How To Become A Pharmacy Tech

Pharmacy technicians are the individuals that are given the routine tasks in a pharmacy including packing medication for patients and clearing insurance forms for doctors and patients alike. Although they are trained to read prescriptions, it should be noted that as a pharmacy technician, one is not allowed to write any prescriptions or change the dosage and type of medication without immediate consultation of doctor. Pharmacy technicians are not licensed pharmacist but instead work with the direction of a licensed pharmacist. Like any other profession in the medical field, pharmacy technicians must attend the pharmacy technician trainingto qualify for any sort of employment.

If you are interested in joining any of the pharmacy technician schools, there are a few points you may have to consider. To begin with, the school must be licensed and renowned in the area of pharmacy technician training.There is a rise in the number of unlicensed pharmacy technician schools which scam people into paying thousands of dollars only for them to end up with a mediocre education and a certificate that is not recognized by the pharmacy and medication boards. Take the time to visit your nearest health care office to find out the pharmacy technician schools that are licensed within your state and beyond. In addition, ensure that you research the credibility of the courses offered in the school. Although, the school may be licensed, the quality of education may differ from others. Again by visiting the local public health offices, you can get the list of rating for the different schools you are considering. Take your time picking a school because the school will play a fundamental role in determining your future. Do not pick a school, just because it looks good in the brochure or has a cool advertisement. Consider the choice you make detrimental to shaping your career.

Secondly, it is important to ensure that the school or institution that you pick has the necessary equipment and resources to ensure you receive the quality pharmacy technician classes. Pharmacy technician classes, are carried out in the lab sometimes, and often require the use of good pharmacy equipment for measuring and determining the quality of drugs. Ensure that the school you pick has the resources to ensure you get the best and most quality education. Chances are that some schools will skip some pharmacy technician classes because of the lack of resources. This means that you will only receive a partial education, which although may be excellent is not as good as a full educational experience. Remember that what you do not learn in school will only make your job performance low and interfere with your career plans. On the other hand, a full pharmacy education experience which includes all the pharmacy technician classes will go a long way to ensuring you are highly competitive in the job market while also giving you the confidence of an excellent job performance and growth in your career. Visit the school you wish to enroll in, take a physical tour and see the resources for yourself.

You may have found the excellent and most quality pharmacy technician schools only to find that they are quite a distance from where you are or that the pharmacy technician classes are already full. Whatever the case is, it is important to note that most of these schools now offer online courses. The courses are similar to the face to face classes except for the fact that they are completed virtually. You can therefore apply for the online courses which are mostly theoretical and then attend a few practical classes at your convenience. In addition, with the summer programs offered in the pharmacy technician schools, it is quite possible to complete your course in half the time that was scheduled for the training. it is important to research the different programs offered by the different schools to ensure that you actually pick the one that is most convenient for you and that gives you the best experience and flexibility you may require. Take the time to determine what you need to complete the courses successfully; is it a strict study regime, a more flexible teaching program or a practical program? Once you have determined what you need, research some of the schools and pick the one that comes closest to fulfilling these needs.

Even with the best pharmacy technician training¸ without experience you will find that finding a job becomes quite difficult. It is important to join as many internship programs as you can to ensure that you gain the most experience. While many students understand the importance of job experience, they do not understand how to go about gaining the same. It is very easy; many students focus on internships with large pharmaceutical companies and this is where they go wrong. This is because these internships are highly contested by quite a number of people with excellent skills. It is much easier to gain a voluntary internship with a small licensed pharmacist. Although there may be no financial gain, the individual can act as your mentor and may have more time to dedicate to bettering your skills. In addition, in this small environment it s much easier to ask question and get answers from your mentor. Once you have completed your internship, get a recommendation letter from the supervisor to make future job searches much easier. A recommendation letter adds more value to your resume.

Like all other courses in the medical field, pharmacy technician training requires commitment. The pharmacy technician classes carry a heavy load, and are based on a heavy curriculum thereby making the course period quite busy. Pharmacy training schools often demand the most from their students in terms of time and resources. Some schools go as far as demanding students attend classes in uniform. Even during internship, one is expected to apply themselves fully in order to gain from the experience. Even in the best pharmacy technician schools, you will find that without hard work you are less likely to succeed.