The career of a pharmacy technician can be quite rewarding. With employment growth expected to be 5% by 2031, it’s a growing and fruitful career path in the field of healthcare. The College of Health Care Professions can help you seize this opportunity. Our Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program will help you prepare to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) to obtain your certification, and you’ll practice real-world skills that pharmacy technicians undertake in their career.

Some of the responsibilities you will practice include communicating with customers, compounding and dispensing medication, and dealing with payment and insurance claims, as well as other important duties.

However, the responsibilities of a pharmacy technician are best completed by someone who possesses several unique and desirable qualities. 

1. Customer Service Skills

Much of a pharmacy technician’s time is spent with customers. A pharmacy technician must be helpful and polite in a retail setting.

2. Detail Oriented

A pharmacy technician is responsible for filling prescriptions that someone’s life could be dependent on, so correct dispensing of medications is highly important. Attention to detail also helps pharmacy technicians avoid unnecessary complications.

3. Listening Skills

A pharmacy technician must communicate with both pharmacists and doctors when taking orders for prescriptions. They must listen carefully to customers to understand their needs and determine if the customers need to speak with a pharmacist.

4. Math Skills

Pharmacy technicians need to have an understanding of math skills specific to the pharmacy environment. For example, pharmacy technicians must be able to count pills and compound medications (prepare personalized medications by mixing individual ingredients). They must also be able to accept payments and process insurance claims when working in retail pharmacy settings.

5. Organizational Skills

A pharmacy technician must balance many responsibilities and prioritize duties to complete work delegated by pharmacists while still providing service to customers and patients.

6. Multitasking Ability

Pharmacy techniciansmust be able to juggle many different responsibilities and roles. On a given day, a pharmacy technician might fill medication prescriptions, make and accept refill requests, deal with customers, and process payments and insurance claims in a timely manner.

7. Sound Judgment

A pharmacy technician must be able to determine if the patient should speak to a pharmacist,  determine what patient or physician information to collect to fill prescriptions, and know when to alert pharmacists of new inventory/supplies needed after assessing the amount available.


If you are still interested in pursuing training for a new career, inquire about our Pharmacy Technician Program today!