HowtoBecomeaPharmacist/PharmacyTechnician JobDescription PharmacyTechniciansworkalongsidePharmacistsandhavemanydifferent responsibilitiesintheirjobsetting.jobrequirementsincludemeasuringand labelingmedications,countingpills,workingwithpatientrecordsandtakinginsurance information.pharmacytechniciansmayalsocompiledrugandsupplyinventory,order supplies,andcleanequipment. PharmacistsdispensedrugsprescribedbyDoctorsandprovideinformationtopatients aboutthemedicationandhowtouseit.theyappropriatelyandsafelytellcustomersabout theinteractionofmedicinesandover the counterdrugs.pharmacistsunderstandtheuse, clinicaleffects,andcompositionofdrugs,includingtheirchemical,biological,andphysical properties.pharmacistsmustlearnhowtorecognizeandclassifyhundredsofmedicines aswellashowtopreparesomemedications.theybuyandsellnon pharmaceutical suppliesandhireandsupervisepersonnel,suchaspharmacytechnicians. WorkEnvironment PharmacistsandPharmacyTechniciansworkinwell lightedlabsandstores,andthey standamajorityofthetime.thesecareerprofessionalsusuallyworkover40hoursper weekincludingeveningsandweekends.insomehospitalsthatareopen24hoursperday, therearemanyshiftsavailable.pharmacistsandpharmacytechnicianshavetobeableto useacomputerformaintainingpatients records,printinglabels,andupdatinginventory records.pharmacytechniciansarerequiredtoliftandmoveheavyboxesofsuppliesand pushdeliverycartsinahospitalenvironment.pharmacistsneedtohavegood communicationskillstoexplaindosageanddruginteractionswiththepublic. CareerOutlook ThefieldforPharmacyTechnicianshasincreasedduetomoreretailandgrocerystores providingpharmacyservices.jobsareavailableinmanysettingsincludinghospitals,drug stores,grocery,clubandsomeretailchainstores.withpharmacistsbecomingmore involvedwithdirectpatientcare,theneedforpharmacytechnicianstostepinandhelpis immense. TheemploymentprojectionsforPharmacistsalsoshowsrapidgrowth. Income CaliforniaLaborMarketInformationlistsmonthlywagesforPharmacyTechnicians: EntryPay($2,541);AveragePay($3,066);andTopPay($3,495+).Arecentpay scale studyshowsthatapharmacytechnicianworkinginahospitalsettingmakes$2to$3more perhourthanatechworkingforafranchise.technicianswhospecializeincomputer operationsmakemorethanthosewhospecializeinotherareas.nuclearpharmacy Technicianstendtomakemoremoneythananon specializedpharmacytechniciansbut requiremuchmorespecializedtraining. TheaveragemonthlysalaryforPharmacists: EntryPay($9,377);AveragePay($9,933);andTopPay($11,077+) 1
HowtoBecomeaPharmacist/PharmacyTechnician 2 TherearemanybenefitsassociatedwithworkingasaPharmacyTechnicianorPharmacist, includinghealthinsuranceandpricebreaksonprescriptions.somejobsoffershiftwork, whichisappealingtomanypeoplelookingforlongerhourswithmoredaysoff.retirement plansareoftenoffered,asareopportunitiesforpromotion. Education PharmacyTechnician: AspiringPharmacyTechniciansshouldchooseaccreditedschoolsinordertoensurethat theyreceiveaqualityeducation.accordingtotheaccreditationcouncilforpharmacy Education,theAmericanSocietyofHealth SystemPharmacists(ASHP)isoneagencythat evaluatespharmacytechniciantrainingprograms. MostPharmacyTechnicianprogramscanbefinishedinlessthan12months,makingthis professionappealingduetoitsshortcertificationtime.however,somegraduatesofa PharmacyTechnicianprogramearnanAssociateofSciencedegree.Thetypeofcredential earneddependsontheschoolandlengthoftheprogram.apharmacytechnicianwho earnstheassociate'sdegreemaybemoredesirabletoemployersseekingtohireentrylevelemployees. StudentsenrolledinaPharmacyTechnicianprogramtakeavarietyofcoursesinorderto prepareforacareerinthefield.typicalclassesincludecoursesinmedicaland pharmaceuticaltechnology,pharmaceuticaltechniques,pharmaceuticalethicsand pharmacylaw.futurepharmacytechnicianslearnhowtocalculatepropermedication dosages. BeforegraduatingfromaPharmacyTechnicianprogram,studentsmustalsocompletean internshipinordertogainreal worldexperienceinthefield.internsmayworkin pharmacieslocatedinhospitalsorretailestablishments.theyworkunderthesupervision ofexperiencedpharmacistsandpharmacytechnicianstogainpracticalskillstheywilluse intheworkplace. FoothillCollege Certificate,PharmacyTechnicianProgram(nine monthsequenceofinstruction) A.S.Degree,PharmacyTechnicianProgram(two yearcoursesequencefordegreeand allowsthestudenttheabilitytotransfertoafour yearprogramortoenterthejobmarket withadditionaltechnicalandtheoreticalbackground) Education Pharmacist: StudentswhowanttobecomeaPharmacistcanbeexpectedtostayincollegeforatleast sixyears.itisrecommendedthatanundergraduatestudentmajorinbiochemistryand thentransferintoadoctorateprogram.thecaliforniastateuniversitysystemdoesnot offerprogramsinpharmacy,soastudentshouldresearchtheucandprivateschool systems.
HowtoBecomeaPharmacist/PharmacyTechnician UndergraduatecourseworkshouldincludeAnatomy,Biologywithlab,Calculus,Chemistry, English,PhysicswithLab,andSociology. Professionalcourseworkistaughtthroughlectures,laboratorywork,andfieldexperience. Ingraduateschool,thefollowingsubjectswillbemastered:AnatomyandPathology, PharmaceuticalChemistry,PharmacyAdministration,PharmacyLaw,Physiology,Poison Control,andSurveyofPrescriptionProcedures. SomePharmacyschoolsrequireapplicantstotakethePharmacyCollegeAdmissionTest (PCAT)and/ortheCollegeEntranceExaminationBoard(CEED)inhighschoolorcollege. Entryintopharmacycollegeislimitedandcompetitive.Studentsneedhighgradesanda strongbackgroundinbiology,chemistry,physics,andmathaswellasgoodwrittenand verbalcommunicationskills. UCDavis M.S./Ph.D.,PharmacologyandToxicology UCIrvine B.S.Degree,PharmaceuticalSciences M.S./Ph.D.,PharmacologyandToxicology UniversityofCaliforniaSchoolofPharmacy,UCSanFrancisco DoctorofPharmacy(PharmD),Pharmacy http://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/about UCLosAngeles M.S./Ph.D.,MolecularandMedicalPharmacology(Medicine) UCSantaBarbara B.S.Degree,Pharmacology License TopracticePharmacyinCalifornia,apersonmustmeettheRegisteredPharmacist requirementsofthecaliforniaboardofpharmacyprovidedinthepharmacistlicensure Examinations.Thelicensingprocessisprimarilycomposedto2examinations: 1.NorthAmericanPharmacistLicensureExam(NAPLEX) 2.CaliforniaPracticeStandardsandJurisprudenceExaminationforPharmacists(CPJE) PharmacistsRequirementsforthelicense: B.S.DegreeinPharmacyfromanaccreditedschoolofPharmacy; Completed1,500hoursofinternshipOR; 1yearworkexperienceasaregisteredPharmacistinanotherstate Fingerprinted Licenserenewalevery2years 3
HowtoBecomeaPharmacist/PharmacyTechnician PharmacyTechnicianRequirementsforthelicense: A.A.orA.S.DegreeinPharmacyTechorcompletionofaccreditedPharmacyTech trainingprogram; Minimumof1,500hoursasaPharmacyClerkOR; 1yearandminimumof1,500hoursperformingdutiesasaPharmacyTechnician; Licenserenewalevery2years AccordingtotheU.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,themajorityofstateswithintheUnited StatesrequirePharmacyTechnicianstoregisterwiththeStatePharmacyBoard.Despite thisfact,certificationasapharmacytechnicianisoftennotrequired.pharmacy Technicianswhochoosetoearncertificationcantakeanationalexamdevelopedbythe InstitutefortheCertificationofPharmacyTechnicians(ICPT)orthePharmacyTechnician CertificationBoard(PTCB). Warnings IfyouarebecomingaPharmacyTechnician,thereareafewthingstowatchoutfor.When youbeginajob,askspecificallyifshiftandon callworkwillberequired.somepharmacies requiretechstoworkoncallduringtheweekends,limitingthetimethattheycanspend withtheirfamilies.beprepared,also,tobeonyourfeetalldayatwork.thoughmost employersprovidecarpetstostandon,standingfor8hoursadaycancausebackandneck problems. SourcesofAdditionalInformation Pharmacists&PharmacyTechniciansmustbelicensedthrough: CaliforniaBoardofPharmacy 625NorthMarketBlvd.,SuiteN219 Sacramento,Ca95834 (916)574 7900 AccreditationCouncilonPharmaceuticalEducation(ACPE) 20NorthClarkStreet,Ste.2500 Chicago,IL60602 5109 www.acpe accredit.org (312)644 3575 AmericanAssociationofCollegesofPharmacy(AACP) 1426PrinceSt. Alexandria,VA22314 2541 www.aacp.org (703)739 2330 4
HowtoBecomeaPharmacist/PharmacyTechnician AmericanPharmacistsAssociation 2215ConstitutionAve.,NW Washington,DC20037 www.aphanet.org (202)628 4410 OccupationalOutlookHandbook 2010 2011 AvailableintheCareerCenterLibrary Eureka:TheCaliforniaCareerInformationSystem www.eureka.org SiteCode:ForcurrentFoothillstudentsonly,pleasecontacttheCareerCenter CareerCenterResourceLibrary Room8329 (650)949 7229 CaliforniaEmploymentDevelopmentDepartment http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/ BureauofLaborStatistics http://www.bls.gov/ 5