There are many different types of jobs you can choose from, even within the medical field. So, now it’s not as easy as simply deciding you’re going to go into this field, now you must also decide what you want to do within this field. One job worth considering is that of a pharmacy technician.
Job Outlook for Pharmacy Technicians
According to the U.S. Government, there will be a 20 percent growth in jobs for pharmacy technicians before the year 2022. This is faster than the growth for most occupations. This is because the population is growing older and those people tend to use more prescription than younger people.
How to Become a Pharmacy Technician
With the expected growth in the need for trained pharmaceutical technicians in the near future, this is one of the career fields you may wish to consider. What will probably surprise you though is there’s really no formal education requirements for anyone who wants to become a pharmacy technician as long as you have your high school diploma. However, there are some places like Arizona College that offer pharmacy technician training.
One of the main benefits of attending this type of program is it will increase your job outlook since employers typically prefer to hire someone who has completed a formal training program. These programs usually last between a year and two and award you either a certificate or associate’s degree.
During such a program you’ll learn about various medications, as well as pharmaceutical procedures, terminology, and legalities. After graduating from a pharmacy technician program, you should also seriously consider an internship, if it wasn’t a part of the program itself. This is a great way to put everything you learned to work while you’re supervised by a professional pharmacist. By doing so, you’ll gain more valuable experience in this field. You’ll also become more familiar with things like medication names, dosages, and how they could interfere with your other medications. At the same time, you’ll also get to network with others in the field so you increase your employment opportunities when you’re prepared to start working.
Changes in Recertification Requirements Effective in 2015
When you choose to become a certified pharmaceutical technician, you’re responsible for renewing your license on June 30 of years with even numbers. This will cost you $25 and you can do it online, but you must also complete 20 continuing education (CE) hours too. You’ll also need this license when undergoing your training or while working an internship. The only difference is those licenses start with the numbers “99.”
There is a major change to this licensing process. This change goes into effect as of this year, 2015, so you must know about it if you need your license renewed this year or in any following year. It states that you’re now required to have CE hours whether you’re recertifying or being reinstated. These are only acceptable if they’re specific classes you’d need as a pharmacy technician.
According to the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) they will continue accepting CE hours in pharmacy-related subjects as long as you’ve completed on December 31, 2014, or before that date. However, any CE hours that you after January 1, 2015, you must complete in subjects that specifically pertains to pharmacy technicians. The PTCB is doing this to help ease the transition to the new requirement.
The types of classes the licensing board expects you to take for them to count for your license depend on whether you’re renewing your license or having it reinstated.
When renewing your license, the following types of CE hours are acceptable:
- 1 hour in pharmacy law
- 1 hour of patient safety
- 18 hours in anything about to your career as a pharmaceutical technician
However, when recertifying only the following types of CE hours are acceptable:
- 2 hours in pharmacy law
- 1 hour in patient safety
- 17 hours in anything about your career as a pharmaceutical technician
Whether you need an extra 17 or 18 hours, you can earn 5 of those hours through in-service projects or training earned at your workplace under a pharmacist’s direct supervision. It’s important to note in the past you could use 10 hours to fulfill your requirement. As before, you can’t earn any of these hours doing your regular work duties. You must do specially assigned in-service projects or you must do the training outside of your regular responsibilities.
Conclusion
Now you know what type of training goes into becoming a pharmacy technician and what to expect of this career, it’s time to consider whether this is for you. If it is, that’s great, but if not, don’t fret. There are other jobs in the medical field worthy of your consideration as well.