Pharmacy Assistant, Pharmacy Assisting Schools, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is a Pharmacy Assistant?
If you like working with pills and liquids, then perhaps you should think of a career as a pharmacy assistant. He usually works under the pharmacist's supervision. Here are just some of the duties:

1. Filling Prescriptions
2. Measuring Medications
3. Counting Pills
4. Labeling Products
5. Verifying Prescriptions
6. Maintaining patient records and insurance information

Do not confuse a pharmacy assistant with a pharmacy aide. The assistant performs more complex tasks than does a pharmacy aide. Pharmacy assisting usually involves preparing the prescriptions. If they run up against a question or a problem, then they ask the pharmacist.

How to Become a Pharmacy Assistant:
There are a couple of ways that someone can become a pharmacy assistant. Some may receive informal, on-the-job training. Still others may enroll in a school that trains pharmacy assistants. Employers seem to favor the ones who have had formal training and certification. Some of these educational programs will give diplomas, others will give a certificate and still other schools will give an associate's degree.

If you want to gain entrance into a training program, you should have a background in the following subjects: health education, chemistry and English. After you have completed an accredited program, you can take a test to become certified. It is called National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination.

In most of the states in the U.S., this exam is just voluntary. Now, since everything is becoming so much more competitive, many states and employers are beginning to ask their assistants to become certified. In a nutshell, here is what you have to do to get started:

• Enroll in a Pharmacy Assistant Program
• Study hard and complete all course requirements
• Pass the final examination
• You will receive your Certificate of Completion in the mail or by email
• Take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or PTCB exam

After graduation, you will be assisting licensed pharmacists while they work at providing medication as well as other health care products to their customers. Your skills in measuring medications to maintaining their patient records, your clinical and administrative knowledge will allow you to find employment in the following places:

1. Hospitals
2. Outpatient Clinics
3. Assisted Living Facilities
4. Community Pharmacies
5. Pharmaceutical Companies
6. Local Drug Stores
7. Wholesale and Online Pharmacies
8. Government Organizations

Pharmacy Assistant Salary:
Pharmacy assistants make $29,000 per year on the average. Some make as much as $39,000 per year. This is not bad for a career training that only takes 3 to 6 months to complete.

Pharmacy Assisting School:
If you are looking for pharmacy assisting school, we have the school for you. Everest University offers a program that qualifies one to become one. You have nothing to lose if you check them out. You can do so by requesting for their free no obligation information through this link.

Return from Pharmacy Assistant to Medical Assistants Schools and Careers