A pharmacy technician is someone who assists pharmacists in putting together prescriptions and giving them out to customers. This is a position with growing demand, which means it could be a good job option for you.
If you are trying to decide if going to pharmacy tech school is the right decision for you, you first need to determine what the job involves and what your education must consist of. If after additional research a pharmacy technician job and schooling sound intriguing to you, it may be something you want to pursue. Find out more about a typical day as a pharmacy technician and what you will learn in pharmacy technician school below.
A Typical Day as a Pharmacy Tech
When you work as a pharmacy technician, your primary job function is to be the point of contact for customers when they come to collect their medication. However, there are also a variety of other tasks and duties you will regularly perform as well.
As a pharmacy tech, you will have a lot of different responsibilities and assignments to manage every day. Some of the most vital tasks include receiving and confirming prescriptions and dispensing medication. When working in this role, you will receive prescriptions via computer software, confirm the prescription and verify customer information. Dispensing medication is also be a significant role of a pharmacy tech which includes verifying medication information and dosage as well as labeling the prescription. Other duties a pharmacy tech completes on a regular basis include submitting insurance claims, stocking supplies, managing inventory, and maintaining records.
Your exact job duties and job description will depend upon your specific employer, but these are many of the typical responsibilities of a pharmacy technician. To make sure you know how to perform everything your boss expects of you, you may want to attend a pharmacy technician program.
What Can You Expect from a Pharmacy Technician Program?
The demand for health care professionals is increasing, and this includes the pharmaceutical industry. There is a growing demand for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and while becoming a pharmacist takes years of education, you can start as a pharmacy technician with little to no education beyond a high school degree. The amount of further education you will need depends on the employer. Some businesses do not require additional schooling. However, others do expect their applicants to complete a pharmacy technician program. The good news is that you can finish such a program in under a year and be qualified to work in hospitals, pharmacies, nursing home facilities, and more.
Typically, pharmacy technician programs are just nine months long and teach you what you need to know to work under a pharmacist in the pharmaceutical industry. Some programs even give you an option to get real-world experience.
If you choose to attend our pharmacy technician program at the FVI School of Nursing and Technology (FVI), you can expect courses like Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacy Calculations, Pharmacy Law, Pharmacology, and more. At FVI, you will even do a pharmacy technician externship to help you gain on the job experience, and we help you get certified by the State Board of Pharmacy in Florida.
After you complete your pharmacy technician training at FVI, you will be able to identify different medications and make pharmacy calculations like finding the correct dosage or solution strength. Additionally, your pharmacy technician training will teach you all about pharmacy laws and ethics which you can apply to your work in a pharmacy. Once you have finished school, you will be prepared for a job where you put together prescriptions and help customers understand how to use their medicine.
Is Pharmacy Tech School Right for You?
Pharmacy technician school could be a great way to set yourself up for a fun and meaningful career opportunity. If you are someone who likes working with others, has strong customer service skills, and is detail-oriented, a career as a pharmacy tech could be a great option for you.
Above, we discussed a typical day as a pharmacy tech as well as what you can expect from pharmacy tech school. If all of that sounds like a good option to you, pharmacy tech school could be a great next step.
Here at the FVI School of Nursing and Technology, we have a pharmacy technician program that you can attend today, and we can train you to work as a pharmacy technician in as little as nine months. Click here to learn more about our program and what it can offer you.
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/.
