Pharmacy Technician is a person who works under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and performs many pharmacy-related functions. Typical job duties could be, but are not limited to, reading and interpreting prescriptions, preparing and packaging prescriptions, managing pharmacy inventory and mixing sterile pharmaceuticals. Pharmacy technicians are used in a wide variety of practice settings, including:

Community pharmacies Hospitals Military Pharmacy Home health care Long term care Mail order Pharmacy Managed health care facilities Educational/Training programs Pharmaceutical representatives I.V. infusion agencies Assisted Living facilities

Good job opportunities are expected for full-time and part-time work, especially for technicians with formal training or previous experience. Job openings for pharmacy technicians will result from the expansion of retail pharmacies and other employment settings and from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.

Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014 because as the population grows and ages, demand for pharmaceuticals will increase dramatically. The increased number of middle-aged and elderly people—who use more prescription drugs than younger people—will spur demand for technicians in all practice settings. With advances in science, more medications are becoming available to treat a greater number of conditions. (visit  the Bureau of Labor Statistics for detailed information)

The Pharmacy Technician Program at Vernon College, Wichita Falls, Texas is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 7272 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814; Tel: (301) 657-3000).

For additional information, please visit asph.org