Working World

As we’ve been reporting from the inception of this column, due in large part to the aging baby boomer population, the demand for healthcare workers keeps climbing, and pharmacy technicians are no exception.

“Pharmacies, like medicine, will always have a need [for skilled employees],” said Shirley Green, public relations director for Intercoast Colleges. “Pharmacies are now in retail stores, from the smallest to major chains. What this means is that you now have many places for extra employment. Graduates from pharmacy schools should seek privately owned pharmacies as well and not rely only on the big market chains to join the workforce. Small pharmacies tend to have fewer employees and this allows you to gain more experience. Many times the smaller pharmacies are more likely to relate to your inexperience and be willing to give you your first opportunity.”

In the Classroom

In California a certificate of completion from an accredited school is enough to seek employment as an entry-level pharmacy clerk, but going the extra mile and becoming licensed pays off in higher salaries and a wider range of job settings. Therefore, after completion of an accredited program, graduates should take the registration exam for licensure from the State of California.

Tim O’Neil, campus director at Valley College of Medical Careers, said, “It used to take only six weeks or so to get your license once you passed the exam. Today, however, with the cutbacks and layoffs in the California state government agencies, it can take two to three months to process licenses. Luckily, a pharm tech program grad can be hired by a pharmacy as a clerk while waiting for his or her license to arrive.” It’s also likely that the pharmacy technician profession will require an associate degree in science in the future.

You can expect to take courses in topics such as pharmacology, sterile drug preparation, federal pharmacy law, drug distribution, retail communications, intravenous (IV) admixtures, hospital pharmacy procedures, retail pharmacy procedures, home health care, computer programs, as well as gain experience in an actual externship while still in school.

David Francis, program director of the program at North-West College, said, “We require our pharmacy technician students to complete 240 hours of externship with an actual pharmacy. Our students start interning while they’re still in class. We can monitor how they’re doing as they’re doing it, benefiting all concerned.”  Course lengths at the schools we spoke with vary slightly, but expect to complete your 720-hour training within 32-40 weeks, depending on when you complete your externship.

On the Job

A pharm tech is not just a technician; he or she is also a highly skilled assistant to the pharmacist, and the type of skill set needed is similar to that of nursing or medical assisting. Honesty and good people skills are a must. Critical thinking, multitasking and problem solving are also par for the course. In addition, you’ll need to have excellent customer service skills, a willingness to be flexible, and be very detail-oriented.

Positions can be found in hospitals, independent retail pharmacies, large retail chain pharmacies, closed-door pharmacies within nursing home facilities, pharmacies at Veteran’s Administration facilities and drug distribution companies. Some pharm techs have even become drug reps for pharmaceutical companies.

A typical day for a pharm tech includes supplying good healthcare to the patient/customer, entering information into a computer database, labeling printouts, working with insurance companies and filling the actual prescriptions. If you’re working in a hospital your tasks will include preparing medicine orders for patients, possibly preparing admixtures for patient IVs, updating patient records, and basic pharmacological work under the supervision of the pharmacist.

“Three billion prescriptions were filled in America last year,” Francis said, “In the next five years we’ll see a 40 percent increase in prescriptions,” which translates into job security for pharm techs. Starting salary range is $11-$15 hourly, and with experience it can go up to as high as $18-$20 per hour. Hospitals tend to pay more and usually offer better benefits packages, too.
    
Helping Hands

Shauna Lopez graduated from the pharmacy technician program at Intercoast Colleges last September. “I was in the mortgage industry for eight years, and that went downhill so I knew that I wanted to change careers to an industry that was growing,” she said. “I’m definitely very happy that I chose to be a pharm tech. You can go into retail, hospitals, manufacturers…there are a variety of positions to choose from. My favorite aspect of the job is the people. Interacting with the customers and learning new things every day — it’s a great industry.”

Financial aid is available through Pell Grants and federal student loans. Job placement is a high priority with all of the schools we researched, and with pharm tech externship programs in place, relationships with pharmacies and hospitals that hire graduating students are already established.

Hanan Awad, associate VP of marketing for UEI College, said, “We have a department in each campus that is dedicated to assisting our students in job placement, including resume writing, interviewing techniques, job search skills, etc. It’s also a lifetime opportunity where they can always come back to us after they graduate and we will assist them.”

“People are making career changes in this economic downturn,” O’Neil said. “There’s no age limit so we have many older adults who are retraining as pharmacy technicians. We’re seeing people over 65 working longer, too.

“With healthcare professions you’re getting in on a career ladder,” he continued. “There’s a big difference between a career and a job. A job is what you do to pay the bills. I always tell my students that JOB means “Just Over Broke.” A career is where you have the training and expertise and marketable skills to last a lifetime. A few of our pharm techs go on to med school to become pharmacists. The majority remain pharmacy technicians but climb the career ladder to success becoming pharmacy managers.”

As new drugs emerage, it’s important for pharmacy technicians to stay abreast of the marketplace. There are professional organizations such as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council that provide up-to-the-minute industry news.  

Resources

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
American University of Health Sciences
Intercoast Colleges
North-West College
Pharmacy Technician Educators Council
UEI College
Valley College of Medical Careers


Katy Allgeyer is an artist and freelance writer. She is a columnist for Working World and Working Nurse magazines and her features have appeared there and in Feng Shui Times, The Art of WellBeing, You & Me Magazine and others.