| Is it worth becoming a pharmacy technician? First of | | | | years experience you could have your health |
| all, I can't answer that for you. What I can do instead | | | | insurance paid for in retirement until you died. They |
| though is a give you a general overview of some of | | | | also offered stock options and bonuses. |
| the good points and bad points as I see them and | | | | The point is that any job in the medical field right |
| then let you make up your own mind. | | | | now can be a good place to be because they are |
| If all else fails, ask around. You probably know some | | | | hurting for workers and the need, on the consumer |
| people who are pharmacy technicians. In turn, they'll | | | | side, for medical care never goes away. |
| know five other people who are pharmacy | | | | Negatives of Becoming A Pharmacy Technician |
| technicians and so on and so forth. Just continue | | | | Won't Get Rich: While you can make some decent |
| down the line and pay attention to recurring themes. | | | | money as a pharmacy technician you'll likely never |
| Positives of Becoming A Pharmacy Technician | | | | get rich doing it. |
| Quickness: Sometimes I cringe I to think about all the | | | | The highest I've ever seen a technician paid in my |
| time, effort and money I put into pharmacy school. | | | | area was $20 an hour. Good money - particularly for |
| Six years. Thousands of hours. Tens of thousands of | | | | no formal education. But that's probably about as high |
| dollars. Of course, the payoff has been pretty nice. | | | | as you'll see. |
| At least for most people it would be considered nice. | | | | Animosity: This is kind of a touch subject for some |
| But there were times, oh were there times, when | | | | technicians because they feel like they are being |
| you thought about packing it in and giving it up | | | | picked on. But that's not what I'm trying to do. What |
| because six years seemed so far down the road. | | | | I am trying to do is point out that when you are a |
| And that was if you got through without any | | | | pharmacy technician you are basically a helper to the |
| problems. | | | | pharmacist. After a while some technicians see that |
| I know a fair amount of pharmacists who took | | | | pharmacists are 'just checking' prescriptions and that |
| longer. Sometimes up to ten years. A decade of your | | | | they do most or all of the work. |
| life. | | | | First of all, you will work with some bad pharmacists |
| But if you want to learn how to become a pharmacy | | | | from time to time. Maybe they do make you do |
| technicians it's a lot different. In my experience you | | | | more than your comfortable with. Maybe they are |
| can go from cold, off-the-street, don't know a thing | | | | jerks. It could be any number of things. But you have |
| about pharmacy person and within ninety days be a | | | | to get over that. Being subordinate to the pharmacist |
| functioning and ready to be certified technician. Within | | | | is part of your job - and your job description. |
| a year you could be certified and head technician | | | | Other times technicians feel that pharmacists don't |
| making $13 or $14 an hour. Not a princes sum, but | | | | really do anything that special or complicated and that |
| for a lot of people it's nothing to sneeze at. | | | | they should be paid more. This is the group I struggle |
| All this was done in a fairly quick amount of time with | | | | with the most as I can promise you that pharmacists |
| most (if not all of it) being done on-the-job without | | | | take all of the responsibility for everything you do. |
| having to dole out your hard earned money or time | | | | That's why they are paid three times more than you. |
| for college courses. | | | | If you screw something up and the pharmacist |
| Surroundings: My dad used to harp on doing | | | | doesn't catch it guess who gets a call from the |
| something that you didn't have to work outside. | | | | patient's attorney? |
| Imagine...warm during the winters and cool during the | | | | Yep...the pharmacist. Not the technician. |
| summers. | | | | If that's hurts some feelings so be it. But it's the |
| Well, he's right. Not to mention that most employers | | | | truth. |
| will give you pretty decent benefits. I still smile when | | | | So, does that seem like a lot of downside to you? It |
| I look outside in August when I see people struggling | | | | shouldn't. |
| in the 97 degree heat while I'm comfortably working | | | | Becoming a pharmacy technician is a relatively easy |
| in an air conditioned pharmacy. | | | | field to get into. You get paid decent. The demand |
| Speaking of surroundings, you're also not beating | | | | will always be there. And, if you prove your worth, |
| your body up to make a buck. No strained backs, | | | | you can make it into the $20 an hour range. |
| sunburns, broken fingers and the like. Of course, you | | | | Depending on where you live that may or may not |
| can end up on your feet in pretty much one spot for | | | | be a lot of money. But, considering that there are |
| hours on end - but every job has trade offs. | | | | some people I know who went to college for five |
| Benefits: Most of the time when you are a technician | | | | years for a worthless degree and are now qualified |
| you'll be working for larger corporations. And, as such, | | | | to ask, "do you want fries with that" for $8 an hour |
| they are used to paying benefits for their | | | | it seems like a pretty decent trade-off. |
| employee's. Sometimes the benefits are | | | | Besides, becoming a pharmacy technician may help |
| extraordinary. | | | | you decide that you want to go do something more |
| For example, one of my employers (in mail order at | | | | or do something more. If you train on the job all that |
| the time) offered free health care insurance. And, not | | | | cost you to realize that was some of your time. No |
| just for you. But your whole family. Didn't matter if | | | | money. You can't say that about a college degree. |
| you had one kid or ten. You didn't pay a dime. | | | | And, believe it or not, I know doctors who only |
| Also, they had a package set up that if you worked | | | | realized they never wish they would have become a |
| for them until age 55 and had a certain amount of | | | | doctor until their second year of residency. Ouch. |