Is Pharmacy Tech a Good Career?

[MissDiva2006]

Is it a satisfying and a good all around Career?

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[Rxbound]

I am one, but I had higher goals in mind when I became one. I would not want to do what I do now (hospital) forever. There are some places that I think would be more interesting (techs working in nuclear pharmacies, perhaps), but there seems to be little opportunity to advance as a tech. Maybe I am wrong, I don't know.

 

[taloddar2002]

I currently work as a pharmacy tech for a mid sized hospital and i love my job. Unfortunately, pharmacy techs don't make as much money as they should (it varies a lot from state to state). Despite the fact that the pay is low, i still find my job extremely rewarding and challenging (in a good way). I still enjoy mixing IVs and stocking the inpatient parts of the hosptial. I feel like i'm actually making a difference, albeit a small one, but a difference nonetheless.

 

[pharmwannebe2]

Is it a satisfying and a good all around Career?

depends on what you consider satisfying and good. techs don't make a lot of money usually. some make minimum wages while techs in hospital could make like 15 bucks a hour. if you like pharmacy and don't like the idea of going to school for 6 or 8 years then pharm. tech is pretty super.

 

[IMURPUSHER]

Well, I Enjoy It However Many Don't Last, It Stressfull And Some Pay Isn't Worth It, But Im Lucky I Get Paid $17 An Hour Didn't Happen Over Night , I Started At Savons And There Pay Sucks. My Pharmacies Super Busy So Theres Never A Dual Moment/ However I Would Never Pay For School I Got My License By A Pharmacist Signing Off On It. Now They Require You To Go To School.

 

[sdn1977]

MissDiva - I'll give you some things to think about, but only you can make a decision if this is a career for you or a job....

Now...there are lots of practice settings - hospital, SNF, closed-door pharamcies, retail pharmacies, insurance, etc... However, you will almost never be the one who will be making an independent decision. You will also be subject to the personal "quirks" of the pharmacist who is supervising you (for example...I absolutely HATE it when a tech puts a breast feeding warning label on a drug for a man - that's just me. I'll make you do it over again.)

The work can become very routine - as all pharmacy work can become - pharmacists will agree with this. Also..you might eventually feel that you are not as respected as you would like to be (sometimes we all get this way). You might also feel you, as a tech, "do all the work...the pharmacist just sits around and looks at papers all day".

So...you need to think about the kind of person you are. Do you like the field? Do you want to have more autonomy? Do you like coming in and knowing exactly what you are supposed to do & go home no matter what? Do you want to be subject to the whims or quirks of 10-12 different pharmacists you could work with? Do you enjoy what you do?

I have no answers for you. Whatever you decide it great. I wouldn't have liked being a tech. But...some people have started threads about why don't pharmacists want to be physicians? We all have a place & level of interest in what we want to do. I like being a pharmacist. I work with great techs who like being techs. We respect each other tremendously.

At some point, pay is no longer the reward. Yes - we all need a certain amount of income which makes gives our life the rewards we seek. But...personal happiness and fulfillment comes from finding that which gives you personal satisfaction. The level of professional development within pharmacy you seek is dependent upon your choice alone and is to be respected by all of us.

Good luck!

 

[MissDiva2006]

Thanks for all of the advice. I was thinking of going to school to be a Pharmacy Tech. I dont know in the future of going back to school to become a Pharmacist.

 

[Rxbound]

MissDiva - I'll give you some things to think about, but only you can make a decision if this is a career for you or a job....

Now...there are lots of practice settings - hospital, SNF, closed-door pharamcies, retail pharmacies, insurance, etc... However, you will almost never be the one who will be making an independent decision. You will also be subject to the personal "quirks" of the pharmacist who is supervising you (for example...I absolutely HATE it when a tech puts a breast feeding warning label on a drug for a man - that's just me. I'll make you do it over again.)

The work can become very routine - as all pharmacy work can become - pharmacists will agree with this. Also..you might eventually feel that you are not as respected as you would like to be (sometimes we all get this way). You might also feel you, as a tech, "do all the work...the pharmacist just sits around and looks at papers all day".

So...you need to think about the kind of person you are. Do you like the field? Do you want to have more autonomy? Do you like coming in and knowing exactly what you are supposed to do & go home no matter what? Do you want to be subject to the whims or quirks of 10-12 different pharmacists you could work with? Do you enjoy what you do?

I have no answers for you. Whatever you decide it great. I wouldn't have liked being a tech. But...some people have started threads about why don't pharmacists want to be physicians? We all have a place & level of interest in what we want to do. I like being a pharmacist. I work with great techs who like being techs. We respect each other tremendously.

At some point, pay is no longer the reward. Yes - we all need a certain amount of income which makes gives our life the rewards we seek. But...personal happiness and fulfillment comes from finding that which gives you personal satisfaction. The level of professional development within pharmacy you seek is dependent upon your choice alone and is to be respected by all of us.

Good luck!

Great post, as usual, but I have to laugh at this statement! It is so true where I work. The head tech (which is a self-titled misnomer) is convinced that all pharmacists do are sit on their butts while the techs do all (cough) of the work. He "knows" that he could do anything a pharmacist could do (except that he can't pass general math, and calculus is quickly becoming a requirement). I just had to laugh. Thank you for that.

 

[Requiem]

Is it a satisfying and a good all around Career?

Honestly I would put pharmacy technician under the heading of "job" opposed to career. As well as a job, it is tedious, monotonous and it doesn't pay well. You'd have to have an awesome personality and enjoy who you work with to really feel satisfied, imo.

Techs have a high turnover rate as many feel under-appreciated, and some develop bitter attitudes towards the R Ph's above them because as SDN1977 pointed out, they "do all the work". A solid, dependent, content tech is a rare breed. If you're one of those, power to you and get out in pharmacy now. We need more of you.