Pharmacy Tech Career Review

US News & World Report interviewed Pharmacist Sarah Phelps about her career. Sarah shares information including her job description and hours, as well as the path she took to become a pharmacy technician. Watch the video for the full interview:

Pharmacy Technician Job Description

Pharmacy technician is a great career for people graduating from high school or looking for a career change.

The primary responsibility of a pharmacy technician is to assist the pharmacist. Depending on the different career settings of pharmacy technicians, there may be different job descriptions. Pharmacy techs may answer phones, handle money, stock medicine, perform data entry, fill orders for medications, and prepare and file charge slips.

Pharmacy techs are also responsible for providing medicine and other health care products to patients, including checking medication before giving to the patient as well as providing counsel for proper usage and dosage.

Different Types of Careers for Pharmacy Technicians

The number of jobs for pharmacy technicians is expected to double or even triple in the coming years. There are many different settings in which a pharmacy tech can work, including drug stores, health clinics, hospitals and laboratories.

Pharmacy techs that work in local drug stores or health clinics are referred to as community pharmacy technicians, those who work in hospitals are known as hospital pharmacy technicians, and those who work in laboratories are called pharmaceutical industry pharmacy technicians.

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exams

In order to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician, you must pass a national certification exam. Two of the most popular pharmacy technician certification exams are the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) and the Examination for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT).

The PTCE is a computer-based, 90 question multiple choice exam offered by the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board). The exam assesses the core responsibilities of the technician, including the responsibilities to both the pharmacist and the client, how to maintain medical inventory and control systems, and their role in overall administration. There is no limit to the amount of times the exam can be taken, but there is an exam fee for each attempt.
The ExCPT provides immediate results to candidates and is offered by the ICPT (Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians).