Pharmacy Tech for a small chain inside a grocery store.
How would you describe what you do?
I usually greet the customer and get all of their information before filling their prescription along with checking them out at the register.
What does your work entail?
A pharmacy tech will input prescriptions, count the pills, label the bottle, then pass it on to a pharmacist to verify. Then check them out at the register. There are many other things that are involved like inventory control, ordering, and keep the pharmacy organized.
How did you get started as a Pharmacy Technician?
I was thinking about going to pharmacy school and decided to try being a tech first. I couldn’t get a job without any experience so I took some classes at a local technical school.
What do you like about what you do?
The pharmacy I work in is an older crowd. I love getting to meet new people and form relationships with them.
What do you dislike?
You stand up ALL day! Most of the time I have a working lunch so I don’t even get to sit down then. It is also frustrating when you work with pharmacists that don’t really do much and get paid five times as much as you do.
How do you make money/how are you compensated as a Pharmacy Technician?
I get paid hourly. I make $11/hour which is pretty descent in my state.
How much money do you make as a Pharmacy Technician?
About $20K a year.
How much money do you make starting out?
I started out at $9.00 an hour. What education or skill are needed to do this? High school diploma then you are required to get licensed which is $40 a year.
What is most rewarding about this job?
Getting to meet different poeple and become part of their lives.
What is most challenging?
Getting stuck with “floating” pharmacists that think they know more than you about the pharmacy you work in everyday.
What advice would you offer someone considering becoming a Pharmacy Technician?
It is a little overwhelming at first with all of the new stuff you have to learn including all of the drug names. Just stick with it. It does get better.
How much time off do you get/take?
Holidays. I don’t get paid vacation or sick leave. If I don’t work I don’t get paid.
What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?
That you have to have a degree.
What are your goals and dreams for the future?
To be a pharmacist one day.
Wow this person is so rude. You’d think as a future pharmacist they’d have more respect for a person who actually got into medical school and worked hard for 8 years. Of course they know better than you.