Retail or hospital: two different jobs
About 51% of pharmacy technicians work in pharmacies and drug retailers, and another 9% in general merchandise and 8% in grocery stores, mostly in the pharmacy counters of those stores. Hospitals employ 18%, and ambulatory healthcare services 5%. The title is the same, but the work is not.
In a retail pharmacy, the day revolves around patients. You take prescriptions at drop-off, enter them, run insurance claims, count and label, ring up orders and answer a phone that rarely stops. In many states you may also give vaccines under pharmacist supervision. Speed and customer service matter as much as accuracy.
In a hospital, technicians prepare a wider variety of medications, including intravenous medications, and may make rounds to deliver medications to patients' units. Some specialize as sterile compounding technicians, preparing injectable medications in a clean room, and technicians may operate automated dispensing equipment. Contact with the public is lower, and the pressure comes from urgent orders and sterile technique. Sample job titles reflect these specialties: chemotherapy pharmacy technician, compounding technician and operating room pharmacy tech.
What pharmacy technicians earn
The median wage is $22.00 an hour, or $45,750 a year. The range is fairly narrow: the lowest-paid 10% earn less than $36,020, the middle half between $37,850 and $49,990, and the top 10% more than $61,040.
Washington has the highest median ($58,900), followed by California ($55,110) and Oregon ($54,900). The largest job markets are Texas (41,740 jobs, median $45,900), California (39,860), Florida (38,460, median $43,590), New York (24,400, median $43,930) and Illinois (21,340, median $46,650). In California, the top 10% earned more than $81,190.
Compared with similar jobs, technicians earn about the same as medical assistants ($45,690 median) and a little less than dental assistants ($48,070). The big jump is to pharmacist, at a median of $140,910, but that requires a doctoral or professional degree.
Training, certification and state rules
You need a high school diploma or equivalent. From there, you either learn on the job, typically in less than a year, or complete a pharmacy technology program at a vocational school or community college. Many programs award a certificate in 1 year or less; longer programs lead to an associate degree. Programs teach pharmacy arithmetic, recordkeeping, dispensing methods, pharmacy law and ethics, and the names, uses and doses of drugs, usually with hands-on clinical experience.
Most states regulate technicians. Depending on the state, that can mean a formal training program, an exam, fees, continuing education, a criminal background check and a minimum age. Some states and employers require national certification: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board's CPhT credential or the National Healthcareer Association's ExCPT. Even where it is optional, certification may make it easier to get hired, and some employers pay for the exam. Check your state board of pharmacy's rules before you pay for any program.
A job that is growing in responsibility
Employment is projected to grow from 471,200 jobs to 501,300 over the next decade, an increase of 30,100, or 6%. Two forces drive it: a large older population, who typically use more prescription drugs, and the growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. At the same time, pharmacists are spending more time on patient care, so technicians are taking over work pharmacists used to do, such as collecting patient information, handling prescription transfers and verifying other technicians' work. With extra training, technicians can specialize in sterile compounding, nuclear pharmacy or medication histories, or become trainers and supervisors.
The honest downsides
The work is detailed and unforgiving: in worker surveys, 98% of technicians rate being exact or accurate as extremely important, and a filling error can cause serious harm. Retail pharmacies are busy, with constant contact with patients (90% report it) and phone calls every day (100%). You stand or walk most of the day, and because pharmacies may be open at all hours, nights and weekends are common. Pay is modest for a healthcare job, and part-time work is common, which can mean fewer benefits.