Pharmacy technicians are typically the people greeting you when you go to the pharmacy to get your prescription filled. However, pharmacy technicians have many more responsibilities, and different settings they work in, such as drugstores, retail, or hospital pharmacies.
Pharmacy technicians are an essential profession in the medical field and work under the supervision of pharmacists. As mentioned above, a pharmacy technician is typically the first point of contact with customers, patients, caregivers, and other healthcare professionals.
To become a pharmacy technician, a candidate needs to complete a certification or an associate's degree program. You can achieve a pharmacy technician certification from UMA.
Duties and Responsibilities
Pharmacy technician's duties and responsibilities can change due to their work settings. Generally, the role of a pharmacy technician in a pharmacy is greeting customers and filling prescriptions. A pharmacy technician is also responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information being provided, maintaining patient profiles, processing insurance forms, and managing customer records.
More duties of a pharmacy technician include maintaining the pharmacy, inventory of the pharmacy stock, labeling medications, filling bottles, and ensuring that drugs are stored securely and safely. As mentioned, the duties and responsibilities of the pharmacy technician can change depending on their work environment. Still, there are several standard duties that pharmacy technicians will need to complete, whether they are working in a drug store, hospital, or retail pharmacy setting.
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Receiving Prescriptions - pharmacy technicians process and retrieve prescriptions electronically. Computer technology is a significant part of the operation process of pharmacies, and keeping track of a patient's history and prescription history is stored electronically.
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Submit insurance claims - once a pharmacy technician confirms the information for the patient's prescription is correct, they then submit the information to the patient's insurance coverage for payment. Insurance payments are submitted electronically.
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Confirming Prescriptions - when a patient brings in a written prescription, it is the role of the pharmacy technician to double-check and confirm that the information is up to date, names are correctly spelled, date of birth and address are accurate, and that allergies are exact.
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Dispense Medication - the pharmacist will translate the medicine review drug interactions, duplicate the therapy, appropriate dosage, and ensure that dosage is safe. Once the pharmacist has cleared the prescription, the pharmacy technician's responsibilities are to verify doctor's information, correct it along with medication dosage, and the quality of medicine that has been approved.
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Customer Service - most retail pharmacy settings will require pharmacy technicians to provide customer service to their customers and patients daily. Customer service in the pharmacy could involve referring patients to the pharmacist or helping customers locate medication over the counter. Pharmacy technicians need to be kind and have strong communication skills to guarantee that patients and customers are being supported efficiently.
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Stock Medication and Supplies - a pharmacy technician's responsibility is keeping track of inventory to ensure that customer's needs are being met. Being low or out of stock and supplies means that the pharmacy cannot provide customers with the medicine they need.
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Obtain Prescription Approvals - another duty of the pharmacy technician is to make sure that prescriptions are being reviewed and approved by the on-duty pharmacist. When an order is completed, the pharmacy technician needs to store the patient's information electronically and dispose of any paper copies of the customer's information.
Skills Needed to Be a Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy technicians do a lot more work than greeting customers and are responsible for more than what you might expect in the pharmacy. To be a pharmacy technician, you do need to have specific skills, and these include:
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Communication - pharmacy technicians communicate with their pharmacists, doctors, and customers when taking prescription orders. Pharmacy technicians also need to listen carefully to customer's needs and questions so that they can direct them to a pharmacist.
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Problem-solving - pharmacy technicians need to have the maturity to solve problems ar conflicts between insurance companies, patients, and co-workers if there is ever a need.
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Organization - pharmacy technicians, have to balance their duties and responsibilities that are delegated to them by the pharmacists, such as stocking shelves, keeping an inventory, and serving customers.
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Math - pharmacy technicians, need to fill prescriptions and compound medication and require a good understanding of the math concepts needed.
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Detail-oriented - the pharmacy technician needs to pay attention to detail because severe health problems can result from a mistake. Prescription types, amounts, or interactions are the responsibility of the pharmacist, but the pharmacy technicians are the first line of defense for any risks.
Final Thoughts
The role of a pharmacy technician in a pharmacy can differ based on where you are working (drugstore, retail, or hospital pharmacy) and the state you work in. However, there are the five duties that a pharmacy tech should expect to perform in their day to day, and these include receiving and confirming prescription orders, preparing and filling prescriptions, interacting with customers and answering questions, managing inventory and performing organization tasks, various specialized roles as needed.
Pharmacy technicians are essential to maintaining an organized, effective, and safe pharmacy. As a pharmacy technician gains experience, they can take on expanded roles and grow in their careers, for example, a pharmacy technician can get promoted to pharmacy technician supervisor, and oversee and manage other pharmacy technicians.
The role of a pharmacy technician in a pharmacy can be hectic, and duties or tasks can change daily.
