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 Salaries Offered to Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy
technicians are people trained in pharmacy handling. They have all the
skills necessary to handle a pharmacy but do not have the educational
qualifications to become a pharmacist.
They work with pharmacists and
customers, handling prescriptions, patient records, and medication. A
pharmacy technician fills out prescriptions by weighing, counting, and
measuring medications as required.
Most pharmacy technicians
spend their time behind the counter of a pharmacy, standing through the
day to meet customer's requirements. Often, they are also expected to
carry-in or move heavy boxes, ladders, and other containers that are
delivered to the pharmacy. A pharmacy technician can be a single
employee in a small pharmacy or part of a team of technicians in larger
pharmacies.
Pharmacy technicians are often expected to maintain
odd-hours, especially if the pharmacy is a 24-hour one. They might also
be required to work night shifts and weekends. Their duties can vary
depending on the pharmacy and range from simple medication dispensing
and customer interaction to answer phone calls and operating the cash
counter.
A pharmacy technician's salary mostly depends on his
experience and qualifications. Many technicians do not have any formal
qualification and have learnt the pharmacy trade on-the-job under a
pharmacist. Such pharmacists generally receive lower salaries than
those with a formal diploma or certificate in pharmacy handling.
The
overall work experience of a pharmacy technician is also an important
deciding criterion in his salary. Pharmacy technician salary for new or
trainee level technicians usually ranges around $25,000 per annum for
the first couple of years of work. |
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Once they have learnt the trade and
have gathered some experience, they can expect a hike to around $30,000
per annum. This can increase steadily with experience and a 10-year
experienced pharmacy technician's salary can be as high as $40,000
annually. The average annual starting salary for pharmacy technicians
as listed by the American Medical Association is $19,000.
If we consider the pharmacy
technician salary in terms of hourly wages, then you can expect to
draw anything between $10 and $17 per hour. Those in the initial stages
of their career usually draw between $9 and $11 per hour, while
technicians with several years of experience under their belt can
expect and demand up to $17 per hour.
Pharmacy technician salary
is also dependent on the type and size of pharmacy they are employed
with. Pharmacies attached with big clinics or hospitals often have
better pay scales than neighborhood pharmacies. Small, single-person
pharmacies cannot afford to match the pay rates of these bigger
institutions.
Technicians who are certified can expect higher
salary scales, though it might not be much higher than the rates
mentioned above. An increase in pharmacy technician salary usually
happens once a year and then too, the decision is totally based on the
discretion of the pharmacist.
It is true that many pharmacy technician jobs
can be limited in what they can offer in the way of career advancement
options unless the technician also has good
educational qualifications or are willing to enroll in higher programs
such as that
for becoming a pharmacist. The maximum promotion a pharmacy technician
can expect
in his career is to a supervisor position at the pharmacy. A
supervisory position is possible if the pharmacist is employed with a
multi-technician
pharmacy and has accrued as much as seven years experience. The
yearly pharmacy technician salary for a supervisor can be between
$40,000 and $50,000 depending on the pharmacy and your ability on the
job.
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