What Pharmacy Technicians Do

Pharmacy technicians help licensed pharmacists dispense prescription medication. They work in retail pharmacies and hospitals.

Duties

Pharmacy technicians typically do the following:

• Take from customers or health professionals the information needed to fill a prescription
• Count tablets and measure amounts of other medication for prescriptions
• Compound or mix medications, such as preparing ointments
• Package and label prescriptions
• Accept payment for prescriptions and process insurance claims
• Do routine pharmacy tasks, such as answering phone calls from customers

Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of pharmacists, who must review all prescriptions before they are given to patients. If a customer's question is about the medication or health matters, the pharmacy technician arranges for the customer to speak with the pharmacist.

Pharmacy technicians working in hospitals and other medical facilities prepare a greater variety of medications, such as intravenous medications. They may make rounds in the hospital, giving medications to patients.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition