Pharmacy Technician A Closer Look
n the not so distant past simply makes sense. Pharmacy
when you walked into a technicians and assistants are
pharmacy needing to get a trained to handle routine work
prescription filled you would (fill prescriptions and customer
have, in most instances, found service), which frees up the
that your prescription was pharmacists to focus more of
actually filled by the on duty their time on supervisory duties,
pharmacists. However, over the as well as patient care.
past few years a change has
occurred in the pharmacist arena Melissa Murer, Executive Director
and that change is, "a pharmacist of the Pharmacy Technician
probably no longer filling your Certification Board, put it this
prescriptions". Although way, "Pharmacists are becoming
pharmacists are on duty wherever more focused on patient care, so
medications are dispensed; today pharmacy technicians are needed
in most instances, a pharmacy to perform more of the
technician or pharmacy assistant distributive functions."
are the ones filling
prescriptions. In this brief (but hopefully
informative article) I attempt to
Pharmacy Technicians and demonstrate what pharmacy
assistants have existed for some technician and assistants do and
time but their roles have evolved where they do it.
for a variety of reasons.
In general, they assist licensed
A big reason is that they help to pharmacists in providing
reduce health care costs because medication and health care to
they get paid much less than a patients by preparing and filling
certified pharmacist. Another prescriptions and performing
important reason is that it clerical tasks. Duties are
similar but pharmacy technicians The next step is to prepare and
generally have more affix the labels to the proper
responsibilities. In addition, container. After filling the
technicians and assistants are prescription the technician will
required to be closely supervised then price and file it. Another
by a licensened pharmacist, important aspect of a
although the laws defining what technician's job is to prepare
"being supervised" entails, patient insurance forms and
varies by state. establish and maintain patient
profiles.
In addition to having all of
their prescriptions checked by a In retail pharmacies, technicians
pharmacist, technicians and will also stock and take
assistants must also direct all inventory of medications (both
patient questions regarding drug prescription and
information, health matters or over-the-counter) maintain
prescriptions to the pharmacist. equipment and help manage the
till.
Pharmacy Technicians
In many hospitals, technicians
Technicians follow specific have the responsibility to read
procedures when filling the doctors orders from a
prescriptions. After receiving an patients' chart, prepare and then
initial prescription or refill deliver the medication after it's
request, they must verify that been checked by a pharmacist.
the prescription information is They may also enter information
accurate and then count, pour, about patients' medical records
retrieve, weigh, measure and if (regarding their medications) or
necessary, mix the required put together a supply (normally
medication for the prescription. 24 hours) of medicine for
patients, including the labeling because more and more pharmacies
and packaging of each dose. But are open 24-hours a day work
just like technicians working in hours can vary with technicians
a retail pharmacy, each package and assistants are often required
is checked by the supervising to work odds hours (nights,
pharmacist before being given to evenings and weekends).
a patient and they also maintain Therefore, there are many
inventories of medicine and other opportunities to work part-time
supplies. in 24-hour pharmacies. In
addition, a percentage of both
Pharmacy Assistants technicians and assistants work
part time because they are
Duties are similar to pharmacy studying to become pharmacists.
technicians and while hospitals
and pharmacies employ pharmacy States have traditionally
assistants, the number of required a one-to-one ratio of
available positions is generally pharmacist to technician but that
less than technicians. In retail is also expected to change. Mark
pharmacies they work as clerks or Boesen, Director of Government
cashiers, answer phones, handle and Student Affairs for the
money and perform clerical American Association of Colleges
duties. In hospitals they also of Pharmacy, has stated that:
deliver medications and assist in "Many of the major employers of
stocking shelves. technicians are expanding the
number of their facilities and
Pharmacy technicians and boards of pharmacy in some States
assistants work in clean are allowing the legal ratio of
well-organized areas but are technicians to pharmacists to
required to spend most of their expand. This is a very promising
workday on their feet. And field to work in."
must also learn and master new
An increasing demand for technology. A good example is the
technicians with greater increased use (by many
responsibility has prompted some pharmacies) of robotic machines
States to revise their one-to-one to dispense medicines.
ratio of pharmacist to technician Technicians will be required to
to two or three technicians per oversee the machine, stock bins
pharmacist. and label containers.
As pharmacy technicians take on This article may be reproduced
more and more tasks previously only in its entirety.
performed by pharmacists, they
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com
Kevin Erickson is an entrepreneur and writer. For more of his articles visit: Pharmacy Technician | Medical Transcription | Paralegal
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