If you’re curious about working as a pharmacy technician, you should understand what their job duties are and a typical day in their life before enrolling in a program. The Praxis Institute provides a Pharmacy Technician accelerated diploma program to students in the Miami, Florida area that prepares them to obtain licensure. Here, we explore a typical pharmacy technician’s day and the job duties they perform during it.
What Is a Pharmacy Technician?
A pharmacy technician or tech is a healthcare professional who works under the supervision of a pharmacist, assisting them with various tasks. Pharmacy technicians help with organizing, labeling, and dispensing prescription medications to patients or healthcare workers. The duties that a pharmacy tech can perform vary by state, but they can include:
- Collecting information from customers or health professionals to fill a prescription
- Contacting physicians for prescription refills
- Measuring or mixing medication for prescriptions
- Filling automatic dispensing machines with medication
- Packaging and labeling prescriptions
- Organizing inventory and relaying shortages of medications or supplies to pharmacists
- Processing payments and insurance claims
- Entering customer or patient information into a computer system
- Answering phone calls from customers
- Arranging for customers with questions about medications to speak with pharmacists
Before pharmacy technicians can give prescriptions to patients, the pharmacist must review them. To become a pharmacy technician, students often complete a postsecondary education program like the Pharmacy Technician program offered at The Praxis Institute.
Exploring a Normal Pharmacy Technician’s Day
The job duties and responsibilities of pharmacy technicians can vary based on their location and work environment. Most pharmacy technicians work in retail pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies, or hospitals, so a normal day for pharmacy techs in each environment can differ in the following ways:
Hospital
A normal day for pharmacy technicians who work in hospitals often involves the typical duties of filling prescriptions, managing inventory, and processing insurance claims. One difference between a normal day for hospital pharmacy techs vs. retail pharmacy techs is that those working in hospitals often prepare intravenous medicines, as well as oral medications.
They may also make rounds in the hospital to bring medications to patients or help with clinical trials by ensuring medication guidelines are strictly followed. Some hospital pharmacy technicians also help with purchasing medications from pharmaceutical companies.
Retail Pharmacy
Pharmacy technicians working in retail pharmacies also perform daily duties like counting and filling medications, recording patient information, and educating customers on medications. However, retail pharmacy techs often have more customer service duties that they perform on a normal day along with their typical pharmacy duties. These duties include greeting customers, processing payments, and answering insurance questions. Pharmacy technicians in retail stores can also coordinate and perform related services like vaccinations and blood pressure checks.
Mail-Order Pharmacies
Pharmacy technicians who work in mail-order pharmacies have similar duties to those working in retail pharmacies, like filling and refilling prescriptions, verifying authorizations, and checking medication levels. However, they have fewer interactions with patients because they work in a more office-like environment. They also frequently process mail shipments during a typical day.
The Pharmacy Technician Program at The Praxis Institute
If a typical day as a pharmacy technician interests you, get started on the career path by applying to the Pharmacy Technician program at The Praxis Institute. This accelerated diploma program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). It is designed to prepare aspiring pharmacy technicians to obtain licensure and seek employment upon graduation by teaching them about essential topics. Enrolling in the Pharmacy Technician program at The Praxis Institute offers many benefits to students, including:
- Competitive pricing and financial aid opportunities for qualified students
- Flexible schedules and classes taught in English and Spanish
- Knowledgeable teaching staff with vast experience
- Career services
The Pharmacy Technician program is available at our Miami and Hialeah, FL, campus locations, and it has enrollment times every week so you can get started quickly.
Apply to Our Pharmacy Technician Diploma Program Today
Get started on the path toward a rewarding career in pharmacy by applying to the Pharmacy Technician program at The Praxis Institute. Since 1988, The Praxis Institute has provided accessible, short-term training programs to aspiring healthcare workers in the Miami, FL, area. Contact us today to learn more about admission requirements for our Pharmacy Technician program.
