Which Skills are Necessary to Become a Pharmacy Technician?

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There’s nothing more satisfying in this world than serving people. Multiple jobs are available that let you help the community, but the profession of pharmacy technician takes the lead. In order to become a successful pharmacy technician, you need to be good at many things. From dealing with patients to guiding them, everything is in your hands.

However, before starting your pharma tech career, you must ace the PTCB exam. Passing this exam gives you the title of a certified pharm tech. Why is it necessary? Many states don’t approve non-certified pharma tech officials. This exam isn’t something too difficult, so don’t stress yourself.

There are multiple institutes offering free PTCB practice test opportunities. So, you can pass your exam in the first go and kick-start your career. Through this exam you get to know about your subject weaknesses. Thus, you can work on them and pass the exam hussle-free.

All set to enter the pharmaceutical industry as a professional technician? Let’s look at some skills you should have to become an efficient pharmacy technician.

Who is a Pharmacy Technician?

A pharmacy technician is someone who works closely with the pharmacists. They help patients regain their health with the best care. In essence, pharmacy technicians are supervised by pharmacists. It is their job to ensure the safety and efficiency of all pharma operations.

Moreover, they also fill the prescriptions and provide quick customer service to patients. They also possess adequate knowledge about modern technology. So, they can operate all the pharma gadgets and machinery.

Essential Skills to Become a Pharmacy Technician

Being a pharmacy technician is a gratifying career. Not only do you bring a positive change, but you also earn good money. Here are different types of skills you need to possess to excel in your career:

Pay Attention to Details

As a pharmacy technician, you work closely with doctors and nurses. You have to dispatch medicines to patients. That’s why you should maintain a higher level of accuracy while doing the job. A minor mistake from your side can cause serious consequences. Being attentive and focusing on details can save you from all this. Also, check all the outdated medicines to avoid any mishap.

Effective Communication

Good communication skills are a must for every pharmacy technician. In this job, you’ll meet dozens of people. Everyone has a different story. So, you should be an emphatic and emotionally available listener for them. Your communication skills also help you maintain a good relationship with fellow members.

Instant Problem Solving

Being a pharmacy technician, you may face many challenging situations. You should leave emotions aside and think diplomatically to solve problems. Your instant problem-solving skill can help your co-workers in situation management.

Also, make sure you are managing your stress while doing your job. It’s because stress can affect your decision-making power. Always keep in mind that extreme stress levels affect your mental cognition, so make sure to not let it affect your job that handles the health of others.

Never-Ending Appetite for Learning

Don’t choose a career in the field of pharmacy if you don’t want to learn. A pharmacy technician always has the learning mode on. You need to learn the names of new medicines every time a new disease spreads. New disease means guiding people differently. Not updating your knowledge with the evolving medical field can cost you your job.

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Organization Skills

You need to place and manage medicines on shelves. Moreover, your duty is to check all the stock data and important medications. All this is impossible without impeccable organization skills. So, before pursuing a pharmacy career, ensure you have this skill.

Knowledgeable About Related Laws and Insurance Claims

As a professional pharmacy technician, you should abide by federal laws. Any violation can lead to severe issues. Most of the time, you’ll learn the rules during academic life. You should also know about basic legal codes and court procedures.

Acquiring information related to insurance policies is also very important. You need to work closely with the insurance companies. So that you can update the patient about their insurance terms and conditions.

Efficient Tech Knowledge and Management Skills

Adjusting medicines in a proper place is your duty. Finding an alternative is also your responsibility if there’s no space left. You should know about the methods to return or exchange medicines. If you’ve good tech knowledge, it can ease your workload.

You can use modern gadgets to store important information for every patient. It also enables you to keep medicine names with their composition. With tech knowledge, you don’t have to do anything manually.

Maintenance and Usage of Pharmacy Equipment

Technology is impacting everything. Nowadays, there is a mechanized medicine dispensing system in every pharmacy. So, to perform your tasks efficiently, you should know their usage. If your pharmacy has a TCG packaging machine, you should know its proper usage. This machine is used to fill prescriptions in the pouches.

Using it can increase your overall customer turnover by quick filling. However, your overall manual work reduces if you’ve an OP Robotic and Barcode Station. The machine carefully scans the medicine and its name before dispatching it. The barcode system carefully reads the medical information to avoid any mishap.

Adequate Maths Knowledge

You don’t need a degree in Maths to excel as a pharmacy technician. However, you should have adequate knowledge of basic mathematical terms. Your job involves addition, subtraction, percentage, and weight. Without proper Math knowledge, you can mess up the whole stock calculation. Hence, ensure you’ve learnt the basics before entering the pharmacy career.

How to Ace the PTCB Exam?

Even if you have all the listed skills above, those will amount to nothing if you don’t have a license from the authorized board. The PTCB exam is needed to get the certification of a professional pharmacy technician. Without this certificate, you are unable to get job. Here are some tips that can help you in passing the exam easily:

Learn the names of the most commonly used drugs and keep revising them.
Get ideas about the inside and out of maths. So, you can perform your calculations without any delay.
There are many complex terms used in the pharmacy field. You can make flashcards to learn them. Place these cards around and take a look regularly.
Make an organized study chart. Check the calendar and make your study schedule accordingly.
Read the pharmacy manuals to know about drugs and their regulations.
Keep taking short breaks while studying. Otherwise, you’ll feel crazy and unable to study efficiently.
Take any course and give a free PTCB test to prepare thoroughly. Don’t forget to revise things.