1.7 Professional Outlook for Pharmacy Technicians
Job roles, advancement opportunities, and pay scales vary considerably, depending on whether the position is in a chain pharmacy versus an independent pharmacy, a small hospital versus a larger university hospital or other institutional practice setting, such as a mail-order warehouse, HMO pharmacy, or home healthcare setting.
Job Realities for a Pharmacy Technician
As states vary in their credentialing requirements, they also vary in their pay scales; pharmacy technicians should check pay scales in their areas. For example, California has traditionally had one of the higher pay scales among US states.
For a full-time pharmacy technician, the annual salary range is approximately $20,000 to $53,000 per year, depending on education, experience, and the state’s average cost of living. Working for the federal government in VA hospitals and other facilities is one of the higher paying options, as are hospitals. Many pharmacists and technicians feel that the salary and benefits for technicians in many work settings are currently too low. It is hoped that, in the future, graduates from an accredited pharmacy training program (coupled with a nationally recognized and integrated certification) can expect an improved salary and benefit package with a lower turnover in the profession. As noted, some technicians are moving into advanced technician roles; in some areas, technicians can earn specialty certifications that can increase their pay and responsibilities. Technician roles will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 16.
This child is recovering in a pediatric intensive care unit, assisted by IV fluid therapy prepared by a technician and approved by a pharmacist. Specialty training and certificates can be attained in IV infusion and in pediatric and prenatal medication preparations.
Your Professional Path
As you have seen, the role of a pharmacy technician is a varied one, with increasing options in the workplace setting and different specialties. After practicing for a number of years in one area, you may choose to branch off into another area within the field. Hospital or institutional settings often offer the greatest range of opportunities. Many educators and students are seeking to “stack” their certifications in healthcare expertise, gaining certifications in, for example, healthcare coding, phlebotomy, and Basic Life Support (BLS, formerly CPR) to make themselves more marketable and able to expand their responsibilities and pay range. Some pharmacies already require BLS certification.
You may also consider pursuing a related area or higher level of professional education. You can use your experience as a pharmacy technician as a first step to becoming a licensed or registered nurse, medical assistant or phlebotomist, retail or office manager, dental hygienist or dentist, pharmacist, or even a physician. Through this course, you may want to ask yourself:
What are my short-term goals for being a pharmacy technician?
What are my long-term goals?
What aspects do I like about the field?
What strengths can I offer?
Working through your school, you will want to seek out externships, which are short workplace or job shadowing experiences, or student internships. ASHP requires technicians to have experiences in both community and institutional settings, so that you can have better knowledge of the field.
Whatever the path, you are a key player on a healthcare team in all pharmacy settings. Your work, upon which pharmacists depend, helps determine the health and welfare of your patients. The executive director of the Pharmacy Certification Technician Board, USAF Retired Colonel Everett B. McAllister, MPA, RPh, told Pharmacy Times in 2015, “In many ways, pharmacy technicians are the backbone of the pharmacy operation.”
He commented on the importance of the emerging roles for experienced technicians to support a successful pharmacy team and advised, “Everyone on the team is here to take care of patients: that’s our main responsibility.”