Top 5 Skills Every Pharmacy Technician Should Have

Pharmacy technicians play an important role in our medical system. They’re regularly tasked with high-level responsibilities that impact our health, such as informing patients about their medications, supporting pharmacists in preparing prescriptions, and developing long-lasting relationships with communities they operate within.

 

For these reasons, and others, Robertson College Pharmacy Technician Program understands the importance of producing grads with a strong grasp on key pharmacy technician skills.  

 

Here are the top 5 skills every pharmacy technicians should have.

 

1. Communication Skills

 Strong written and verbal communication skills could mean the difference between patients taking medications properly and misunderstandings with potentially serious consequences.

As a pharmacy technician, you’re also required to adapt your communication to meet the needs of different audiences. For example, you must have a clear understanding of the technical terms used to communicate with pharmacists and other technicians, and the ability to adapt this language into layman’s terms for patients.

 

 

2. Numeracy Skills

In our Pharmacy Technician Program students are empowered with the mathematical training to complete important functions of the job. This training provides students with key  pharmacy technician skills, like converting various measurements and rationing medications.

While math may be a dreaded subject matter for many students, it’s an important component of quality pharmacy technician training and a skill that will inevitably be used daily in your prospective workplace.

 

 

3. Organizational Skills

The environment in which pharmacy technicians work is generally quite fast paced, so it’s essential you maintain exceptional organizational skills in your job.

This may sounds straightforward but with multiple tasks arising throughout any given day, it can be challenging to ensure medications are dispensed properly at the right dosages and to the right patients, or that doctor’s offices are faxed to guarantee patients receive important prescriptions on time.

Your ability to stay organized is a key tool within this career, and one that will help you standout as a focused and dedicated worker.

 

4. Computer Skills

 

Pharmacy Technicians use specific programs to keep track of important information, such as patient history, current patient prescriptions, and details regarding the composition of specific medications. In our Pharmacy Technician Program, we take students through the programs students will use in their careers to ensure the classroom setting prepares students for the technologies they will confront in the workplace.

 

5. Ethics Skills

 

Other pharmacy technician skill may come to mind before ethics, but this term happens to be the foundation for trust and credibility within the industry. Students of Robertson College’s Pharmacy Technician Program are taken through the legislation the governs the practice of pharmacy as well as the Code of Ethics of the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba.

 

A strong commitment to ethics will work toward decreasing the circulation of illegal prescriptions in Canada, and prescription drug abuse as a whole.  

 

 

 

 

 

If you have a baseline knowledge in the above skill sets and an interest in participating in the vital work completed by medical professionals, consider a career as a Pharmacy Technician.

This 40-week diploma program offered through Robertson College will provide you with the hands-on experience you need to succeed within this industry, and the opportunity to learn from instructors working within the field. Speak to one of our Admissions Advisors today to learn how you can begin your meaningful career as a Pharmacy Technician.