Pharmacy Technician’s main job is to help the licensed pharmacist in their day-to-day duties. From the management of patients contact information to dispensing of medical prescription, the duties of a technician are clearly outlined. They may mix label, measure and count dosage based on what is in the prescription form. However, they must (at all times) work under the instructions of a registered pharmacist.
A Pharmacy Technician at work
Source: Public Photo via Wikimedia
Primary Responsibilities
Initiate and maintain patients profiles, with more focus on the number and type of medications the patient is taking
Play a receptionist role i.e. receive prescription, fill requests and confirm the accuracy of the request and prescriptions.
Handle phone calls from patients touching on requests or other related questions.
Dispensing prescriptions as instructed by the pharmacist
Maintaining a computer database fro all the prescriptions given
Clean the work area and equipment
Process checks, backorders and invoices. Make orders and restock the pharmacy whenever necessary
Packaging of drugs into dose and having a record of the dose packages. Fill prescription bottles with the right medications and label them well
Prepare intravenous packs by adding carefully measured nutrients or drugs to intravenous solutions. Should do this under sterile conditions
Oversee,, from preparation to processing, all the insurance claim forms
Keep a good account of drug sales and charges for equipment
Academic Requirements
Should have at least a high school diploma or equivalent
Associate degree or bachelor degree in pharmacy or relevant disciplines (e.g. medicine or Dentistry) improve the chances of getting hired and better salary
Relevant vocational training in pharmacy related discipline is an added advantage
Experience
Should have experience as a customer care service provider
Should have at least one-year experience of working in hospitals. Experience in handling intravenous admixture and or pharmacy computing is an added advantage.
Skills and Abilities
Must be an active listener to better understand and handle patients’ concerns
Should be a fast learner i.e. someone who can adapt to new ways of solving problems
Must be a fluent speaker in order to pass drug information to the patient in the simplest and clearest way possible
Must possess a high level of social perception i.e. understand the reasons behind people’s behaviors and serve them accordingly
Should have exceptional mathematical and comprehension skills to solve problems and understand the contents of work related forms respectively
Should be energetic, dynamic and above all time conscious as most pharmacies work on a 24-hour basis and have many patients.
Should have a a near vision (i.e. able to see things clearly at close range) and have a higher problem sensitivity to identify beforehand
Abilities such as deductive reasoning and information ordering are needed to find answers to common problems affecting the patients and be orderly respectively
Should be service oriented i.e. always finding new ways to help the patients
Being a medical job and the fact that human lives are at stake, thoroughness during recruitment cannot be over emphasized. It is therefore necessary that candidates with the requisite vocational or on-job-training be given first priority. While academic qualifications are important, employers should not ignore exceptional interpersonal skills when recruiting.