Responsibilities and Duties of a Pharmacy Technician what does a Pharmacy Technician do
Pharmacy technicians provide a supporting role for pharmacists in filling the prescriptions patients have from their physicians. When a patient comes in with a prescription, the pharmacy technician gets the medication ready for the pharmacist in the form of counting out the tablets and preparing the label for the bottles. The pharmacist then checks the medication against the prescription and if everything is in order, the technician then places the medication in the bottle for the patient.
When the technician receives the prescription, either directly from the patient or electronically from the doctor's office, it is his/her responsibility to check the prescription to verify that the information regarding the patient is correct. He/She retrieves the appropriate medication from the locked cabinets and counts, weighs, or pours out the appropriate amount. The next duty in preparing a prescription is to select the appropriate container and affix the label containing the directions for use.
In most cases, the pharmacy technician performs clerical tasks, such as checking out the customer at the counter, places order for medications and other supplies and enters them into the inventory lists when they arrive. They also process insurance claim forms, prepare income tax statements for customers and maintain the inventory of over-the-counter medications that the pharmacy sells.
Pharmacy technicians employed in hospitals and other health care facilities must be able to read patient charts to prepare the necessary medication and deliver it to the nursing station. They must update the patient files so that the correct information of the time and date of the prescription is included for future use. In such facilities, the medication often needs to be prepared on a 24 hour basis and each dosage must be packaged separately.
In the job of pharmacy technician, you must be prepared to spend a large portion of your day on your feet. This job does involve heavy lifting of cartons containing medical supplies and the use of stepladders to retrieve medication from cabinets that are high overhead. The hours of work are the same as that of the pharmacists on duty. It is usually a 40-hour work week, but there may be shift work involved on evenings and weekends.
Most pharmacy technicians are trained on the job, but more and more colleges are offering diploma programs in this career choice. These programs include a combination of classroom and laboratory work in the areas of pharmaceutical terminology, calculations, record keeping and ethical behaviour. Technicians are required to keep patient information confidential.
There are certification programs available for pharmacy technicians, but this is voluntary in most states and provinces. This certification involves taking a comprehensive exam and the certificates are valid for a two year period. In order to be recertified, technicians must undertake 20 hours of continuing studies by taking pharmacy related courses from colleges and universities.
