Are you looking to become a pharmacy technician? 

If so, you're in luck! This is a growing field and there there are over 420,000 pharmacy technician jobs in America alone.

Yes, you'll be working under the supervision of a pharmacist. But, you can also rest assured that you're going to have a handful of significant responsibilities. This includes anything from supplying medication and providing advice to maintaining appropriate inventory.

If you're considering becoming a pharmacy technician, you're going to want to read this. It's time to familiarize yourself with pharmacy technician duties that you'll be responsible for in your position. 

Let's get started! 

1. Supply Medication to Patients 

Of course, one of your primary duties will be to supply medication to patients. This includes supplying both prescription and over-the-counter medication.

In general, a patient will come to the pharmacy with a prescription that needs to be filled. You will fill this prescription, provide advice and cash the transaction out. 

With over-the-counter medication, you'll help the patient to find the appropriate medication. You'll also provide advice and the right dosage for that medication. 

2. Provide Advice to Patients 

In supplying medication to patients, you're also going to have to provide advice to these patients. 

After all, this could be their first time taking this sort of medication. They might also be on other medication and curious as to how the two medications will interact. 

These are important questions that you'll be responsible for providing the answers to. While the pharmacist may be available to assist you, you're going to need general answers to these questions. 

3. Provide Advice to Healthcare Professionals 

In addition, you're going to have to provide this same advice to healthcare professionals. 

This could be anyone in the medical field from doctors and nurses to medical sales representatives. This is especially true for new medication or medication that is currently being tested. 

Of course, these professionals are well-versed in the medical world. However, they will often require more intricate details on some lesser-known medications. 

4. Answer Phone Calls 

You're also going to be responsible for answering some phone calls. 

In general, this is going to be a shared responsibility between both the pharmacist as well as the pharmacy technician. This may be patients calling to ask about their medication. Or, it might even be a general inquiry about a health issue they're experiencing.

These patients will typically be looking for general yet fast and efficient advice. 

5. Fill Bottles with Prescribed Medication

A pharmacy technician will be responsible for filling all prescribed medication. 

This might sound straightforward in terms of filling bottles with pills and capsules. But, it's important to note that medication comes in many forms. This means the technician will also have to administer creams, ointments, and compounds. 

This is a very detail-oriented process that requires extremely careful consideration. 

6. Type up Prescription Information 

Once the bottles are filled, you must detail the prescription information. This will provide patients with basic information such as: 

• Prescription name

• Who the prescription is for

• The dosage of the medication

• How to take the medication

• Potential side effects 

This information is crucial for the patient and it's essential for these descriptions to be accurate and up-to-date. 

7. Managing Medication Inventory 

Each and every pharmacy must ensure that they have an appropriate number of all medications readily available. 

Today, patients expect nearly every type of medication to be available at any given time. This means that the pharmacy technician must manage the inventory of medication and ensure that it is up to the appropriate standard. 

8. Supervise Other Staff 

Some technicians are also going to be responsible for supervising less experienced technicians. 

This is typically reserved for technicians that have the utmost experience and have progressed in their career path. In this role, you may have the added responsibility of managing the remaining employees. You'll also need to ensure that you're maintaining an organized environment. 

9. Handle Cash Operations and Customer Complaints 

Once a patient is given their appropriate medications, it's time to cash out the transaction. As a pharmacy technician, it'll be your job to be responsible for the cash. Here, you'll cash out customers as well an ensuring that that till is functioning correctly. 

Unfortunately, you'll also have to handle customer complaints. This is an unfortunate aspect of the job but one that is a reality. This is especially true for pharmacy technicians that are working in a public environment such as a retail pharmacy.

Having a customer service background is especially helpful for this aspect of the job. Considering that 70 percent of pharmacy technician jobs are in a retail pharmacy, it's easy to see why customer service is so important. 

This will help you understand the best means of handling unhappy customers and how to move forward in the best way possible. 

If this sounds like you, why not consider moving forward in getting your career as a pharmacy technician started? Fortunately, there is an online option that provides everything you need to become a pharmacy technician! 

10. Recommend Further Medical Intervention 

One of the most important responsibilities of the pharmacy technician is to guide sick patients towards further help. 

On a day-to-day basis, a pharmacy technician is going to come into contact with a variety of sick people. Based on their symptoms and severity, the technician will need to understand when it's best for that person to visit a doctor or a hospital. 

Sure, a technician is primarily responsible for a certain degree of advice and providing medication. But, it's also essential to understand when further medical intervention is necessary. 

Tackling Pharmacy Technician Duties 

At the end of the day, a career as a pharmacy technician is a promising one. 

Not only does is offer a stable career path, but it also offers a high degree of responsibility and enjoyment. Pharmacy technicians can look forward to coming into work and helping sick patients each day. 

Before signing up for a career as a pharmacy technician, it's crucial to understand the many pharmacy technician duties. This guide will help to provide an understanding of what your day-to-day operations will look like. 

If these responsibilities sound like a career path you'd be interested in, it might be time to begin the process of being a pharmacy technician!

Be sure to visit our website to read more about health, wellness, and the medical field. 

If this sounds like you, why not consider moving forward in getting your career as a pharmacy tech started?