.: Pharmacy Technician - A Closer Look
In the not so distant past when you walked into a pharmacy needing to get a prescription filled you would have, in most instances, found that your prescription was actually filled by the on duty pharmacists. However, over the past few years a change has occurred in the pharmacist arena and that change is, "a pharmacist probably no longer filling your prescriptions". Although pharmacists are on duty wherever medications are dispensed; today in most instances, a pharmacy technician or pharmacy assistant are the ones filling prescriptions.
Pharmacy Technicians and assistants have existed for some time but their roles have evolved for a variety of reasons.
A big reason is that they help to reduce health care costs because they get paid much less than a certified pharmacist. Another important reason is that it simply makes sense. Pharmacy technicians and assistants are trained to handle routine work (fill prescriptions and customer service), which frees up the pharmacists to focus more of their time on supervisory duties, as well as patient care.
Melissa Murer, Executive Director of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, put it this way, "Pharmacists are becoming more focused on patient care, so pharmacy technicians are needed to perform more of the distributive functions."
In this brief (but hopefully informative article) I attempt to demonstrate what pharmacy technician and assistants do and where they do it.
In general, they assist licensed pharmacists in providing medication and health care to patients by preparing and filling prescriptions and performing clerical tasks. Duties are similar but pharmacy technicians generally have more responsibilities. In addition, technicians and assistants are required to be closely supervised by a licensened pharmacist, although the laws defining what "being supervised" entails, varies by state.
In addition to having all of their prescriptions checked by a pharmacist, technicians and assistants must also direct all patient questions regarding drug information, health matters or prescriptions to the pharmacist.
Pharmacy Technicians
Technicians follow specific procedures when filling prescriptions. After receiving an initial prescription or refill request, they must verify that the prescription information is accurate and then count, pour, retrieve, weigh, measure and if necessary, mix the required medication for the prescription. The next step is to prepare and affix the labels to the proper container. After filling the prescription the technician will then price and file it. Another important aspect of a technician's job is to prepare patient insurance forms and establish and maintain patient profiles.
In retail pharmacies, technicians will also stock and take inventory of medications (both prescription and over-the-counter) maintain equipment and help manage the till.
In many hospitals, technicians have the responsibility to read the doctors orders from a patients' chart, prepare and then deliver the medication after it's been checked by a pharmacist. They may also enter information about patients' medical records (regarding their medications) or put together a supply (normally 24 hours) of medicine for patients, including the labeling and packaging of each dose. But just like technicians working in a retail pharmacy, each package is checked by the supervising pharmacist before being given to a patient and they also maintain inventories of medicine and other supplies.
Pharmacy Assistants
Duties are similar to pharmacy technicians and while hospitals and pharmacies employ pharmacy assistants, the number of available positions is generally less than technicians. In retail pharmacies they work as clerks or cashiers, answer phones, handle money and perform clerical duties. In hospitals they also deliver medications and assist in stocking shelves.
Pharmacy technicians and assistants work in clean well-organized areas but are required to spend most of their workday on their feet. And because more and more pharmacies are open 24-hours a day work hours can vary with technicians and assistants are often required to work odds hours (nights, evenings and weekends). Therefore, there are many opportunities to work part-time in 24-hour pharmacies. In addition, a percentage of both technicians and assistants work part time because they are studying to become pharmacists.
States have traditionally required a one-to-one ratio of pharmacist to technician but that is also expected to change. Mark Boesen, Director of Government and Student Affairs for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, has stated that: "Many of the major employers of technicians are expanding the number of their facilities and boards of pharmacy in some States are allowing the legal ratio of technicians to pharmacists to expand. This is a very promising field to work in."
An increasing demand for technicians with greater responsibility has prompted some States to revise their one-to-one ratio of pharmacist to technician to two or three technicians per pharmacist.
As pharmacy technicians take on more and more tasks previously performed by pharmacists, they must also learn and master new technology. A good example is the increased use (by many pharmacies) of robotic machines to dispense medicines. Technicians will be required to oversee the machine, stock bins and label containers.
This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Kevin Erickson is an entrepreneur and writer. For more of his articles visit: Pharmacy Technician | Medical Transcription | Paralegal
.: New Career Articles
1). Waiver Of Approval For Military Active Duty Services For People With A Criminal History
This article is about getting a Waiver of approval for active duty services in the military if you have a criminal history.
2). Comparison Of Army Tankers And Marine Tankers
This article is about how Army Tankers and Marine Tankers are different from each other, but with the same goal in mind.
3). How Do You Want To Be Treated?
A leader is best when people barely know that they exist, not so good when people obey and acclaim them, worse when they despise them.
4). Getting A Job With Help From Microsoft Office
Getting a new job can often be just as challenging and stressful as being employed! When job hunting, you have a large number of contacts to keep track of, CVs and covering letters to write, interviews to prepare for and appointments to keep.
5). How To Write A Great Cover Letter
Many people think that cover letters are a wasted effort and that employers skip right to the resume, but the truth is that a cover letter is the first thing an employer sees as a representation of who you are and needs to catch their interest and look professional.
6). Single Moms in the Military
This article provides information for single moms who want to join the military.
7). The ABC of Bartending Basics
A brief introduction to the life as a bartender and why it is so attractive.
.: Top Career Articles
1). Ancient Egyptian Boats
Egyptians pioneered the development of river craft and there were many different types built for various uses. Agricultural produce, troops, cattle,
2). Pharmacist Resume Samples Will Help You Create An Unmistakable Resume!
Pharmacist resumes must have information of your experience relevant to the position in a quick and clear format. Employers are interested in a highly qualified person and customer friendly attitude.
Apart from highlighting your qualifications, contact information, experience etc, the following points will provide a hint on how to prepare the resume for a Pharmacist position.
3). CeMAP Mock Exam Papers
Are you looking for CeMAP mock exam papers? If you are interested in becoming a mortgage advisor but finding it hard to pass the cemap exams, we can help!
Mostly, five-day cemap training courses in London are based on groups of around 10 people for ease of control and ability to interact with the tutor. The courses are extremely focused, intensive and prepare delegates for the CeMAP 1,2,3 exams.
4). Nursing facts that everyone should know
Most people say it is a career about caring. Others say it is a job about professional administration of medications and cure to patients. Some say it is the duty to work out predicaments by using critical thinking skills.
In whatever way you want to call it, nursing is, indeed, a conglomeration of all these beliefs and the faculty of many other skills.
5). Need a New Career? How to Become a Welder
Find out how to prepare for a welding career.
6). Employee Conflict Resolution
Doin' it Old School - Written by Arizona Human Resources Outsourcing Professionals
In most cases, employees will spend as much if not more time with each other than they do with family and friends when you take into account a 40+ work week. Employees will butt heads every now and again when you have a group of people with varying personalities in close proximity to one another for extended time periods.
7). The Female Firefighter
Firefighting is no longer just the domain of the male. Just like every other career, trade, or profession women have made inroads into this traditionally male territory.