Chapter 10: Additional Careers in Allied Health
Karen Piette
Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of pharmacists, and must have an understanding of pharmacology. Pharmacists will generally dispense prescription medications, and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions while the Pharmacy Technicians will package and label prescriptions, collect information needed to fill a prescription, and in most states, like Washington, they can compound or mix some medications so strong math skills, accurate measurement and attention to detail are important.
Most individuals in the healthcare field are unaware of the important role that compounding medications play in pharmacology. Compounded medication is a drug that is based on each patient’s individual needs, based on a provider’s prescription. For instance, if you are allergic to certain lotions, a pharmacy technician can mix a specific topical medication in the hospital or pharmacy for you that removes the component that can make you have a reaction. The Food and Drug Administration does not approve compounded medications so individuals who combine them need special training.
The role of a pharmacy technician can include mixing, or compounding new medications, in addition to administrative work such as talking to patients or managing pharmaceutical supplies. Pharmacy technicians should be detail-oriented, have basic math skills, be organized and be able to communicate clearly with customers or patients.
Employment Opportunities for Pharmacy Technicians
There are many different practice areas for pharmacy technicians, and they can work anywhere there are pharmacists. Amanda Stringham, Pharm Tech Professor at WVC said, “I think when people think of Pharmacy tech they think of Safeway’s and Walgreens counting prescriptions. Or outpatient community pharmacies where they are filling prescriptions and dispensing them to patients. But in our program we really touch on a lot of other things because the scope of pharm tech can include compounding, which is either mixing things together that you make tablets and capsules and specialized lotions, or compounding in the hospitals like IVs. Some specialty roles for pharm techs can include medicine reconciliation, compounding (mixing) medications, pharmaceutical rep and even technology like building EMRs…we send our pharm techs to a multitude of different places to get that exposure.”
EMRs are electronic medical records, and are a digital documentation of patient records, orders and charts. Pharmacy technicians, as well as MAs, nurses, and other health professionals, will be trained in the EMRs or electronic health records (EHRs) at their employment and even can pursue careers in these fields.
Employment opportunities for pharmacy technicians are looking good. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Occupational Outlook Handbook for pharmacy technicians is projected to grow 5% from 2021 to 2031, which is on pace with other occupations. I