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Get Your Pharmacy
Technician Certification, In as Little as 12 Months!
An
Open Field
You can enroll today and start earning your degree as a pharmacy
technician from one of many top quality schools. A pharmacy
technician works under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist
and performs many pharmacist functions including pharmacy
administration, drug distribution and management, and patient
service.
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University of Phoenix Online
offers an program. This program
provides students with a foundation to begin careers
in the health care and pharmacy industries. With a focus
on medical terminology, coursework includes an overview
of pharmaceutical calculations, disease diagnosis and
treatment, medical claims processing, and basic pharmacy
processes.
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Kaplan
University offers, as one of their select Health
Care Pathway's programs, an online that is designed to prepare students for positions in
pharmacies, retail, hospital, or for mail-order pharmacies;
or in-home health-care settings. In this program, students
learn various medical and pharmaceutical terminology
and about the effects of medications on the human body.
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University of Florida offers an online degree program for licensed pharmacists. This program is designed to complement one’s practice experience with a higher level of competence. With a focus on proactive disease state management, students learn how to identify drug-related problems and how to prevent them.
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Penn
Foster Career School offers a program online. This
program is designed to prepare students for careers
at retail pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics. In this
program, students learn how to prepare prescriptions
for patients, verify insurance prescription information,
assist pharmacists with everyday duties, and more. Diplomas
can be earned in as little as 12 months.
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Remington
College offers
a program that is designed
to prepare students for positions in retail, hospital,
and general pharmacies. In this program, students learn
various medical and pharmaceutical terminology and about
the effects of medications on the human body. This program
is offered at the following locations: Baton
Rouge (LA), Cleveland (OH), Cleveland West (OH), Colorado
Springs (CO), Dallas (TX), Fort Worth (TX), Honolulu
(HI), Houston (TX), North Houston (TX), Lafayette (LA),
Largo (FL), Little Rock (AK), Memphis (TN), Mobile (AL),
Nashville (TN), San Diego (CA), Shreveport (LA), Tampa
(FL) and Tampa
(FL).
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The
educational requirements of a 21st century pharmacist involve
a 6 year degree, an internship, and the ability to coordinate
the activities of pharmaceutical companies with the needs
of doctors and patients. With new medications being created
every year and new insurance programs developing to manage
those drugs, the demands on the licensed pharmacist are increasing
almost beyond imagination. The old corner drug store with
the soda fountain and the independent owner who could give
you nearly any prescription cure available no longer exists.
Today every medicine must be cross referenced, both to make
sure it doesn't react with any medication you may already
be taking and to verify that the prescription has not been
filled at multiple locations, not to mention processing the
order through your insurance and retrieving your correct copayment.
One person cannot do it, but usually a drug store will only
have one or two licensed pharmacists. The remaining individuals
behind the counter are pharmacy technicians.
Your
Responsibility as Pharmacy Technician
As a pharmacy technician, you will perform many of the same
duties that were once performed only by the pharmacist. You
will simply do so under his or her supervision. Your duties
will include interacting with customers, interviewing patients
about their medications, evaluating prescriptions to make
sure the doctor gave all the necessary information, entering
data into the computer, billing the insurance companies, maintaining
accurate in-store records, filling prescriptions, generating
and filling refill orders, monitoring the stock for outdated
or poor quality merchandise, and dispensing medication to
the correct customers.
The
Education for Becoming a Certified Pharmacy Technician
Unlike getting a degree to become a licensed pharmacist, becoming
a Nationally Certified Pharmacy Technician requires only about
225 hours—depending on the program—and may be completed entirely
online in about 12 months. Once you have completed and passed
all the courses, you have to take the Pharmacy Technician
Certified Board exam before getting your certificate. You
do not need prior college degrees or experience, but you do
need either a high school diploma or GED and a passing grade
on a math test. Tuition varies with some schools charging
per course and others giving you a composite price for all
of the education required by the certificate. In any case,
your costs will be thousands of dollars less than actually
attending a traditional college classroom.
Salary
You Can Expect
The median salary for a pharmacy technician is about $26,000
per year. However that can be dramatically affected by factors
such as the size of the business, the geographic area, your
level of experience, and your credentials and recommendations.
For example, if you have a high school diploma, you will probably
be paid more than if you just had a GED, even though your
certificate would just as valid in either case. Benefits such
as health insurance and vacations also make a big difference.
A family health insurance benefit along with a retirement
option make can it worth while to accept a couple thousand
less in take home pay.
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