Appendix B: Examples of Health Professions

Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians function as support personnel for pharmacists.  The duties of a pharmacy technician vary with State regulations.  In general, technicians straighten and organize the pharmacy, assist in updating patient records, keep the pharmacy fully stocked, and complete prescription labels under the direction of pharmacist.  Some may also receive prescription orders and contact physicians to sanction order refills.  Pharmacy technicians work in the same settings as pharmacists.  These include neighborhood pharmacies, hospitals, independent laboratories, Federal agencies, and pharmaceutical companies.  A technician may be employed on a part-time or full-time basis. 

The educational requirements for pharmacy technicians vary according to the job they are hired to perform.  Some, who are merely assistants and work only under direct supervision, may be hired without any formal training.  However, the majority of pharmacy technicians attend a community college or vocational-technical school where they are trained in the fundamentals of pharmaceutical science.  An associate's degree is the most significant degree awarded for this field, and it takes 2 years to obtain.  

*Pharmacy technicians earned a median wage of $9.93 an hour in 2000. The lowest 10 percent made less than $7.00 and the highest 10 percent, more than $14.56. Median hourly earnings of pharmacy technicians were $9 in drug stores, $10.57 in grocery stores, and $8.75 in department stores in 2000.

Certified technicians may earn more. Shift differentials for working evenings or weekends can also increase earnings. Some technicians belong to unions representing hospital or grocery store workers.

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2000-01 Edition.

Copyrighted by: The National Health Council, October 1998; reproduced with permission by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Further reproduction prohibited without permission of copyright holder, www.nationalhealthcouncil.org.