What are some of the daily responsibilities a Pharmacist might expect?

Key pharmacy technician duties
1. Prescription processing & filling
It’s safe to say that every single pharm tech will come into contact with prescriptions. You’ll be tasked with receiving prescriptions, entering data, dispensing medication and verifying with a pharmacist—all of which must be performed accurately and efficiently.

Small mistakes can have a big impact on patient health, so concentration is monumental. Prescription filling may seem like an easy process but there are precise steps in place to evade errors. You will have to be good with math, detail-oriented and attentive to labeling, bag contents, and specific patient needs.

1. Serving customers

Unlike pharmacists, who operate behind the scenes, pharm techs frequently interact with customers. This means you must be able to handle a variety of small tasks like manning the cash register, as well as larger duties like patient scheduling.

Working directly with customers comes with its own challenges. You will have to be friendly and patient when responding to questions. Whether in person or on the phone, requests will come through you before they reach the pharmacist. This could be an ideal career choice for you if you enjoy working with people.

1. Answering medical questions
   Pharmacists are never far away when medicine is being doled out, so patients are able to ask them questions if needed. But there are several questions that a pharm tech is perfectly capable of answering without involving the pharmacist. You should have a moderate level of medical knowledge to assist these individuals.

A pharm tech’s medical knowledge is just as important as their scheduling abilities. The details vary, but every pharmacy tech needs to understand commonly-prescribed drugs—from their composition to how they might interact with other medications.

1. Performing organizational tasks

This is another point where being a stickler for detail will work in your favor. Pharmacy technicians must order, label, stock, verify shipments, remove outdated medicines and address supply and medicinal shortages. They also must often perform organizational tasks beyond managing the actual medicines patients will need, such as data entry, labeling and inventory management. Organizational skills will help you keep all of the important things in line.

1. Critical thinking & problem solving
   While not technically a duty, a day as a pharmacy tech will not pass by without requiring some form of deductive reasoning. Pharm techs are busy from the minute they walk into work for the day. This means you’ll have to be able to keep a cool head, especially if something goes wrong. This could mean troubleshooting the computer system or helping a frustrated customer with an issue.

You’ve been under pressure before in your life. Imagine yourself as a pharmacy tech just before closing time. Last-minute customers might be racing in, stock could be low and prescriptions could be written unclearly. You and your team will have to figure the best way to get every patient what they need. If you can organize and work well with others, you should have no problem overcoming these challenges.