Sunday 10 November 2013

Pharmacy Tech School: Your Choice Matters

By Janna Gawel


A pharmacy technician refers to a member of the pharmacy staff who is working under the guidance of a registered pharmacist, and is in-charge of doing pharmacy-related tasks like giving medication and providing patients with health care products and services. To be qualified to work in this industry, one must have the necessary qualities, and must undergo proper pharmacy technician training in a duly licensed pharmacy tech school.

The main duty of a pharmacy technician is to aid registered pharmacists in providing patients with medicine and health care products. They are also generally involved with assisting in arrangement of prescribed medication, counting medicine stocks and applying labels. They can also deal with customer inquiries and other operations of the pharmacy.

Pharmacy technicians may work in a pharmacy which has retail or mail-order setting, and will generally involve varying work that depends on the state they are currently in and the laws that govern it. They can be sent prescriptions by a doctor and will be required to study them to make sure they are accurate and complete before the prescription is assembled. After which they will now assemble the prescription while making sure they make precise measurements and dosage of the medication they are preparing.

In a hospital or nursing home setting, pharmacy technicians may be tasked with extra duties like reviewing patient's records and medicine preparation. Once a pharmacist verifies the accuracy of a prescription, the technician will be the one to deliver it to the patient. He will then record pertinent information in the records of the patient. They can also be tasked with supplying medication for patients in a 24-hour period.

A great thing about being a pharmacy technician is that you are working in a safe, well-organized and clean environment with efficient ventilation and lighting. A pharmacy technician's work involves physical and mental tasks, and one must be in excellent health for this matter. They will generally work in identical hours with a pharmacist; include working on nightly shifts, even on weekends and holidays, particularly on hospitals and other facilities which are open on a 24-hour period.

A lot of pharmacy technicians engage in an on-the-job training before working, but formal pharmacy technician training programs are also available. Certified technicians are usually given priority, but that doesn't mean those who are not certified perform less effectively. In the US, there isn't any clear Federal law which covers the matter of requiring technicians to acquire certification before working.

Formal pharmacy technician training, like regular education programs, will involve classroom and laboratory work, study in different areas like pharmaceutical and medical terms, calculations, recording, techniques, pharmacy law and ethics. They will also need to become well-versed in medicine names, its functions and proper dosage. Most pharmacy technician training programs have internships in order for them to have an actual experience in their field. Once they complete their training, the pharmacy tech school will be able to award them with a certificate, diploma or an associate's degree, all of which will depend on the type of program they undergo.

One of the important skills needed to survive in this industry are customer service and ability to work as a team with other people. You will be mingling a lot with patients, working with professionals and co-workers and it is necessary to have good relationships with them. Having excellent reading, spelling and mathematical skills will also help you greatly in this job too. A good pharmacy technician is able to work independently, has a keen eye, organized, responsible, alert and loves what he does. Probably the most important trait needed here is precision since you are taking care of the lives and health of patients and you can't afford to make mistakes.

The role of pharmacy technicians is expected to expand and diversify in the next few years since duties of pharmacists are also increasing, and they are more in need of assistants to help them perform related duties. Pharmacy technicians are capable of earning a decent salary, with those who are certified are most likely to receive more. This is why it is a good idea to look for a reputable pharmacy tech school and undergo proper pharmacy technician training in order to get the most out of your chosen career.




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