Problems Facing Pharmacy Technicians

[zohaibab]

Hey guys,

One of my relatives is thinking of enrolling in a pharmacy technician program. I just wanted to know what kind of problems these techs face in pharmacies since they don't have the authority of a licensed pharmacist but still deal with patients. Any bad experiences for the techs that are registered on these forums? Any tips on dealing with the problems would also be appreciated since I want to make it clear cut to the relative I'll be advising! Thanks a lot in advance!

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[rxlynn]

Hey guys,

One of my relatives is thinking of enrolling in a pharmacy technician program. I just wanted to know what kind of problems these techs face in pharmacies since they don't have the authority of a licensed pharmacist but still deal with patients. Any bad experiences for the techs that are registered on these forums? Any tips on dealing with the problems would also be appreciated since I want to make it clear cut to the relative I'll be advising! Thanks a lot in advance!

Well, they and the pharmacists have basically the same problems - it can vary from state to state, but in my pharmacy I do everything the pharmacists do except counsel patients and verify prescriptions before they are dispensed. So, that means that the techs and the pharmacist all have to deal with the general public, many of whom are sick and therefore not feeling well. Also, since pharmacies have gone to great lengths to make patients feel like we are almost like McDonalds (drive-thru windows, short wait times, etc.) it contributes to the impatience of the customer. I could give you a whole list of remarks I've had from customers, but the bottom line is that techs will have to put up with a certain amount of nastiness from customers. On the flip side, we also have a number of wonderful regular customers who bring us Christmas presents, call corporate and say nice things about our store, and ask about our children. In the first 6 months I was in the pharmacy one of our regular pharmcists told me something that really stuck with me "You won't be able to make all the people happy all the time, and many of them are unhappy no matter where they go." I try to remember that to deal with the problem customers.

 

[meg]

Robberies
Next to nothing pay
Stupid customers
Standing most of the day

I would never be a pharm tech for $10 an hour. At least pharmacists get like $40!