Scott Knutson asked:

Choosing the job you want is not like choosing what course to take in college or what dish you want to be served. It’s definitely much harder. At least in college, you only need to sacrifice four to five years of your life, unless you’re inclined to take it further and get a master’s degree. But choosing the right place of employment can potentially affect you for a lifetime so one must choose wisely before making a decision.

In this article, we are going to explore the job description, specifications and qualifications needed to become a pharmacy technician.

The first question one should ask is… what is a pharmacy technician and what does a pharmacy technician do? First of all, a pharmacy technician is not a pharmacist. A pharmacist must have a degree in pharmacy. On the other hand, a pharmacy technician isn’t burdened with the same requirements and responsibilities.

In a nutshell, a pharmacy technician is an assistant pharmacist but has job responsibilities one step higher than that of a pharmacist aide.

Let’s break down the official definition of pharmacy technicians’ job title into two parts. The pharmacist or pharmacy aspect of the job requires you to have a working knowledge of drugs and medicine. A pharmacy technician must also know the difference between cough tablets and aspirin and have the knowledge to navigate the fine line between headache pills and tablets to help relieve PMS and they must also be able to handle the basic operations of a pharmacy if the pharmacist is on vacation or nowhere to be found.

The technical aspect of the job also requires the pharmacy technician to have exemplary organizational skills and they may be also be required to label medicine bottles and categorize them under the correct name or group – the 100 mg label must go on the 100 mg bottle. Just one error, one tiny oversight could result in very negative consequences for a patient.

Other tasks include being able to work under pressure because there will be days that the drugstore or pharmacy where you work has people lined up to get their prescriptions filled.

As a pharmacy technician, you will also be responsible for supplying aid to licensed pharmacists as they provide patients with medication and other healthcare products. A well trained, competent pharmacy technician must therefore be knowledgeable enough to suggest alternative brands for off the counter medication but alternatives for prescribed medication is solely the responsibility of licensed pharmacists.

A pharmacy technician is sometimes required to perform certain manual tasks like labeling bottles, counting pills or doing inventory. In some areas of the country, the tasks of a pharmacy technician and a pharmacist aide overlap so don’t be surprised if on occasion, you end up being asked to complete tasks meant for the latter. This could include acting as a cashier, answering phone inquiries, stocking shelves and other clerical duties. While there are several pharmacy technician duties that a pharmacist aide can never perform, there are few pharmacist aide tasks that a pharmacy technician cannot perform.

The job responsibilities of a pharmacy technician can vary depending on the type of business the pharmacy they work at is located in. For example, a pharmacy technician is usually assigned to handle orders sent through courier or even email in a mail order pharmacy and upon verification that the order is correctly and properly filled up, the pharmacist technician is then required to do the actual counting, weighing and mixing of the prescription.

On the other hand, in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and so forth a pharmacy technician may have the added responsibilities of record filing and the updating of patient files – especially those related a patient’s medication.

If the allure of a pharmacy technician career appeals to you, check out the links below.

Amy Nutt. asked:

The recent shake up in the world economy was a wakeup call for everyone. People who thought the economy couldn’t have been better, learned a hard lesson: The economy can and does fall when it is dependent on a few. A few months down the line, the ripple effects of this “mayhem” are still felt in many homes, families and companies. Many professionals were let go, “voluntarily retired”, or outrightly laid off. Companies such as Panasonic closed down over 200 plants in a short 3 months, while Citigroup, the parent company of Citibank and other subsidiaries has plans to lay off at least five thousand of its workers before the end of the 3rd quarter.

For some people, the damage done was so irreparable they had to resort selling their properties, cars, assets, withdrawing their kids from schools and even ******* as a last option. The present situation has got a lot of young adults and youths thinking more in terms of financially stable jobs that also has the potential of a lifelong career. One of these careers is the pharmacy technician.

While many people were being laid off their jobs in the banking and finance sectors, more pharmacy technicians were being hired to meet the rising demand for more hands and professionals in the health care sector. According to various medical news sources, the demand for pharmacy technicians is gradually increasing as more people fall sick nowadays compared to the ’70s and ’80s. Estimated surveys and statistics also show that as more people fall ill and more hands are needed, the demand for their services is bound to increase over the next 10 years.

For many people, the profession of the pharmacy technician is often placed on the same pedestal as a pharmacist. This however, is not true. Pharmacy technicians are like assistants to the pharmacists. They work alongside the pharmacist functioning and work as record keepers, aides to the pharmacists, getting patient records, and ensure make sure that all prescriptions are verified before delivery to the patients, keep and preserve medical files or data and can help in the application of the right labels to all prescriptions tendered.

Pharmacy technicians can work in the groceries, nursing homes, pharmacy shops, retails pharmacy shops, online pharmacies, hospitals, drug producing factories and everywhere the services of pharmacists are required. While they earn less than pharmacists, their annual salaries vary between twenty five thousand dollars a year to fifty thousand dollars ($25000 – $50000). And recent trends show that the salaries will increase with time as the demand for their services increase too.

Becoming a pharmacy technician entails hard work and discipline. Various schools offer the course both offline and online. Training under a pharmacist can get any interested individual a job. However, most employers prefer some form of formal education. Thus creating two groups of pharmacy technicians: Certified and uncertified. An individual can become certified by writing any of the following examinations:

1. ExCPT (Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians). OR

2. PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board)

Becoming a pharmacist is a rewarding career move with many challenges. If your goal is to become a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, there are several pharamcy schools in the United States that provide courses to accomplish that goal.

Your decision to become a pharmacist or pharmacy technician is a great career decision and can be achieved through educational courses. A bachelor’s degree is not required in many states to become a pharmacist.

You must first complete your pre-pharmacy education, take a pharmacy college admissions test and possibly attend an interview before beginning your pharmacy degree.

Since many colleges, universities and vocational technical schools offer pharmacy courses, students desiring to be involved in the pharmacy industry have many options for career paths. Most higher learning institutions offer a doctor of pharmacy or pharmd degree as well as a non traditional pharmd degree.

The non traditional pharmd degree is for currently practicing pharmacists with a bs in pharmacy from an accredited pharmacy school that wish to practice at a more advanced level without starting over. The degree offers flexible scheduling as well as courses with internet access for working pharmacists that cannot take courses during the time they must work.

Pharmacy is chosen as a career skill because of the importance of pharmaceuticals in today’s society. It is doubtful that their importance will be any less in the future. Pharmacists and the pharmacy schools that produce them benefit education, society and modern medicine.

Serving as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician is both challenging in learning the effects of medicines and understanding their effect on the human body as well as rewarding in helping people manage their lives. This is an exciting career choice.

Whether you are working towards becoming a pharmacist or pharmacist technician, you do not have to take prerequisite courses that have nothing to do with your goal. Pharmacy schools offer courses that strictly pertain to pharmacy work. Advanced courses such as pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacy law ethics, and clinical pharmocokinetics are required for pharmd degrees. The United States has always required a license to practice pharmacy.

Attending pharmacy school will give you rewards that benefit you directly and quickly. The skill of catching medicines that are prescribed by doctors that have bad effects when mixed in a human may save the life of someone. In your daily routines, you will be enriching the health and well being of your patients while giving advice and recording information.

Pharmacy schools teach skills to help you in your pharmacy job and also intuition deal with people in general. Your skills will be beneficial and give you positive rewards during your career as a pharmacist or pharmacist technician.

Pharmacy Technician- a Career Option

Becoming a pharmacy technician can be a rewarding career choice. This field has good career prospects, monetary benefits and rewards. Pharmacy technicians assist licensed pharmacists in providing health care products and medications to patients. They routinely prepare prescribed medicines for the patients; for example, counting the tablets and fixing labels to bottles. The pharmacy technician refers questions regarding drug information, prescriptions or health matters to the pharmacist.

Certification

A National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination, conducted by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, which is held at various examination centers at a national level, has to be passed in order to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). Candidates are required have a high school diploma/GED, and must not have any record of felony. Once qualified, pharmacy technicians need to be recertified every two years.

The eligibility criteria for recertification is to have completed twenty contact hours of pharmacy related topics, within the two-year certification period. Attending lectures, college course work and on-the-job training are all considered for awarding contact hours. It is mandatory to have a minimum of one contact hour in pharmacy law. Flexibility allows contact hours to be earned from different sources. Up to ten contact hours can be earned by working under the direct supervision of a pharmacist.

Other sources are attending pharmacy colleges, belonging to pharmacy associations, and pharmacy technician training programs. However, presently, there is no federal requirement for formal training and certification of a pharmacy technician, although there may be some states that do have such a requirement. Many employers provide on-the-job training to people and recruit them as pharmacy technicians.

As reliance on pharmacy technicians continues to grow, more states and employers require pharmacy technicians to be formally educated and certified. Many employers offer to reimburse the cost of the examination as an incentive. Formal education programs are offered by the military and some hospitals. Proprietary schools, community colleges and vocational or technical colleges also offer education programs.

Place and Nature of Work

Pharmacy technicians generally work in hospitals, general medical and surgical stores, health and personal care stores, and retail or mail order pharmacies. Their job responsibilities differ accordingly, and are dependent on applicable laws and other regulatory mandates of the state. They receive prescriptions in writing and requests from patients for prescription refills. A doctor’s office may also send a prescription electronically.

The pharmacy technician has to verify the information in the prescription, for completeness and accuracy. The preparation of the prescription requires the pharmacy technician to retrieve, count, pour, measure, weigh and occasionally mix the required medication. They have to select the type of prescription container, and create and fix the labels on it. After it is filled, they price the prescription and file it. The pharmacist then checks this before it is given to the patient. Pharmacy technicians may be required to prepare insurance claim forms, maintain patient profiles, and take an inventory of over-the-counter prescription medications.

They must be aware of the latest medicines and their availability. At times, they also need to advise the patient about diet and health requirements. According to available records for 2004, pharmacy technicians earned median hourly wages of $11.37. The highest figure was $16.61 and the lowest was $7.96.

A career as a pharmacy technician can be pursued even without formal certification in most states, and allows working in clean, organized work areas. It offers a reasonably good salary and benefit package.

Create a video blog…instantly.

Scott Knutson asked:


Choosing the career you would like to pursue is clearly much more important than choosing what clothes to wear for that big party or what cake you want for dessert. It’s definitely much harder and complicated and it’s one that will directly affect your life to next five, ten or even twenty years so it must be done with care and wisdom.

The healthcare industry has continued to grow over the past decade and it will continue to do so with as the American population continues to age and therefore an in demand career will definitely be that of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.

Becoming a pharmacist is a noble profession but it certainly doesn’t have the prestige of a brain surgeon or other medical professional titles but it’s a solid career and one that more and more are turning to help ensure a good living and job security.

Although pharmacists makes a decent living most pharmacists don’t make what would be considered a high salary unless that attain a position in a top-level research project undertaken to make innovations in the drug industry but the responsibility and importance of a pharmacist must be underestimated and undervalued.

To become a pharmacist, you must first earn a pharmacist degree from a college or university which is recognized by the Educational Board in your state and accredited by the American Council on Pharmacy Education or ACPE. Upon graduation, you must then pass certain examinations in order to receive a license to practice in your chosen field.

The major pharmacist examinations are the North America Pharmacist License Examination or NAPLEX and the Multistate Pharmacist Jurisprudence Examination or MPJE – both are administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. You may also be required to pass additional examinations, depending on the rules in your state so it’s better to check with the state authorities regarding their particular requirements. In addition, if you plan on moving to another state, you may also be required to pass that states’ pharmacist examinations.

A pharmacist is usually given the job of managing a pharmacy or drugstore. They are assigned to provide drugs to patients that have been prescribed by doctors and other healthcare practitioners. A pharmacist is also required to supply information to patients regarding other drugs, like the best brands when it comes to over the counter drugs. The pharmacist is also responsible for supervising others workers in the pharmacy like pharmacy technicians and pharmacist aides. In many instances, a pharmacist must double check the work of his subordinates in order to make sure that no error has been committed.

In hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and other healthcare facilities, the responsibilities and degree of authority given to pharmacists goes a notch higher. A pharmacist advises doctors on the selection of medicine, the side effects of each particular drug and the optimal dosages.

Pharmacists are expected to have an extensive knowledge on the composition of drugs, their uses and potential patient side affects. With all the questions a pharmacist receives regarding medicines they distribute they must be very knowledgeable and attentive to what advice they offer because of the potential consequences of offering poor advice.

The role of a pharmacist takes on a more social context in small town pharmacies. The pharmacist can sometimes be tagged as some sort of guardian towards the younger generation, advising on issues such as pre-marital sex, birth control pills and the proper use of sleeping pills or tranquilizers. Pharmacists may also play the role as counselor towards those who request information and maybe be asked to make personal healthcare suggestions.

Another career path that some pharmacists take is that of Research and Development with the drug companies. The reason behind this is normally financially based because they have the opportunity to earn a much higher salary. However, in order to secure these types or job one must have exceptional skills and total commitment.

On the other hand, some pharmacists prefer to work for insurance agencies and work as a consultant for health concerns. Other pharmacists however prefer what they say is the most noble of all professions and teach classes in high school and college.

If the allure of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician career appeals to you, check out the links below.



Website Chat

Scott Knutson asked:


A pharmacy technician is a pharmacy staff member who works under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and performs many pharmacy-related functions. Some of the job duties include providing medication and other health care products to patients, performing routine tasks associated with preparing prescribed medication and many do the manual labor component of providing drugs to patients.

In the past, most pharmacy technicians had only on-the-job training but today, many employers favor those who have completed a formal training and certification process. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board oversees the certification process and those pharmacy technician wannabes that earn certification receive the professional title Certified Pharmacy Technician or CPHT follow their name. This type of training program is usually offered by the military, some hospitals, proprietary schools, vocational or technical colleges, and community colleges. Even as little as 4 or 5 years ago there were no US federal (and few state) laws making it mandatory for pharmacy technicians to meet this qualifying standard. However, some non-federal jurisdictions do require licensing such as the state of Virginia.

In the United Kingdom and many other countries, there are accredited programs which pharmacy technicians must complete. In the UK this is composed of an on the job qualification, known as an NVQ level 3 and a theory based qualification (BTEC) usually completed on day-release at college or by correspondence course. Within the next few years (probably around 2008) “pharmacy technician” will become a protected job title in the UK and only those with both qualifications will be allowed to use this title by law.

According to a United States Department of Labor report a few years ago, about two-thirds of pharmacy technicians worked in retail pharmacies, both independently owned or part of a drugstore, grocery store or mass retailer chain. Another 22% were employed in hospitals, while a small portion worked in mail-order or Internet pharmacies, clinics, pharmaceutical wholesalers, or for the Federal Government. The balance in the UK is of a similar.

Responsibilities of a pharmacy technician differ depending on location. Although virtually all report directly the supervising pharmacist, in some operations, they may also have some supervisory responsibilities themselves by managing assistants and / or pharmacy aides. Other responsibilities include answering telephone calls, handling money, stocking shelves and computer data entry.

Pharmacy technicians who work in hospitals, nursing homes or assisted-living-type facilities may have additional responsibilities like reading patient charts in conjunction with prescriptions. After approval from the attending physician or pharmacist they would then deliver the medicine to a nurse, who in turn, administers it to the patient.

Pharmacy technicians may also be responsible for managing robotic organizational systems that stock and organize 24-hour supplies of medicine for every patient in a health care facility. They may also package and label each dose of medication separately, either by hand or with packaging machines. These packages are then coordinated with a computer using bar codes and make it possible to automate pharmacy-side drug delivery: a package labeled by name, dose and expiration is cataloged in a computer, before being placed on a shelf controlled by a robotic arm until it’s needed by a patient. Some robotic systems can even dispense medications for individual patients. These individual containers are then organized and delivered by a pharmacy technician.

The role of the technician is likely to increase in the next few years, due to aging population and as more pressures is put on pharmacists to spend more time consulting and advising patients, rather than to simply dispense prescriptions.

If the allure of a pharmacy technician career appeals to you, check out the links below.



Image Host

Gail Metcalf asked:


As a pharmacy technician you are required to take a formal training course. A pharmacy tech career is one you can choose from a lot of activities in the field that offer flexible time and varied days per week to work with a great salary.

This profession is highly esteemed and well-paid. Individuals will need to complete a one-year accreditation program or an associates degree from an accredited institution. There will be a lot of things you should consider when choosing a career as a pharmacy technician. Pharmacy technicians are even sometimes called on to deliver prepared medications and run errands for the supervising pharmacist.

Whether you are right out of high school trying to plan your professional future or ready for a mid-life change, the healthcare industry has a career for you. Responsibilities include entering prescriptions into a computer, maintaining records and inventories of drugs and supplies, stocking, packaging and pricing medications. Many jobs are in exceptionally high demand and are a wonderful choice for people with the right skills.

Pharmacy certification, which will allows someone to assist a licensed prarmacist as a pharmacy technician by providing prescribed medicines and other patient services, can be acquired on the internet or with a distance learning program.

Online pharmacy certification prepares an indivdual to be a pharmacy technician by teaching the tasks associated with the preparation of medications. These tasks include verifying the accuracy of the presciption to be filled, entering the prescription into the database, and labelling and filling the actual prescription. Distance learning courses supplement the learning of pharmacy techician students with information on working with medicare, medicaid and other insurance companies, collections, screening pharmacists calls, and other administrative dutiies of the pharmacy.

Pharmacy certification allows the pharmacy technician to work with prescribed medications. The pharmacy technician learns to compound oral solutions, ointments, and creams, prepackage medications, order replacement bulk medicines, check inventory, prepare chemotherapeutic agents, nuturition solutions and intravenous mixtures, and help in filling prescriptions.

To obtain pharmacy certification, the pharmacy technician must complete a training course including a minimum of 240 hours of theory and practical solution and have a minimum of an associate of arts degree in a related field of study. Education will include biological sciences, health sciences, physical sciences, and natural sciences.

Check the internet for schools that offer pharmacy certification education and distance learning programs.

A medical career gives you an opportunity to work in general or specialty practice, outpatient clinic, hospital or medical laboratory. As a pharmacy technician you are required to take a formal training course. Those interested in a pharmacy technician career will need to follow the same path that an individual looking to become a pharmacist travels but stopping short of completing your pharmd degree.



Image Host

Prem asked:


Major improvements in the health care industry has paved the way for creation of new jobs in this industry and one such job is that of pharmacist’s job. Pharmacists are mainly the health professionals who practice the pharmacy department of science. The employment opportunities for pharmacists are immense. Its commonly believed that Pharmacists are health practitioners whose main job includes specializing in administering drugs prescribed by doctors to their patients. But before being an pharmacist one needs to well understand the composition of varied medicines.

Bits the foremost duty of pharmacists to order and store medicines in a proper manner, so as to keep them safe and effective. Majority of the pharmacists work in community pharmacies, retail stores, drugstore chains, or in their own pharmaceutical jobs. Some pharmacists usually concentrate on the dispensing of drugs, while others work in hospital or nursing homes.

Nature of Pharmacist’s Job:

The main work of pharmacists is to provide drugs or medicines which have been prescribed or suggested by a medical practitioner to patients. Its commonly seen that retail pharmacy is a flourishing carrer for many for those who have completed their B. Pharma degree and has proper license requirements. Retail pharmacists administer medications at drug stores or grocery stores and their pay package and benefits too are quite good and at par with other professionals, but the working hours can be erratic as sometimes one needs to attend to medical emergency. However if you’re planning to make your career in field of medical pharmacy then you can be sure to sacrifice some of holidays as you need to work on Sundays too in some cases. Almost all the retail stores jobs in USA employs 2 full-time pharmacists.

On the other hand, clinical pharmacists work hospitals as part of a medical care team. Their main job involves taking a daily round on patients with a physician and assist the doctors in determining which medications and how much doses would be effective for each patient depending on his physical conditions. On the other hand, nuclear pharmacists are responsible for measuring the radioactive materials which are widely used in digital imaging in hospitals. Due to the wide nature of the radioactive materials they need to be handled in a proper manner, nuclear pharmacists on the other hand are required to start each work day very early. If you’re looking for contract pharmaceutical jobs then you can opt for it as such jobs offer great flexibility and in the schedule, especially for those who have to manage their family or studies.

Pre Requisites for Pharmacist’s job:

In order to practice in the field of pharmacy in USA one needs to have a license which is mandatory, this license can be achieved after graduation from an recognized college of pharmacy. Every state of America has made it compulsory to pass The Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) and the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX). A graduate from any pharmacy school gets a Pharma degree, and becomes a Doctor of Pharmacy, this programs require a minimum of six years of university study.



Email Services For Seo

If you’re considering a career in the pharmaceutical industry, and more specifically as a pharmacy technician, there is one thing that is important to learn before you ever begin your training. That is: what are the main characteristic of a good pharmacy technician course?

Without the right training, you may find yourself struggling to find work. There are many companies out there who are in need of PTs. As a career choice, taking your pharmacy technician training will enable you to find jobs in any city. Without the right training, however, you may find yourself wondering why all of those other guys are getting hired, and you aren’t.

With hundreds of options to receive your Pharmacy Technician Training, finding the right school can be confusing. You can learn to become a PT at technical schools, colleges, universities, and even with from some private schools/businesses. Since choosing the right program is the key to getting the right start, we have developed this guide to help you get started.

Characteristics of a Good PT Technician Course

Choosing the right program isn’t difficult. It’s as simple as paying attention to a few key areas. Looking for these characteristics will ensure you’ll be getting the right start in your new career as a PT.

What the Course Teaches

The first thing to look at is the content of the course itself. Good PT training should include elements in: pharmaceutical compounding, pharmacology, drug distribution, and the industry itself. The program should also provide an introduction to law as it applies to pharmacies.

Time Frame

The next area to look at when choosing your Pharmacy Technician training is the length of the program. You will find that these courses range from 6 months up to two years. Choosing an accelerated program, which will put you into the workforce in less than 1 year, will cost you less in the long run.

Both Classroom, and On the Job Training

Another aspect that will help you learn faster, and gain experience, is an externship. The better PT training programs will include a portion that gets you out on the job, and working with a pharmacy in the area. The experience you gain here will help you find work faster once you graduate.

Availability of Student Financing

One area that really separated a good school, from the pretenders, is student financing. A school that has programs in place to help you get financing for your course, is important. Not only does it make paying for your training more convenient, it also means that they are actually qualified to provide your PT training (most countries require an institution to become certified before gaining the ability to provide financing).

Placement Assistance

The last important part of a good PT training program is help getting a job when you’re done. It isn’t that you won’t be able to find a position yourself. With the demand in the industry, you very likely will be able to. If the school does offer placement assistance though, it means they have developed relationships with pharmacies, and that they are respected as a school.

Taking the time to go to school and get educated in any field is a big step. By paying attention to the program you are about to take, you will help to ensure that you get the best education possible.

Unitek College asked: