Is Pharmacy Technician a good career choice? While individual choices and preferences may be very important in answering this question, the answer for the most part is YES based on the data and my
A pharmacy technician is a health care professional who works under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist to execute pharmacy related duties in different settings. These days, there always seem to be openings for pharmacy technician roles hence the question:
Is Pharmacy Technician a good career choice? While individual choices and preferences may be very important in answering this question, the answer for the most part is YES based on the data and my personal interaction with a number of pharmacy technicians.
With that said, let us examine some of the reasons in favor of considering pharmacy technician as career choice.
Reasons Why Pharmacy Technician Is A Good Career Choice (Pros)
It Is Relatively Easy To Find A Job
There always seems to be an opening for pharmacy technicians every time I check. The Bureau of Labor Statistics project the pharmacy technician growth rate at 7%, which is faster than average for all occupations. This is largely attributed to an increased demand for pharmaceutical services as the population ages. This has made finding a job in the field relatively easy, as there is real demand.
Relatively Low Entry Requirements
The official entry requirement to be a pharmacy technician is a high school diploma. While it is true that there there are a lot of training programs that offer a path to certification, the real minimum is a high school diploma followed by on-the-job training.
I have personally hired and trained many pharmacy technicians who had no clue about pharmacy or medications, let alone read and understand doctors’ handwriting, to become seasoned pharmacy technicians.
Inexpensive To Become One
It is relatively inexpensive to become a pharmacy technician. As stated above, since no formal or college education is required, you may very well become a pharmacy technician with zero debt or loans.
The good part is that most employers pay for you to become certified, once you get your feet into the doors.
The Pay Is Competitive
The median pay for pharmacy technicians is $32,700 per year or $15.72 an hour according to the BLS. While this is not necessarily something to get overly excited about, if you consider that the entry requirement is a high school diploma with usually no job experience, that figure starts to look a little attractive.
Hypothetically speaking, a household with two full time pharmacy technicians will have a household income of $65,400 which is slightly higher than the national median household income of $63,179 according to USA Today.
Offers An Opportunity For Life Long Learning
Being a pharmacy technician offers so many opportunities for life long learning in the health care sector. Pharmacy, and healthcare for that matter, is such a dynamic environment with new medications and policies coming out on a regular basis.
Pharmacy technicians are offered a front row seat to this and end up picking up vital information that is helpful in managing their own health, and that of their loved ones.
Flexibility To Transfer To Different Geographical Locations
The ability to transfer from one location to another, if you work in a chain drug store is huge. Whatever the reason that may necessitate such a transfer, it is always comforting to know you don’t need to find a completely “new” job should you decide to relocate.
It could be just across town or across country. You may, for the most part, be able to seamlessly transfer to a different location. You will be able to clock in and start doing your job like nothing changed.
Can Serve As A Launch Pad For Different Career Options
I have personally seen pharmacy technicians transition into other roles including becoming pharmacists. Of course that particular scenario will require further education, as in going to a pharmacy school.
I have also seen pharmacy technicians transition into sore managers and successfully work their way up the corporate ladder.
Enjoy Discounts As Employees Of Most Chain Stores
There are also some perks that come with working in a chain pharmacy – the employee discounts. CVS for example offers a 20% discount on non-store branded items and 30% discount on store branded items.
Who doesn’t love discounts? I know I do.
Work From Home Opportunities
While not very widespread, there is a possibility to land a work from home opportunity. These opportunities are usually available within the insurance companies.
Pharmacy technicians in this setting have the ability to work from home, assisting patients and customers with all manner of things including, prior authorizations, help understanding their benefits and finding cost saving coupons for these patients.
With that said, it will be unfair not to look at the other side of the coin so the following are some considerations to take into account before taking the plunge.
Reasons Why Pharmacy Technician May Not Be A Good Career Choice (Cons)
Can Be Stressful
Generally speaking, a job that deals with constant interaction with people may sometimes not be the easiest thing to do and may not be for everyone. This is compounded when the majority of the people you are dealing with tend to be sick.
This can sometimes create a perfect storm for some very uncomfortable exchanges with customers, some of whom may be just plain inconsiderate.
This, coupled with the need for timely delivery, 100% accuracy and corporate pressures to achieve targets, may end up creating a stressful work environment.
Work Evenings, Holidays & Weekends
It is no secret that people don’t stop being sick just because it is the weekend or a holiday or because other offices are closed. As a matter of fact, the evenings are some of the busiest times in most pharmacies.
This means that as a pharmacy technician,you will be called upon to work some hours that most people will generally prefer not to, especially on holidays.
The good thing is that, since there are usually more than a few pharmacy technicians employed at any location, there is almost always some rotation system such that one person is not stuck with the unfavorable hours all the time.
If for some reason, you absolutely cannot work a during a certain time frame, it will be a good idea to make that known upfront, as this will lead to less confrontations with your managers down the line.
Qualities That Will Make You Likely To Succeed As A Pharmacy Tech
Attention To Detail
This cannot be overemphasized. Working in a pharmacy demands 100% accuracy and anything short of that can be a life or death situation.
People Skills
As you will be dealing with people for the most part, your ability to relate well with people will go a long way to ensure your success in a pharmacy technician career path.
Communication Skills
The ability to convey information that may sometimes be complex to people in a language that they can understand is essential. I have realized over the years that a lot of avoidable incidents in the pharmacy were due to miscommunication.
Compassionate
Being compassionate is really a must for anybody that works in any kind of healthcare setting.
Dependability
A lot will ride on your shoulders when you accept a role as a pharmacy technician and your dependability will be essential. This is not one of those roles where you can just call out or do a no call no show. This may lead to unwanted chaos in the pharmacy.
Adaptability
Working as a pharmacy technician will require some adaptability and flexibility on your part. You may work with different pharmacists who do things differently and the onus will usually be on you the pharmacy technician to adapt to different scenarios.
Conclusion
In conclusion, despite what I consider as minor cons, I still believe that being a pharmacy technician is a good career choice due to to the relatively low barrier to entrance, the wonderful outlook and the possibility of using it as a launch pad if you change your mind down the line.