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What sort of job environment can I expect as a Pharmacy Technician?

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Chelsie’s Answer

Hi Killian,

While I was in college I worked as a Pharmacy Tech at CVS for 3 years. It has been awhile since I was in college however I do still visit the pharmacy I worked at and its still as busy as ever before. The positive is the day flew bye with how busy it always was which was helpful to me. I also found it very interesting to learn about different medications and what they were use for, the generic names vs the brand names and how insurance for pharmacy benefits work. I am glad I had the job and was able to gain some knowledge and even life skills for my future.
With it being fast paced it was very busy and sometimes it was hard to keep up with the competing demands between checking out customers, answering the phones and calling insurance carriers but it helped me learn about prioritization and how to give the best customer service by setting realistic expectations.
The only downfall is there is not a lot of room for advancement unless you plan to go to pharmacy school and become a pharmacist, there really is only the tech or lead tech roles which is why I personally was only doing it while I was in college.

Hope this helps!
--Chelsie
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Anthony’s Answer

Hello,

That is an good question, and like most answers, it depends on several variables, primarily where you are working as a pharmacy technician.
Most pharmacy technicians work in a retail setting where their primary responsibility is to support the pharmacists with patient care. This involves counting medications, inventory management, dealing with insurance claims, helping patients with general issues, typing prescriptions, checking patients out, cleaning the pharmacy, and other responsibilities. The most challenging part of the position is dealing with upset patients. The job environment can be stressful yet leisurely for others, depending on how busy your pharmacy is and how experienced your colleagues are. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of responsibilities of a pharmacy technician in a retail setting. This is an easy job to learn how to do at face value but is very difficult to master and takes quite a time. I often argue that pharmacy technicians are more critical to a pharmacy than pharmacists.

In hospital settings, technicians have more or less the same responsibilities. However, they interact with patients far less often, which I would argue makes this job a lot less stressful than a retail pharmacy position. Additionally, they do not have to deal with insurance adjudications as retail technicians do.

Regardless, creating a routine and prioritizing are essential to be a successful technician.
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Marlissa’s Answer

Killian - Pharmacy is very multifaceted with varying sites of care, from the standard retail to ambulatory care and inpatient hospital, all are pretty fast paced. In each environment you could expect to be on your feet all day and to be assigned a range of various tasks but you will be part of a team working towards a common goal, servicing patient safely and securely. Some tasks that you may be assigned could be assisting patients or medical staff over the phone, and engaging with the public as they come in to retail setting to pick up or drop off prescriptions.

You will need to be able to think and process information quickly. You will need to be able to multitask with the ability to pivot quickly if something urgent comes in. The direct patient interactions can be very rewarding as long as you take the time to be present in the moment and realize you are there to support the needs of the patient.
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Bryan’s Answer

It depends on the area and your pharmacists.

In a busy area you will be in "grind mode" filling prescriptions and dealing with customers. It could be hectic due to the leadership of you pharmacists. In a slow area, the opposite.
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Ashley’s Answer

It depends on the type of job. If your in retail it is alot on your feet. Prior author you will be typing alot and fulfillment you will fun all over the pharmacy.
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EJ’s Answer

Killian,
There are many different pharmacies out there like retail pharmacies, inpatient hospital pharmacies, managed care (insurance), home infusion pharmacies, mail order pharmacies etc. Each pharmacies have a different work environments - you will be on your feet during most of your shifts for retail or hospital pharmacy vs some home infusion pharmacies may require traveling. However, most of pharmacy setting are fast pacing and requires multitasking and good communication skill. I hope this is helpful :)
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Lori’s Answer

Pharmacy is a very fast paced complex environment. You can expect to be on your feet all day and to use a multitude of skills. You will be assisting customers on the phone and in person. You will need the ability to think on your feet, multitask and have computer skills to make it through the day. You need to work as part of a team to get the job done. Pharmacy is very rewarding , as long as you remember that you are there to help the customer.
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Brittany’s Answer

The environment varies by location. Most of the time it is a busy and fast paced atmosphere but as long as you keep a positive attitude you should be fine.
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Dinah’s Answer

Retail pharmacy is super fast paced and you have to be able to multitask to get things done. Another big thing is that, you are going to be on your feet for many hours. Teamwork is another big part of retail pharmacy and effective communication is needed to truly have a functioning pharmacy. Retail pharmacy can become chaotic because sometimes patients come all at the same time and want your undivided attention, which is really hard to do when there is so much to do with little time. Pharmacy is very rewarding, but the top priority is to make sure the patients are taken care of and are put on a track to better health.
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