Pharmacy Technician Education and Training
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In most pharmacies there is at least one pharmacy technician who helps the pharmacist fill prescriptions and perform the other tasks that must be completed.
Currently the federal and most state governments do not require any special type of pharmacy technician education or training. However, most pharmacies do. |
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A pharmacy technician does not have anywhere near the responsibilities of a pharmacist. However, they do have some pretty important jobs. Therefore it is important that they have the proper education and training.
Currently there are many two year schools that offer a program for people to become pharmacy technicians. There are also some schools that offer shorter more intensive programs. At the end of this education the student is required to pass a test in order to become certified. The test is called the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam.
One the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam is passed then a person is a certified pharmacy technician. In order to continue to hold this certification the pharmacy technician is required to complete a small number of training hours every two years. They then must apply for recertification. As long as the training hours have been completed and as long as there is no reason to deny the application, the pharmacy technician will be recertified.
It is important that all pharmacy technicians are properly trained and educated. They have an important job – one that can seriously harm people if it isn’t performed correctly. It can even mean life or death.
The actual pharmacy technician education and training is not too difficult. It does require a person to be decent at science and math. Since pharmacy technicians are required to do more then just accept prescriptions and count pills, their education and training is more involved. To gain certification a prospective pharmacy technician has to show an ability to perform all the tasks that are required of the job.
Once the education and training is over, and once a job is secured, a pharmacy technician can expect to make between $20,000 and $30,000 depending on where the pharmacy is located and which pharmacy it is. Not all pharmacy technicians make the same amount of money throughout the United States. Obviously with experience a pharmacy technician will be paid more. And as demand for medical care and an equal demand for prescriptions continues to rise, a pharmacy technician can expect the salary to continue to rise.
At some point there probably will be some type of federal standard that’s required to become a pharmacy technician. When this happens there will probably be a specific amount of education and training that is required of every single pharmacy technician. But right now no such requirements exist.
So although the federal government and all the state governments don’t require any specific pharmacy technician education and training, almost all pharmacies do. Most pharmacies require that their pharmacy technicians be certified and retain their certification throughout their time of employment as a pharmacy technician. This helps protect the pharmacy’s customers and the pharmacy itself because it helps to ensure that everything is done correctly.
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