Pharmacy Technician Requirements: Do You Have What It Takes?
Generally, a pharmacy technician begins his careers at the hands of a pharmacist. The pharmacy technician requirements are mostly the same with all pharmacists. Initially, they are required to sort out medicines and label bottles with a good amount of skill and dexterity in their work. They are required to maintain the files and the records of the medicines sold by the pharmacist and to keep a stock record of all medicines so that the pharmacist is never in a no stock situation. All pharmacy technicians have to do these jobs to get to learn the main job of a pharmacist. Over a period of time the pharmacy technician masters the art of inventory management and maintaining book records of receipts and issues. He follows the pharmacist’s advice as closely as he can because he longs to rise over the present designation and be a senior pharmacist technician.
The most important job of a pharmacy technician is to prepare the medicines that have been prescribed by the doctor. The pharmacist initially trains the technician to follow the correct mixing of the ingredients with absolute confidence in what he is doing. He has to make notes of the mixture so that he is not inconvenienced later on in the absence of the pharmacist. The pharmacy technician requirements are varied and not necessarily bound within the confines of medicine closet. He not only prepares the medicines, he has to also look after the lists of medicines to be prepared by the pharmacist and keep the medicines all ready for clearance and distribution amongst the patients.
Bigger pharmacy retail stores and mail order pharmacy stores employ pharmacy technicians. These technicians download the requirements of the patients, and collect the hard copies of the prescriptions of the doctors. Their work begins immediately when prescriptions are collected. Speak of the pharmacy technician requirements and you have ‘Speed’ and ‘Pro activeness’ which form the most important qualities of a pharmacy technician. He has to prepare a number of medicines as per prescriptions, pack them, label the bottles, and keep the packs ready for delivery. He cannot afford to be lethargic or slow moving. The more he is efficient the more is the output and sales of the pharmacist.
Over and above this the pharmacy technician requirements stretches to handling phone calls and being an expert customer service executive as well. Over the years, as the pharmacy technician grows with the pharmacist, he matures to be the senior technician and at one point of time the assistant pharmacist.
