Pharmacy Technician Training

Training for pharmacy technicians is often informal and hands on in a pharmacy in the beginning.  Informal on the job training generally ranges between 3 and 12 months and can consist of shadowing other technicians or being mentored by the pharmacist.

Informal training and experience can also be developed by first assisting as a pharmacy aid or by volunteering in a community pharmacy or in a hospital. It is definitely an added bonus for you to have experience managing medicine inventories, counting tablets, measuring dosages, and using computers.  It will look great on a resume or on college application.

Being trained through on the job experience is great for your personal development.  You will to learn how the pharmacy runs and what each team member does.  It can be important in a pharmacy to learn the correct way to work the windows, either at the counter or in a drive through, as well as the proper procedure for cashing out a customer, handling insurance and providing accurate and friendly customer service. Strong customer service and teamwork skills are needed because pharmacy technicians interact with patients, coworkers, and health care professionals a majority of the time.

To ensure you have competitive skills as a pharmacy technician, you can combine your on the job training with more formal avenues. Formal training is available through private organizations, community colleges, vocational schools and the military, if you’re on inclined. These formal training programs can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. They usually include both classroom and lab training.  Not all training programs are created equal.  In the next section we will look at how to determine if a program offers quality training that will help you gain employment.

Getting an internship is a great way to round out your pharmacy technician training. If you had formal training, you’ll put all those lessons you learned in school to practical use as you experience how a pharmacy runs on a day-to-day basis. Not only that, but you’ll have the opportunity to receive hands-on pharmacy tech training from the experienced people working with you.

As a working pharmacy technician, one of the best ways to keep up with new developments in the industry is through membership in a professional organization or taking continuing education courses. Ask your pharmacist to recommend organizations or schools to look into for more training through out your career.  For a list of accredited pharmacy technician training programs, you can contact the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.