Why Should You Become a Pharmacy Technician?

Here is a list of reasons that may make pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician a great career choice:

(Advantages & Pros of Pharmacy Technician Career)

#1. Short-Term Career Training

Working as a pharmacy technician in retail or hospital pharmacies is a good career choice because it is easy to train for a career in this field. Unlike becoming a pharmacist, which takes approximately 7 to 8 years, you can become a pharmacy technician in as few as 10 months with the help of a pharmacy technician program, such as the program offered by UEI College.

#2. No College Degree Required

Pursuing a career as a Pharmacy Technician does not require a college degree. After earning your high school diploma, you can enroll in a pharmacy technician program, complete the required training, and earn your pharmacy technician diploma. Upon earning your diploma, you can begin applying to open positions to begin your new career. So, you could theoretically graduate from high school and immediately begin training to become a pharmacy technician. Instead of spending four years in college, you could graduate in as few as 10 months.

#3. Need For Pharmacy Technicians Continues to Increase

Pharmacy technicians are needed to assist the aging population with obtaining its medications. As people age, they typically require more medications than young people, so as the population ages, more and more pharmacy technicians will be needed to dispense medications to the population. Additionally, with the pandemic, more and more pharmacy technicians to assist with the operation of pharmacies. Also, more pharmacy technicians are needed to perform administrative tasks to ensure that pharmacies continue to operate efficiently and smoothly.

#4. Rewarding Career

A career as a pharmacy technician is a rewarding career. As a pharmacy technician, you would be helping patients feel better by providing them with medications to treat certain health conditions. For some people, this makes this career a rewarding one. So, if you want to pursue a career where you can help others, a career as a pharmacy technician might be the right career move for you.

#5. Challenging Career Choice

If you’re up for the challenge, a career as a pharmacy technician may be the right move for you. Pharmacy technicians must be familiar with the drugs they’re dispensing so that the right drugs in the appropriate dosages are dispensed to patients. Also, in addition to dispensing medications, pharmacy technicians must juggle the task of accurately keeping an inventory, which requires inventory management skills to ensure that the proper quantities of drugs remain in inventory. So, if you like the challenge, here is another reason why pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician is the right move for you.

#6. Availability of Good Pharmacy Technician Training Programs

Suppose you’re interested in entering the healthcare field by pursuing a pharmacy technician career. In that case, you will be delighted to know that there are quality career training options, such as UEI College's Pharmacy Technician Program, which will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on training that you need to succeed in a career as a pharmacy technician. UEI College's program is hybrid, meaning you will complete a portion of your education online and a portion on-site, where you will gain hands-on training on real equipment that you will encounter in the real world.

#7. Helping Others

As a pharmacy technician, you will quite literally be helping others feel better. Not only does this make this career make you feel better about yourself, but it improves the lives of others by ensuring that they have the medication they need to treat the ailments that others have. Whether you’re dispensing medications or manning the cash register, you will be dealing directly with the people you’re helping!

#8. You May Work in Various Different Settings

Although there is a common misconception that pharmacy technicians only work in retail pharmacies, the reality is that pharmacy technicians work in various settings, including hospital pharmacies, nursing homes, compounding pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies, and various other settings. So, you have many options to choose from.

#9. Hands-on Work

Another benefit of choosing to become a pharmacy technician is that you will be able to be active and work with your hands. This is different from office jobs where you will be glued to a computer. Instead, as a pharmacy technician, you will be able to move around, fill prescriptions, and interact with customers. So, if you’re someone who does not like sitting around but likes to be active and deal with people, you should consider a career as a pharmacy technician.

#10. Interact with Others

If you enjoy being around other people and interacting with them, a career as a pharmacy technician may be suitable for you. This is so because pharmacy technicians often spend a portion of their day interacting with patients from all walks of life who need their medication. Also, you may interact with pharmacists, nurses, and doctors, providing you with an opportunity to form bonds and make new friendships. So, if you want to pursue a career where you will be surrounded by people, a career as a pharmacy technician may be the right move for you.

#11. Diverse Job Duties

If you like to be in a career where you have diverse job duties, this is another reason why you should pursue becoming a pharmacy technician. Pharmacy techs are tasked with completing different job duties throughout the day. Your job duties may include filling prescriptions, talking to customers and doctors, processing customer payments, counting and managing pharmacy inventories, and directing customers to speak with pharmacists on how to use medications. So, if you’re looking for a role where you will be able to perform different tasks, as opposed to performing the same task repetitively, a career as a pharmacy technician may be right for you.

(Disadvantages & Cons of Pharmacy Technician Career)

Here is a list of some of the disadvantages of pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician:

#1. Long Hours

As a pharmacy technician, your employer may require you to work long hours due to the busy nature of pharmacies. That said, although some pharmacies may require you to work for long hours, some employers may be willing to allow you to work part-time or reduced hours. Nevertheless, this is something to consider for aspiring pharmacy technicians.

#2. Demanding

A career as a pharmacy technician is physically and mentally demanding. Most pharmacy technicians spend a great deal of time on their feet where they have to be focused on ensuring that they are filling and providing the correct medications to patients. This requires being aware of what you’re doing at all times and physically demanding because you’re constantly moving around to ensure patients receive their medications.

#3. A Bit Stressful

Being a pharmacy technician can be stressful for some because a career as a pharm tech will keep on your feet while trying to ensure that you’re correctly filling the right prescriptions with appropriate doses. Additionally, not all customers are friendly, so you will encounter the occasional dissatisfied customers, so you have to be mentally prepared to deal with them. For some workers, this causes stress. So, this is something to keep in mind if you want to be a pharmacy technician.