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Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technicians may work in retail pharmacies, home infusion pharmacies, hospitals, prisons, or long-term care facilities under the direction of a Registered Pharmacist. Their main function is filling prescriptions according to the physicians' orders. Pharmacy technicians prepare medications for dispensing to patients. This usually includes retrieving drugs in the accurate dosage form and strength, measuring the correct amount of drugs, and creating a prescription label. They work with drugs administered orally, topically, or in the eyes or nose. Depending upon the practice, a Pharmacy technician is also involved in the admixture of drugs for intravenous use.

Course Overview:

Pharmacy History
Pharmacy Technician
Drug Regulation and Control
Pharmaceutical Terminology
Prescriptions
Calculations
Routes and Formulations
Compounding
Bio-pharmaceutics
Parenterals
Inventory Control
Financial Issues
Community and Hospital

This 60 clock hour course will help prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and to take the National Pharmacy Technician Board Exam (PTCB) or other national exams.

Duties and Responsibilities. Click to view

Checking inventories
Ordering supplies
Assisting customers
Completing insurance forms
Keeping pharmacy work areas clean

Employment Opportunity. Click to view

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacy technicians held about 285,000 jobs in 2006, about 71% of jobs were in retail pharmacies, either independently owned or part of a drugstore chain, grocery store, department store or mass retailer. About 18% of jobs were in hospitals and a small number were in mail-order, offices of Physicians, and the government.
Employment is expected to increase much faster than average through 2016. Good job opportunities are expected for full time and part time workers.
On average, entry level pharmacy technicians earn approximately $12 per hour with a range between $10 and $14 per hour. However, experienced pharmacy technicians can earn as much as $18 per hour. Based on a typical 40-hour work week, they earn anywhere from $15,000 to $37,000 in a government position.
Source: www.salary.com