Career choice is a tough aspect of life that one has to encounter at some point in their life. There is a vast choice pool of available careers. Choosing the wrong profession can negatively impact one’s life.
The healthcare industry has always been a high priority for most people globally. This is due to its importance in society, and vast capabilities of growth in it. However, when looking at the healthcare industry, people often concentrate on popular careers such as doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc.
A good career option in the healthcare industry that is often overlooked is a pharmacy technician. Pharmacy technicians work alongside pharmacists. The general description of their duties is to ensure the safety of operations at the pharmacy, and the operational efficiency is top-notch.
Pharmacy technicians perform tasks such as:
- Processing insurance claims
- Dispensing medication to patients
- Organizing pharmacy inventory
- Offering customer support
Looking at the tasks that pharmacy technicians perform, their position as an integral part of pharmacy teams is evident.
We shall look at reasons to become a pharmacy technician.
Fast Program Certification
Similar to other professions, being a pharmacy technician entails studying and passing to get the required career certification. Learning to become a pharmacy technician can take around 6-12 months.
Once done with the stipulated course work, you take the PTCB examination (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board). The exam acts as the last step to take into a competent and promising career as a pharmacy technician.
Before taking the examination, it is advisable to take some PTCB practice tests. There are numerous free practice tests online that help ensure you pass the certification exam. You can also take online study packages to help in preparing you for your PTCB exam.
Lucrative Profession
The healthcare industry offers high compensation. This is one of the reasons why it is so popular. This factor applies to those who work as pharmacy technicians too. Their average annual salary is $47,620.
This salary can be higher based on other factors such as experience and certification level. The wage for technicians who have an associate degree is higher.
The job field for aspiring pharmacy technicians is also predicted to grow significantly in the forthcoming years. This will cause a rise in their salaries too.
Use The Skills Learnt
A vast majority of currently employed people will attest to the fact that they barely use the skills acquired while learning. This is a disappointing factor that has frustrated most employed individuals at their places of work.
Pharmacy technicians make use of the skills that they learn daily. Workplaces even teach more skills and help acquire more knowledge. This is why more experienced pharmacy technicians have higher salaries.
Growing Job Market
The Bureau of Labour Statistics stated that there are 31,700 expected job openings for pharmacy techs yearly. With a significant portion of the population growing old, their need for prescription medicines will rise. This will cause significant growth for the job industry.
Also, with lifestyle conditions such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart diseases, etc., on the rise, more pharmacy techs are needed to offer help. This is because the current work environment in healthcare has rendered pharmacists to perform patient care services, for example, giving flu shots. Pharmacy techs are now required to help to execute duties that had previously been reserved for pharmacists only.
Offering Help to Patients
The most significant aspect of satisfaction in a career is helping people who are in need rather than the profitability of the job. Pharmacy technicians interact with the sick or needy. They offer the necessary help that they need.
Helping people in need will leave you feeling good about choosing pharmacy technician as a profession. Helping people will also make you proud of the impact you are having on the lives of those people.
Those in the career already say it is something they are proud of, and they always look forward to helping others on their workdays.
Hands-On Tasks
Prolonged use of a computer for about twelve hours daily has negative health effects, both physically and mentally. As a technician in the pharmacy, your work is mostly hands-on and does not entail using a computer for more than an hour.
Having hands-on tasks also means that the duties to perform are not repetitive, thus causing boredom. Working as a pharmacy technician is an excellent choice for those who dislike the monotony of other office jobs.
Numerous Workplace Options
A common misconception about pharmacy tech as a profession is that working at community pharmacies is the only job option.
There are numerous workplace options that pharmacy techs can choose from. Pharmacy techs can choose to work at:
- Nursing homes
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Compounding pharmacies
State departments also offer employment opportunities to pharmacy technicians.
The vast workplace options field ensures that even if you decide to relocate, you will easily secure a job.
Numerous Roles at Workplaces
As a pharmacy tech, the duties that are allocated to you as an employee are largely dependent on your place of employment. A job at community pharmacies mostly entails associating with and helping patients.
A job at a compound pharmacy, on the other hand, will entail less interaction with the public. While choosing a workplace, you should therefore consider the roles that will be allocated to you. With this in consideration, you can now choose a workplace that you will be comfortable in.
Conclusion
When choosing pharmacy technician as a career, you should also offer keen scrutiny to your learning institution of choice. Some workplaces prefer professionals from certain institutions due to various reasons.
After getting the necessary certification, always keep in mind that apart from advancing your education, there are other ways to get a salary increment. In-job promotions are a good example of a way to get a salary increment.
Another factor to note is that as a pharm tech, you can advance your education and earn more certifications. With this, you can get to advance from a pharmacy technician and become a pharmacist.