So, you have decided you’re interested in pursuing a career as a Pharmacy Technician and have enrolled in or completed a training program. Are you wondering what’s next? What happens when you have completed your classroom training, finished your externship experience out in the field, interviewed, and finally landed that perfect Pharmacy Technician job? Although everyone’s experience will be a little bit different, we wanted to talk to a real Pharmacy Technician that is working out in the field. Because Ross instructors are experienced in their fields, we didn’t have to look any further than our very own Lindy Weiland, Pharmacy Technician Instructor at our Kentwood, Michigan (Grand Rapids area) campus.
Lindy, a Licensed Pharmacy Technician, teaches at the campus, but gained valuable experience to share with her students through her work in an institutional pharmacy. The job duties of an Institutional Pharmacy Technician differ slightly from those of a Retail Pharmacy Technician. An institutional setting may be a long term care facility, a location that serves adult foster care, mental health, or rehab patients, a hospital, or even a health care system. A retail setting would typically be a retail pharmacy where Pharmacy Technicians will also help customers.
A Typical Day
- staffing the front desk, answering phones, and taking care of other departments that come to the door
- in the IV room-preparing sterile products
- prepackaging unit-dose medications
- compounding creams, ointments and other non-sterile products
- filling first dose medications for new admissions
- performing cart-fill duties for the next 24-hour block of time as directed by policy
- making TPNs
- drawing up syringes of liquid medications for pediatric patients
- filling stock requisitions and/or pyxis refills
- checking in the medication order from the wholesaler
“In addition to any one of these duties, I might also assist coworkers with their job responsibilities, as I am a team player! I will keep my area of the pharmacy cleaned and stocked for the next shift, so they will do likewise for me! I come to work clean, well-groomed, not smelling like cigarette smoke or perfume, with no visible tattoos, and wearing comfortable, manager-approved non-skid shoes. I always have a smile in my voice when I answer the phone. I stay motivated, friendly, and professional!
“I do this all because I care about my patients. I want to get the right medicine at the right strength, to the right patient, at the right time, given by the right route. I want my patients to have healthy outcomes, and a caring experience while here. I do this all because you could be my next patient!”
Ready to Pursue Your Pharmacy Technician Career?
At Ross, we are so proud of our Pharmacy Technician training program. Taught by experienced instructors like Lindy, our Pharmacy Technician program may be the perfect path for you to achieve your goals! Want more information? Visit our Pharmacy Technician program page!