A pharmacy technician is an individual who provides pharmaceutical services that doesn’t require professional judgement regarding preparing and distributing various drugs and is directly responsible and works under a full-fledged pharmacist.
The main duties of pharmacy technicians are:
- Preparing and filling out prescriptions
- Helping customers with their orders
- Routine tasks like labeling bottles or taking prescription requests from doctors
Although some pharmacy technicians work in retail stores like CVS, there are also plenty of job opportunities available in hospitals, federal agencies, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and research labs. In order to succeed in this role, on must be highly detail oriented, be good at math, and must be able to exercise good judgement.
Training and Education Requirements
According to the Board of Pharmacy in Nebraska, there are no current formal educational requirements, aside from possessing a GED or high school diploma. Almost all pharmacy technicians receive training at their workplace by senior pharmacists or other pharmacy technicians.
If an individual does choose to go through training at a local community college or vocational school, they need to make sure that their program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Many training programs have a clinical component during which students train under a pharmacy setting with a senior pharmacist.
While it is not required, passing the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam greatly improves the chances of finding a job quickly and opens up many advanced opportunities in the workplace.
Becoming a Pharmacy Technician
Some of the main requirements for becoming a pharmacy technician in Nebraska are:
- Having a high school diploma or GED
- Being at least 18 years of age
- Never been convicted of any non-alcohol, drug-related misdemeanor or felony
- Passing a criminal background check
- A fee of $25.00 for the application to the State Board of Pharmacy
Career Growth
Pharmacy technicians have the potential to experience good career growth especially if they specialize in one area such as chemotherapy or nuclear medicine. In addition, technicians that have strong performance records in some companies can be promoted into supervisory positions, although they would still be supervised by senior pharmacists. Another career path is for pharmacy technicians to continue their education into pharmacy school to become full-fledged pharmacists.
Salary
The average salary for pharmacy technicians in Nebraska is around $27,000. With more experience and training, the salary can go high as $36,000 or more.
Career Outlook
As the world population continues to grow older, there will be an increased demand for prescription medication to treat various illnesses and diseases. With this trend, insurance providers are demanding that pharmacists expand their role into patient care and education. So pharmacists are turning to pharmacy technicians to meet the ever increasing demand for medications while also maintaing high standards of safety and accuracy. Overall, there is going to be an increased demand for pharmacy technicians in the next few years. The industry is expected to grow around 31 percent, which is a much faster rate than other workplace occupatio