Top 10 Pharmacy Technician Duties
Working as a pharmacy technician will require you to perform a variety of tasks efficiently and effectively from the moment you are hired. Understand the top ten pharmacy technician duties to be successful in this career field.
Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist to provide patients with prescribed medicines and health care products. The routine tasks that technicians perform necessitate not only your meticulous attention to detail but also your efficiency in order to keep up with the pharmacy’s demands.
The top ten pharmacy technician duties you will most likely be required to complete on the job are listed below. Understanding the top ten pharmacy technician responsibilities will help you succeed in the pharmacy or other healthcare setting.
Top 10 Pharmacy Technician Duties
1. Receive and dispense medication to fill a prescription. Pharmacy technicians typically receive prescriptions or refill prescriptions from patients. They must ensure that all information on the written or electronic prescription is correct and up to date.
2. Dispense and assemble medications. Depending on where you live, this may include retrieving, counting, weighing, pouring, and possibly mixing medications as prescribed. The level of responsibility assigned to a pharmacy technician is determined by his or her education and training. Incorrectly filling a prescription
can lead to serious illness or death.
3. Label and package prescription bottles. Prescription bottles should be labeled and packaged. Preparing the prescription labels, selecting the appropriate medicine container, and affixing the prescription and supplementary labels to the medicine container are all part of this process.
4. Price and fill prescriptions. Pricing and filling prescriptions for all patients are among the responsibilities of a pharmacy technician. On a daily basis, most pharmacy technicians must perform basic mathematical tasks such as processing transactions and calculating the cost of prescriptions and insurance discounts. The pharmacist reviews the prescription after it has been filled before it is given to the patient.
5. Review patient records to determine possible drug interactions. Pharmacy technicians may collaborate with pharmacists to enter data into a computerized database to determine whether drug interactions may occur when a patient is taking multiple medications. If a pharmacy technician is unsure, he or she may refer a patient to the pharmacist or their physician for further evaluation.
6. Discuss requests for prescriptions with doctors and insurance companies. Insurance companies may refuse medication requests on occasion. A pharmacy technician may be required to collaborate with insurance companies in order to assist patients in getting medications approved for reimbursement. A pharmacy technician is frequently an important team member and problem solver.
7. Process claims for medical insurance. Before pricing prescriptions and processing prescriptions for patients, pharmacy technicians frequently process medical insurance claims.
8. Maintain proper storage and security for drugs. It is critical to properly store prescriptions in order to ensure their safety and that prescriptions maintain quality standards. To ensure the integrity of many prescriptions, they must be kept under lock and key.
9. Order pharmaceutical supplies. To help ensure that supplies are readily available when needed, pharmacy technicians must keep track of inventory and order supplies ahead of time. You may need to order supplies and medications in advance for patients who order medications on a regular basis.
10. Perform administrative tasks. These responsibilities include stocking shelves for inventory, cleaning equipment, maintaining patient profiles, and answering phones. Customer service is an important aspect of providing excellent service as a pharmacy technician. External customers, pharmacists, doctors, and nurses will all seek input from you. Being a good listener and patient will help you succeed in your role.
As you can see, pharmacy technicians are responsible for a wide range of tasks. Each of the top 10 pharmacy technician duties require your undivided attention and focus in order to be completed correctly.
Because pharmacy technician duties are routinely performed, you should become very proficient in carrying them out to serve your patients over time.