Is Pharmacy Technician a Good Career
By
March 7, 2019
4 min
In This Article
Before beginning training for any vocation, it’s important to know if it’s the right career path for you. A pharmacy technician is a good profession for anyone who is detail oriented, able to grasp mathematical equations, and enjoys working with patients. The points below further outline the reasons a career as a pharmacy technician may be right for you.
Relatively flexible hours
Pharmacy Technicians’ stress levels are usually fairly low as they don’t have the same clinical responsibilities as pharmacists, and they’re often able to maintain consistent working hours. This makes a career as a pharmacy technician desirable for individuals with families. Depending on the type of pharmaceutical environment you choose to practice, you will also have the luxury of working exclusively within daytime and evening hours. For pharmacy technicians working in a hospital setting, this may not be the case.
Highly social profession
Anyone considering a career as a pharmacy technician should enjoy interacting with the public and answering patient questions. On occasion, guests of the pharmacy might be aggravated or confused and so pharmacy technicians should be patient individuals with the ability to put those around them at ease. If you thrive off of socializing and making patients feel relaxed and infomed, pharmacies are typically busy environments with lots of opportunities to meet new people and establish relationships with surrounding communities.
Good working conditions
Pharmacy technicians can work in hospitals, personal-care homes, box-retail stores, community pharmacies, and other healthcare facilities. Typically, these types of facilities are well-lit, clean, and friendly environments that are desirable places to work. When enrolled in a pharmacy technician course, you will learn about the various work environments available to grads of pharmacy technician programs so you’re able to make an informed decision about the the type of facility that aligns best with your interests and career ambitions.
Advancement opportunities
A pharmacy technician’s job description encompasses a number of responsibilities that provide the technician with a wealth of experience and knowledge in many aspects of the pharmaceutical industry. For this reason, pharmacy technicians who have worked for a few years and established connections within the industry have plenty of advancement opportunities. For example, pharmacy technicians may decide to become a pharmaceutical representative, a technology specialist supporting with pharmaceutical software, or even transition into a management position within the same profession.
Some pharmacy technicians choose to return to school to become a licensed pharmacist. While this career move obviously requires additional education, pharmacy technicians have a strong grasp on many of the tasks practiced by pharmacists and will have an easier time completing the necessary schooling and establishing themselves within the industry.
Detail-oriented work
Not everyone can boast that they excel at detail oriented tasks. If you’re considering a career as a pharmacy technician, you should be aware that you’ll be required to perform a number of highly technical duties throughout your work day, such as sterilizing work environments, recording medication stocks, and dispensing prescriptions to patients. If you enjoy these types of tasks, then a career as a pharmacy technician may make sense for you.
Hopefully, after reading over the above points and comparing them with your own skill sets and career ambitions, you will have a better idea of if a career as a pharmacy technician makes sense for you. Another point worth noting is that it doesn’t take long to become a pharmacy technician. At Robertson, our 40-week Pharmacy Technician Diploma Program based in Winnipeg or Calgary provides students with hands-on training in classroom and clinical settings. Reach out to a Robertson Admissions Advisor today for more information.
