The Job of the Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians helps licensed pharmacists, in retail, medical facilities or Mail Order pharmacies, by providing medication and health care products to patients or customers. Their responsibility includes preparing medication, counting tablets and labeling bottles for prescription and other duties. However, any questions regarding, prescribed medication is referred to the pharmacist. Assisting pharmacy technicians are pharmacy aides, often referred to as clerks or cashiers. The aides responsibilities in a pharmacy includes handling money, stocking shelves, clerical duties and answering telephone inquires.

A pharmacy technician work begins, when a written prescription or request for a prescription refill comes from a patient or receiving a prescription electronically, from a doctor's office. The information must be checked for accuracy, including being completed correctly or interpreting physician's medication order for processing. The technician will then retrieve, count, pour, weigh, measure and sometimes mix the medication, as prescribed by the physician. After the medication is prepared, the appropriate container is selected, accurately preparing prescription labels, and any additional information is prepared for the patient to read, regarding the medication. The technician will prepare any required insurance claims, update inventory records and over-the-counter medications Once the prescription is filled, the technicians will determine the price, and file the prescription for record keeping. The pharmacist technician must have the prepared prescription, reviewed by a pharmacist, before dispensing or submitting the completed order to a patient or customer.