October 20th is National Pharmacy Technician Day—a day when the pharmaceutical community celebrates this front-line role. Employers, educators, organizations, and the general public are encouraged to find ways to show appreciation for the important work pharmacy techs perform every day.
A pharmacy technician works under the supervision of a pharmacist, assembling and helping fill prescriptions as well as collecting and sharing information with patients. Pharmacy techs also manage the pharmacy’s medicine supply and work with other members of the pharmacy staff.
To be a good pharmacy technician, possessing these five traits can enhance your performance.
1. Patience
When patients arrive at the pharmacy, they often don’t feel their best, and patience is a virtue, especially in this role. Pharmacy technicians need to detach their personal feelings during an encounter and understand that the patient or their loved one may have just received a difficult diagnosis and be under stress. Treating the person with patience and kindness is exactly what they may need at that moment.
2. Attention to Detail
To do a good job, pharmacy technicians must pay careful attention to details because mistakes can have serious consequences. For example, filling a prescription with a drug with a similar name or appearance can be a fatal error. Pharmacy technicians must be able to focus on what they’re doing, check and double check dosages, and eliminate distractions.
3. Customer Service
Pharmacy technicians are often the face of the pharmacy, as they gather information, provide helpful instructions to patients, and answer questions. To do their job well, they’ll need to provide good customer service and be able to listen and communicate clearly in a straightforward manner.
4. Strong Ethics
A good pharmacy technician must work with integrity. The job requires them to identify fake prescriptions as well as signs of prescription drug abuse, reporting suspicious activity to the pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians are also privy to patients’ medical histories, and confidentiality is key.
5. Organization
Finally, a pharmacy technician must be able to juggle tasks and responsibilities while successfully prioritizing their duties to complete their work in a timely fashion. Being able to multi-task is a bonus. They may be filling prescriptions, reordering medications, dealing with insurance claims, helping customers, and handling work delegated by the pharmacist—all at the same time.
If you recognize yourself in this list of traits and are interested in becoming a pharmacy technician, Fortis can help you enter this patient-centered career. We offer a pharmacy technician program at many campus locations across the country. To learn more, please visit our website.