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Pharmacy Technician Trainee Duties and Responsibilities

The specific job tasks for pharmacy technician trainees vary depending on how large the pharmacy staff is, the number of clients serviced, and the specific duties assigned by the pharmacist. These core duties of the job, however, are the same across the industry:

Provide Customer Service Pharmacy technician trainees greet customers, answer customer questions, and resolve problems. They also answer incoming phone calls from doctors’ offices and customers to take prescription orders.

Fill Prescriptions Pharmacy technician trainees count drugs to fill prescriptions and verify medication is correct before giving it to customers. They also check for potential medication interactions when filling orders.

Keep Pharmacy Clean Pharmacy technician trainees keep the pharmacy area clean and organized by sweeping floors, emptying trash cans, and so on.

Collect Payment Pharmacy technician trainees collect and process payments from customers for filled prescriptions.

Announce Orders Pharmacy technician trainees announce filled orders for in-store customers over the intercom.

Manage Inventory Pharmacy technician trainees store new inventory items, check for outdated inventory, and inform the pharmacist or pharmacy manager when stock is running low.

Process Insurance Pharmacy technician trainees verify insurance and process insurance forms for customer orders.

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Pharmacy Technician Trainee Skills and Qualifications

Pharmacy technician trainees are detail-oriented professionals with strong customer service and communication skills. Pharmacies prefer candidates with the following abilities:

  • Customer service – pharmacy technician trainees address customer problems, answer questions, and greet customers, all of which require strong customer service skills
  • Computer skills – pharmacy technician trainees use computer skills to look up customer files and insurance information and to manage pharmacy inventory
  • Math skills – because pharmacy technician trainees count pills and process prescription payments, basic math skills are a necessity
  • Communication skills – pharmacy technician trainees need excellent verbal communication skills to speak effectively with customers, pharmacists, and other pharmacy employees
  • Physical stamina – during a normal workday, pharmacy technician trainees stoop, bend, squat, and lift, so they need the physical ability to perform these tasks
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Pharmacy Technician Trainee Salary and Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that pharmacy technician trainees earn a median annual wage of $30,920, or $14.86 hourly. PayScale data reveals a median income of $12.93 an hour. Pharmacy technician trainees receive somewhat less income than registered pharmacy technicians who have already undergone their trainee period. A majority of employers provide pharmacy technician trainees with health insurance benefits that include dental and vision coverage. Paid vacation and sick days are also standard for many full-time pharmacy technician trainees. Additional benefits, such as store discounts, may be provided by some employers. According to data from the BLS, this job field will grow 12 percent by 2026, which is faster than the average national job growth rate.

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Helpful Resources

Find employment opportunities, education resources, strategies, and tips for pharmacy technician trainees with these books and websites:

National Pharmacy Technician Association – visit the NPTA website to get pharmaceutical news updates, learn more about certification programs, and find upcoming industry events

Manual for Pharmacy Technicians – this book covers the basic skills pharmacy technicians and trainees need to master to find success in their field, including information about communication, billing, and useful tips for filling prescriptions

American Association of Pharmacy Technicians – this website offers a career center that provides job opportunities, continuing education and training resources, and membership benefits for pharmaceutical professionals

The Pharmacy Technician – basic pharmacy skills and principles are covered in this book, which is written simply to make learning these skills an easy, straightforward process

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education – this website provides education resources of all kinds for pharmacy technician trainees and other pharmacy professionals, including program accreditation information and continuing education data

Math Calculations for Pharmacy Technicians: A Worktext – common math calculations used by pharmacy technician trainees are provided in this book, as are definitions of pharmaceutical terms, chapter reviews, and other study tools