Becoming a pharmacy technician is a great way to get started in the medical industry. As the use of pharmacy medicine increases, so does the demand for pharmacy technicians to administer the pharmaceuticals being prescribed. With the right education and training, many pharmacy technicians find themselves moving up in the medical field. Becoming a pharmacy technician in Hawaii isn’t much different than any other state. It takes experience, knowledge, and some training to get started as a pharmacy tech.
Pharmacy Technician Requirements
Being a pharmacy technician requires daily interaction with customers. Many of those customers are sick or ill and need their medications. Having strong customer services skills is an important part of being a Pharmacy Technician. This includes having good listening skills as well as pharmacy orders are often complex and detailed. Having a strong command of math is helpful when distributing and considering dosage amounts.
Is any prior education or training required?
Most pharmacy technicians learn their job by simply applying themselves. This isn’t to say that some kind of training and education isn’t helpful. This kind of training will allow the pharmacy tech to be able to understand what some chemicals do and what others don’t do. This helps when assisting customers that arrive to their counter looking to fill a prescription.
Are pharmacy technician required to be certified?
There are many ways to become certified as a pharmacy technician and it is suggested that any pharmacy technician that is serious about making this job a career receives a certification. This requirement varies from state to state. In the state of Hawaii, however, pharmacy technicians not required to be certified to work in that capacity.
How can a pharmacy technician become certified?
Becoming a certified technician usually comes through studying through a training program that provides access to certification exams. These exams are required to become certified as a pharmacy technician. Whereas the necessity of being certified is often not required, those that are certified are looked upon as a greater asset and more desired for employment.
Is continuing education necessary?
The continuance in education as a pharmacy technician is dependent on the specific career goals of the technician. Many technicians move on to become physicians or chemists that create the pharmaceuticals in which they once distributed. For these career goals, having an education is not only necessary, but required.
Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average for a pharmacy technician is around $29,000. This is surprisingly higher that the state of Hawaii where the range of salary for the technician is between $15,000 and $22,000 annually. This reflects a drop of nearly 20% is nearly two years. This is likely the results of an increase in online pharmacies and the mailing of pharmaceutical needs from other resources.
Pharmacy Technician Job Duties
The pharmacy technician is one part chemist, one part clinical support, and one part customer service. The pharmacy tech fills prescription orders as directed by physicians for customers to pick up. Most pharmacy technicians work behind a counter with a surplus of various pills, medicines, and ointments to fill the prescriptions. Customer service is a huge part of the job as they are the catalyst that allows customers to receive the pharmaceuticals in which they are prescribed. While some pharmacies are dedicated to pharmaceutical needs, a majority of pharmacy technicians will work within a department store where the pharmacy is provided as a service.
What tasks is a pharmacy technician legally allowed to perform?
Legally, pharmacy technicians cannot offer any medical advice regarding a condition in which any pharmaceutical is used for. Equally, they are not allowed to administer or give any pharmaceuticals that are not prescribed by the physician. Many of the drugs and medicines are controlled substances. Extending, changing, or adding to a prescription without the consent of a physician is illegal and unethical. Pharmacy technicians are allowed to give advice regarding the dosage in the form of information regarding the substances. They are to explain any side effects or symptoms that could occur with using the prescribed drug as well as inform customers of any risks involved with taking them.