February 26, 2010
How Do I Become A Pharmacy Technician?
How to become a pharmacy tech is not as complicated or as difficult as you may think. Many technicians receive on the job training for this position but there is also formal training that you may need to go through in the for of receiving a certificate. Many institutes such as community colleges, technical schools, hospitals and even the military offer training programs to become a pharmacy technician.
Some of the courses you can be expected to complete include ethics, pharmaceutical techniques, pharmaceutical terminology, pharmacy law, pharmacy record keeping, medical terminology and pharmaceutical calculations to name a few. You will need to know the names of all the different medications as well as what they are used for and the correct dosage.
Your certification will need to be renewed every two years and you cannot have any felony charges related to pharmacy work or drugs. The basic pharmacy technician duties are to help fill and dispense the different prescriptions to customers. This can include counting pills, labelling bottles and preparing the prescription. You will also be required to stock shelves, act as a cashier and answer the phone.
With so much of communication going electronic a pharmacy technician will also need to verify that all the information on the prescription is correct and the pharmacist will need to check everything before the customer can receive his or her prescription. You will also probably have to deal with the insurance company at some point in time for insurance claims.
If you are employed within a nursing home or hospital than you also may be responsible for reading charts and preparing the medications from thee notes on the chart. Once all of your work has been approved you can then dispense the medication to the proper person. There is a lot for the technician to remember and perform.
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