What Pharmacy Technician Does

What Does a Pharmacists Do?

I have been writing articles on how and why to become a pharmacists, but some recent feedback has created me realize I passed over the obvious. What one thing pharmacy technicians do within a pharmacy? Most people figure they assist the pharmacist enter medications and count pills. This is true for an outpatient drug store, also called a retail pharmacy, but there are many roles for pharmacy workers in healthcare. The rest want to know , will list different types of pharmacy settings and those individuals roles that pharmacy technicians have during settings.

Community/Retail Pharmacy:

I have worked retail, and I wanted other settings; however, it is where for the most part pharmacy technician jobs are presented. What a pharmacy technician can do depends upon the state they work via state mechanics rules. In general, technicians cannot provide specialist information to patients or be the final check with regard to prescriptions. In some pledges, technicians are allowed to provide information on over-the-counter (OTC) medication (ie, medications that do not require a prescription, very much like, acetaminophen and ibuprofen). Pharmacists tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Collecting patient information (insurance and personal information as needed)
• Entering and processing prescriptions upon the computer system
• Filling who they selling prescriptions
• Requesting refills from doctor offices for patients
• Compounding medications that are not commercially available
• Ordering medications
• Restocking shelves
• Answering the phone
• Working with your insurance provider on approving payment absolutely medications
• Maintaining the make an account and conducting accounting functions

Hospital Pharmacy:

There are many brand new roles for pharmacy technicians within a hospital pharmacy. I know this type of pharmacy best since this is most of my work might have been. The most common are technicians who operate in the central pharmacy. Additionally we have decentralized techs, sterile compounding techs, receiving techs, OR techs, product techs, database techs, auto-pilot techs, team lead specialists, and buyer techs. These technicians as a whole perform the following job opportunities, but not limited make certain:

• Filling new financial dealings, this includes a some medications from oral capsules to specially prepared sterile compound medications (including chemotherapy meds)
• Answering the phone
• Tubing medications (if the pharmacy includes a pneumatic tube station)
• Flavoring medications for delivery
• Providing you with medications
• Assisting floor pharmacy technician with medication histories
• Assisting floor pharmacists with IV drip checks
• Handling passing up dose calls
• Billing medications where nurse charting that doesn't bill
• Maintaining the online pharmacy database
• Restocking operating desks and anesthesia trays available at appropriate medication
• Dispensing and tracking all controlled substances about the hospital
• Maintaining automation divisions [automated dispensing cabinets that store medication on nursing units, automatic fill systems (typically called Robot-Rx)]
• Purchasing of all medication and supplies needed in the pharmacy
• Leading and managing the technician workforce, including upkeep of schedules

Long-Term Care Pharmacy:

I have worked at a couple of long-term care pharmacies, and I think this will be a place to be an installer. They typically employee a lot of techs because the work load lends itself to a lot technician tasks. These pharmacies provide you with the medication needs for Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, plus in psychiatric facilities. The typical pharmacy is located in a warehouse. It is deficient in an open pharmacy for people to visit; they receive orders when fax and deliver the actual time medications via couriers ' drivers to facilities. The oral medication is completed blister packs (cards out of 30 tabs that are widely-used to provide a 1 month good medication), or some other mechanism which provide the facility with a continued amount of medication doses which may be safely and cleanly stashed until doses are as a consequence of. Pharmacy technician tasks incorporate, but are not restricted to:

• Filling new and fulfill orders (different from hospital this can be number of doses provided)
• Processing new order and refills surfacing the fax machine
• Urge entry of prescriptions therefore printing of labels acceptable for fill techs
• Sterile compounding of medications (although there aren't as many sterile compounded medications now you're a hospital, there are still enough that many long-term care pharmacies receive a few techs specialize a natural part of sterile compounding
• Billing supplements to homes
• Controlled toxins dispensing and documentation
• Stating to medications and supplies
• Restocking medications which may be returned that are still great for reuse.

Home Infusion Drugstore:

These pharmacies primarily think of patients that require any IV or other non oral medication, and want to see the therapy at home (hence the name home-infusion). I have also worked within a home-infusion pharmacy. As a tech I had much of experience in sterile compounding, and found my self in the entire position that needed the IV room tech. Pharmacists tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Compounding sterile preparations upon the clean room
• Preparing supplies regarding sterile medication administration almost any delivery
• Billing medications in order to patients home
• Coordinating shipments of medications with patients
• Entering orders upon the pharmacy order entry system

Nuclear Pharmacist:

No, I have not worked through the nuclear pharmacy (I am certain that you were staring to imagine I got around a whole lot, but I have visited pharmacy for about 17 years). I have other people online who work in to become nuclear pharmacy. The certain times are interesting; they usually come in at about 3 AT DAWN and work until more than noon. These types of pharmacies make radioactive compounds and they need to be made in a way that when they are delivered to the hospital or clinic administering the pup, that the dose has degraded to a quantity. Without going into much detail, these medications sell short half-lives. So you have to time the compounding your product with the time it takes to deliver the medication and they all time the patient is to see the dose. The job will pay well, but as likely, there are not an array of these positions available. Pharmacy technician tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Getting into radioactive products
• Cleaning in which case preparing sterile compounding areas
• Entering orders to get the pharmacy system
• Coordinating measure due times with shipments and preparation
• Billing games to hospital or clinic

Health Plans/HMO Pharmacy Group:

I saved this a company for last because there's a lot different. Most healthcare plans have a pharmacy department. They manage the pharmacy selling point of the health plan. Having been an employee with my companies health plan and have spent some time with your pharmacy department. Pharmacy salesperson tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Answering messages or calls and providing support for patients about the internet pharmacy benefit
• Reviewing by authorization requests
• Providing not all units to physicians and chemical companies for information requests
• Supporting the pharmacists inside department with database and then try to projects as needed

As to figure out, pharmacy technician roles are highly diverse. The best advice I can provide is to figure out what setting find out most like to work in and obtain some experiential hours in that particular setting. I have found that an excellent pharmacy you train in is typically which kind of pharmacy you end up placing on.

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