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What duties can a pharmacy technician be expected to perform?  Duties will vary from pharmacy to pharmacy, so technicians may be asked to perform any of the following tasks:

• Data entry (Entering prescription, patient, and other types of information into the computer)
• Assisting patients and customers (General customer service, answering questions, cash register duties, etc.)
• Preparing medications (Counting, pouring, compounding, mixing and labeling prescription bottles and filling med-cassettes)
• Answering phones
• Calling doctor offices for refills and other questions
• Ordering stock
• Taking Inventory of stock
• Billing insurance companies
• Scheduling staff members
• Administrative duties and paperwork
• Checking prescriptions (As a double or triple check procedure)
• Cleaning the pharmacy (Emptying trash, dusting, vacuuming etc.)
• Restocking shelves and supplies
• Delivering medications to floors (hospitals and institutions)
• Preparing I.V. bags (hospitals and institutions)

How should I dress?  Dress codes vary from company to company, but since pharmacy technicians are health care professionals, at the very least, your clothes should be professional in nature, clean and pressed at all times. You should always be well groomed and wear appropriate shoes. If you will be wearing a pharmacy smock, it should always be clean and neatly pressed.

How long will it take to train?  This will depend on what duties you will be asked to perform. There is a lot to learn in the pharmacy so don’t expect to be a perfect technician overnight. Examples of a few things you will be expected to learn include your pharmacy’s policies, the pharmacy’s computer software, name brand and generic drug names, deciphering prescriber’s handwriting on prescriptions and orders, recognizing written direction (sig) codes, and lots of general pharmacy information. There is a lot of information to learn and it takes a while, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t remember everything right away.

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