What Is a Pharmacy Technician?
Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of licensed pharmacists. Their job responsibilities include dispensing drugs and medical devices to patients and informing them on how the medicines are used. Pharmacy technicians may also review prescriptions with both doctors and insurance companies. Furthermore, technicians may also make phone calls to patients to ensure that they are taking their medications daily, that there are no reactions, and to answer any potential questions.
How to Become a Pharmacy Technician & the Additional Requirements
To become a pharmacy technician, most companies only require a high school diploma (or equivalent) and a current pharmacy technician license (for a particular state). However, some states require pharmacy technicians to complete training courses, become nationally certified and registered with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), register with their specific state board, or earn their associate degree in pharmacy technology. Another way to become a pharmacy technician is by accumulating on-the-job experience and hours.
However, there are additional job-related skills that can be required:
- Typing skills
- Computer/data entry skills
- Strong verbal and communication skills
- Basic math skills
- Reasoning abilities
- Detail orientation
- Understanding of specific state and federal regulations
- Drug and pharmaceutical terminology and calculations
Pharmacy Technician Salary and Benefits
Depending on the state, company, and previous job experience, pharmacy technicians can make anywhere between 29,500 – 36,500 annually. In addition to a reasonable salary, pharmacy technicians have the opportunity to quickly advance in their field by becoming a certified technicians. To do so, they must obtain on-the-job training, complete and pass short-term courses, and/or complete a designated sum of hours. All of these paths can (typically) be completed in less than a year.
Pharmacy Technician Benefits
There are many opportunities for career potential (hospitals and clinics, doctor's offices, US army, long-term care facilities, prisons, universities, and stores like CVS, Walgreens, Target, and Walmart).
The profession is in demand, giving pharmacy technicians a "leg-up" during salary negotiations.
Pharmacy technicians tend to have flexible work schedules (hospitals and clinics are open 24/7).
Pharmacy Technician Tests
JobTestPrep offers preparation resources for two company-specific pharmacy technician tests—Walgreens and CVS.
The Walgreens Pharmacy Technician hiring process requires you to complete an online application, and then take an online assessment. The assessment test is fairly short, and consists of a range of question types. These include math, customer service, situational judgement, pharmaceutical and drug terminology and procedures, and reading comprehension. Typically, the assessment is timed, and if you pass, you are asked to return for an interview.
The CVS Pharmacy Technician hiring process first requires you to complete an online application form administered by Brassring, an applicant tracking system (ATS) that automatically scans your CV, and resume for keyword-specific terms. Then, you are asked to complete an assessment test administered by Virtual Job Tryout. This test consists of personality and situational judgement questions (SJT).
Pharmacy Technician Sample Questions
JobTestPrep has provided a few pharmacy technician sample questions below.
Example 1
The correct answer is (C), 40ml.
Answer explanation: The total is calculated by multiplying the amount of eye drop per day (5ml) by the number of days (8): 5mlx8=40ml.
Example 2
The correct answer is (B), 0.07.
Answer explanation: 1000 milliliters equals 1 liter: 1 milliliter=0.001 liter. Therefore, 70 milliliters = 70 x 0.001= 0.07 liter.
Prepare for Pharmacy Technician Assessments
JobTestPrep can help you prepare for the CVS and Walgreens Pharmacy Technician assessments with our preparation package. Our comprehensive pack includes practice tests, detailed answer explanations, and efficient score reports. Start preparing today to help alleviate test anxiety and ensure your overall success.
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