interaction can be, always remember that they have their reasons. Prescription orders can be frustrating for patients. Don’t snap back at angry customers. Instead, acknowledge their frustrations and let them know that their order will be taken care of.
- Keep Organized: Behind-the-scenes organization keeps the front counter smooth. Properly storing prescriptions and filling orders on time keeps customer visits short and sweet.
Retail pharmacy work is tech-heavy. Pharmacy technicians in retail are proficient in:
- Processing Insurance Information: Pharmacy technicians use medical billing and coding to translate medical information into billable codes.
- Operating Packaging Machines: These professionals use packaging machines to wrap prescriptions in a patient-ready bow.
- Managing Inventory: The importance of organization in pharmacy work can’t be underestimated. Use spreadsheets to keep track of patient records.
Qualifications for Hospital Pharmacy Technicians – The exact qualifications for working as a hospital pharmacy technician depend on your state and the hospital itself. It is common for hospitals to require a pharmacy technician schooling or certification before someone can work in a hospital pharmacy. This education is often required because someone working as a hospital pharmacy technician needs to have a better overall understanding of medications and medical terminology to succeed in their position. A pharmacy technician school can help someone get those much-needed skills.
Retail Pharmacy Technician Job Duties
In a retail pharmacy, many of the job duties are administrative in nature. There is a lot of focus on customer service, answering phones, and billing insurance. Those types of job duties are not as common in a hospital setting as they are in a retail setting. The prescription you fill will also be different in retail than in a hospital. In retail, you will be filling prescriptions to give people medication to last them anywhere from a week to 90 days.
Common tasks for retail pharmacy technicians are:
- Preparing prescriptions
- Compiling with state and federal law
- Processing insurance claims
- Assisting customers
- Stocking medical inventory
How to Work in a Retail Pharmacy
Do you think you have the people skills to succeed in retail pharmacy work? You’ll have to earn these qualifications first:
- Earn a high school diploma or equivalent
- Completion of a pharmacy tech program
- Obtain a state license
What is Hospital Pharmacy?
Hospital pharmacy techs operate on the back end rather than face customers directly. They work with other hospital staff to mix and fill prescriptions. These pharmacy techs through an understanding of pharmaceuticals are vital for patient safety.
- Purpose of Hospital Pharmacy – A hospital pharmacy works to supply hospital patients and doctors with the medications they need. This type of pharmacy might prepare medications for people before they go into surgery or specific medications for after surgery or treatment. This means there are different types of medications in a hospital pharmacy, and the process is different than a retail pharmacy.
Hospital Pharmacy Requirements
Hospital pharmacy technicians use their eye for detail to ensure accuracy. Important medical skills for hospital pharmacy technicians to have include:
- Sterilizing Equipment: You’re there to prevent disease, not spread it! Hospital pharmacy technicians make sure that every surface is safe for patient use.
- Educating Patients: Many patients fear taking prescriptions. A pharmacy technician can make them feel comfortable by explaining a prescription’s importance.
- Creating IVs: Proper IV preparation saves lives. Hospital pharmacy techs create IV bags with the care patients need.
Hospital pharmacy technicians use management skills to keep calm in an often high-stress workplace. Pharmacy technicians working in hospitals can:
- Prioritize: Hospital pharmacy techs have a lot of tasks on their plate. Time management is critical for managing the unexpected.
- Manage Stress: Stress is more than a feeling. Its physical and emotional damage has long-term impacts. Taking time for yourself outside of work results in personal and professional happiness.
- Continue to Learn: The medical industry is constantly evolving. Pharmacy techs must grow right alongside it. Seek feedback at work and learn about the industry at home. This will not only help you be better at your job but shows leadership potential.
Qualifications for Retail Pharmacy Technicians – To work in a retail pharmacy, you do not necessarily need to attend a pharmacy technician school. However, certain employers might require or encourage this type of schooling before they hire someone for this type of work.
Hospital Pharmacy Technician Duties
Another key difference in these two jobs is the actual job duties required from each location. When working in a hospital as a pharmacy technician, you will spend most of your time filling prescriptions. You will also interact more with doctors and nurses than patients. You will fill prescriptions for just a couple of days because many people are not in the hospital long term. You will fill prescriptions for more people, but they will be shorter supplies of medication.
Tasks regularly assigned to hospital technicians include:
- Delivering medications to departments
- Communicate with physicians and other medical professionals
- Preparing medications
- Managing inventory
- Checking prescription expirations
How to Work in a Hospital Pharmacy
Ready to become a hospital pharmacy technician? Here are what steps you’ll need to take:
- Earn a high school diploma or GED
- Complete a pharmacy technician program, like FVI’s pharmacy tech school in Miami
- Earn a state pharmacy technician license
Choose Your Path at FVI’s Pharmacy Tech Program
As you can see, there are some differences between working in a retail pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy. However, both of these careers can be fun and rewarding. Also, you can prepare for both of these career options through a pharmacy technician school. Whether you choose retail or hospital work, you’ll need pharmacy tech expertise to get there.
That’s exactly what you’ll get at FVI’s pharmacy technician training program in Florida. Pharmacy technician school will teach you how to work as a pharmacy technician. This schooling will also give you a background in understanding the human body and how certain medications interact with the human body. By the end of the program, you’ll be able to confidently identify and mix prescriptions.
FVI School of Nursing and Technology has a pharmacy technician training program in Miami that you can attend to prepare for a career as a hospital pharmacy technician or a retail pharmacy technician. Contact us today!
For more information about graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website:
https://fvi.edu/consumer-information/.
