Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/690117
June, 2016 l Working World l WorkingWorld.com 7 year of work experience. Technicians must recertify every 2 years by completing 20 hours of continuing education courses. IMPORTANT QUALITIES Customer-service skills. Pharmacy technicians spend much of their time interacting with customers, so being helpful and polite is required of pharmacy technicians in a retail setting. Detail oriented. Serious health problems can result from mistakes in filling prescriptions. Although the pharmacist is responsible for ensuring the safety of all medications dispensed, pharmacy technicians should pay attention to detail so that complications are avoided. Listening skills. Pharmacy technicians must communicate clearly with pharmacists and doctors when taking prescription orders. When speaking with customers, technicians must listen carefully to understand customers' needs and determine if they need to speak with a pharmacist. Math skills. Pharmacy technicians need to have an understanding of the math concepts used in pharmacies when counting pills and compounding medications. Organizational skills. Working as a pharmacy technician involves balancing a variety of responsibilities. Pharmacy technicians need good organizational skills to complete the work delegated by pharmacists while at the same time providing service to customers or patients. Salary Outlook. The median annual wage for pharmacy technicians was $30,410 in May 2015. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,950, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $45,030. In May 2015, the median annual wages for pharmacy technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows: • General medical and surgical hospitals; private: $35,280 • Other general merchandise stores: 29,750 • Department stores: 29,220 • Grocery stores: 28,730 • Pharmacies and drug stores: 28,360 Most pharmacy technicians work full time. Pharmacies may be open at all hours. Therefore, pharmacy technicians may have to work nights or weekends. EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK. Employment of pharmacy technicians is projected to grow 9 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Several factors will lead to increased demand for prescription medications. The population is aging, and older people typically use more prescription medicines than younger people. Higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes among all age groups also will lead to increased demand for prescription medications. Advances in pharmaceutical research will allow for more prescription medications to be used to fight diseases. The number of individuals who have health insurance is expected to continue to increase because of federal health insurance reform. As more people have access to insurance coverage, more pharmacy technicians will be needed to handle their prescriptions. In addition, pharmacy technicians may be needed to take on a greater role in pharmacy operations because pharmacists are increasingly performing more patient care activities such as giving flu shots. Technicians will need to perform tasks such as collecting patient information, preparing more types of medications, and verifying the work of other technicians, tasks formerly done by pharmacists. QUICK FACTS: PHARMACY TECHNICIAN 2015 Median Pay $30,410 per year $14.62 per hour Entry-level Education High school diploma or equivalent On-the-job Training Moderate-term on-the-job training Number of Jobs, 2014 372,500 Job Outlook, 2014-24 9% (Faster than average) Employment Change, 2014-24 34,700