What Do You Need to Earn a Pharmacy Technician Certificate?

When people consider a career in the medical field, they often ask how you get a pharmacy technician certificate. Some ask if they should become a pharmacy tech. This growing field allows students to get certified and into the job market faster. Pharmacy techs play an essential role in medical care from local pharmacies to hospitals and nursing homes.

If you’re asking, chances are you’ve already made up your mind. If you just want to be in the medical field, you should ask yourself where you want to work and what your skills are. Pharmacy techs fill prescriptions, counsel patients, call insurance companies, and more. It requires a lot of memorization to understand the classes of medications. It’s a pharmacy tech’s job to help pharmacists through every step of the process. Many people want the hands-on job of medical assistants.

If you want to be a pharmacy tech, you’ll spend about a year in school instead of the many years you’d spend to be a pharmacist. You can expect a steady wage with plenty of jobs around the country. Especially in today’s market, you need to earn your certificate first.

What Do Professionals Do after Pharmacy Tech Programs?

While pharmacy technician training is short, you have a lot to learn. A pharmacy tech has to work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. This allows them to do just about everything a pharmacist does. Pharmacy techs handle a lot of the paperwork and inventory. Calling insurance companies and making sure medications are sorted correctly are essential. Many medications look similar. Mixing them up is one of the most common mistakes pharmacists make.

Pharmacy techs also fill and dispense prescriptions. They can offer patient counseling about interactions and other potential problems. They can also review usage instructions to ensure patients know how to use medications. Pharmacy techs can expect a steady wage. Any time prescriptions are dispensed, pharmacy techs are involved.

The demand for prescriptions is rising. Baby boomers are hitting retirement age. The population is also growing, and more younger people need heart, diabetes, and other medications. The more the population grows, the more opportunities pharmacy techs will have.

Some pharmacy techs also work in labs and specialized pharmacies. They use accepted methods to mix different medications for patients with unique needs. Pharmacies are increasingly busy. Professionals should be prepared to spend a lot of time on their feet. Many also work long hours including weekends.

It’s Easy to Get Started with Pharmacy Tech Programs

You don’t need a college degree to get involved in pharmacy technician training. In fact, all you need is a high school diploma. If you put more focus into math and science classes in high school, it can help. You’ll already be in the right mindset. Once you have a high school diploma or GED, you can start applying to schools.

You should always make sure you have the time to focus on school. Those who attend full-time can graduate in about a year. If you need help paying for school, you can apply for scholarships, grants, and other financial aid. Once you graduate, schools can help you find your first job with job placement services.

Do You Need a Pharmacy Technician Certificate to Find a Job?

Some pharmacies trained their own techs. These techs were limited in what they could do. Most could handle the cash register and insurance, but they would have to defer to pharmacists for all other tasks. With a growing demand, a pharmacist could fill hundreds of prescriptions each day. The more prescriptions they have to fill, the more likely they are to make mistakes.

This is why more pharmacies are looking for professionals who are already certified. They need professionals who can do more to ease the burden on pharmacists and streamline the process. If you don’t have a certificate, it can also limit your advancement opportunities in pharmacies that will hire you.

Pharmacy tech programs open doors throughout your career. Some students go into pharmacy school afterward. You don’t need to become a pharmacist to play an integral role in pharmacies across the country. To explore different programs and see what kind of options you have, click here.

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