Pharmacy Technician Salary
One career that is growing steadily is that of pharmacy technician. It’s a field that is going to continue to grow, and is predicted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to be in high demand for many years to come. With the proper experience in this field you can go anywhere in the country and earn a pretty decent salary as a pharmacy technician.
A pharmacy technician is in charge of receiving supplies to the pharmacy, as well as organizing them into where they need to go. They also deal with direct customer service because they get the prescriptions from the clients and gives them out. They also count out the pills, and free up the pharmacists for dealing with specific things. The pharmacists check over the prescription after the tech fills it and before it goes to the customer. But you are likely wondering what kind of education and certification you will need to have to get a pharmacy technician salary.
Pharmacy Technician Salary
The average pharmacy technician salary is $32,800 a year. That will vary slightly, depending on the state, the cost of living, and the experience or training that you have. Your starting salary may be lower, as that is just an average. The range is $26,000 to $37,000.
Education Needed To Become A Pharmacy Technician
There is no standard licensing or certification to become a pharmacy technician. The baseline in all states is a high school diploma or equivalent. While there are no standard certifications, most states require that techs be registered with the state’s pharmacy board. That generally involves an application fee on top of the diploma. Most employers prefer to hire a pharmacy tech that has education and training before they get the job, although some places will do on the job training. There are programs that you can go through to get training, generally at community colleges or vocational schools. The programs usually last 6-24 months. The pharmacy technician salary will be higher with more training.
Job Growth Outlook For Pharmacy Technicians
The job growth outlook for pharmacy technicians is looking incredibly bright. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacy technicians are expected to see a growth of 31%. This is incredibly high when compared to the rest of jobs in the country. This high growth is expected to last at least until 2018.
The increasing age of the baby boom generation is contributing to the ever increasing usage of prescription drugs in this country. Not to mention the more and more aggressive marketing of prescription drugs by pharmaceutical companies.
As scientific advances lead to more new drugs the need for pharmacy techs will increase. One important thing to be aware of is that jobs as pharmacy aides will actually decline over the next foreseeable future. It’s expected that the job duties previously held by aides will more and be taken over by pharmacy technicians. Because of this it’s important to be aware of the difference between the two jobs. Duties like the answering of phone calls and the stocking of shelves will be performed more and more by technicians.
If you are interested in becoming a pharmacy technician then you need to check into your state requirements. You should also check into any training or education programs in your area. The more training that you have the higher your starting salary is going to be.
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