Here Pharmacy

What schooling is necessary to be a pharmacy technician?

I know there are classes specifically for pharmacy tech but what other classes are good to have? Please include any info you have about the career and opinions are welcome. pay, hours, opportunities, benefits etc. I am talking about being a pharmacy technician, not an assistant.

Public Comments

1. No education is required. In fact, most will recommend against formal education because it is very expensive and the job is poor paying. The time which you will work will vary depending on the setting. The average retail pharmacy will be open between 8am and 10 pm. It is not uncommon for tech hours to be cut at random. You can start as a full-timer but be forced to be a part-timer. The average starting salary is about $10 per hour, and the average salary is $13 per hour. The benefits vary by company. There is no room for promotion. There might be a senior tech position and that is it. All of the higher positions require that you are a pharmacist.
2. You do NOT need to go to college or take any special classes to become a pharmacy tech. Unless you are a certified tech (CPhT), you will probably start out at minimum wage or (if you are lucky!) a little above. Certified techs make usually $10+/hr. Hours are crappy. As a newbie, be prepared to work nights (think 1-9:30pm), weekends (like...every weekend!), and holidays. You don't get benefits unless you are full-time, and then you barely get any benefits. I'm a CPhT who only has a hs diploma and had on-the-job training. I will tell you that there is no problem finding a pharm tech job. Retail chain drugstores (Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc.) are almost always hiring, they just don't usually advertise it. These places are defintely at the bottom of desireable places to work. HOWEVER, if you need to get your foot in the door and gain some kind of experience, then it's good to get in just about anywhere. I need to add that this is NOT the job for you unless you are a people person and can stay calm in any situation. 9 times out of 10, a customer is already mad when they walk in the door, either because they're sick or they have a problem with their doctor/insurance company. Those 9 people come to the pharmacy counter. . .and explode. Be prepared to get yelled at and be told that you are stupid/slow/ignorant/useless every day. The pharmacist WILL NOT stand up for you when this happens. You learn very quickly not to take anything personally, and (if you can!) try to find the root of why the person is mad. Almost always, they are not even really mad at you, they just need someone to listen to them vent and help them solve their problem. Most techs only stay in this job field for an average of 5 years, mostly because there are really no kind of advancement opportunities. It also is not really the kind of job that is good for someone who needs to support a family, because the pay usually sucks unless you have like 3+ years of experience and can work in a hospital. That said, I LOVE my job! I'm 19, and by being a CPhT, I'm already doing better than the 90% of my hs classmates that are just coasting through college. Will I be in this job forever? Nope. However, I enjoy going to work . . . so what more can I ask for right now?