Pharmacy Technician Health Article

Definition

Pharmacy technicians assist licensed pharmacists in preparing medications for patients.

Description

Pharmacy technicians, who may also be called pharmacy assistants or pharmacy aides, assist licensed pharmacists in preparing medication for patients. Depending on the work setting and the laws of the individual state, this may involve a number of different tasks.

The primary responsibility of most technicians is to fill orders or prescriptions under the direction and supervision of a pharmacist. The extent of this involvement is often subject to state law, which limits certain activities to performance by a licensed pharmacist. The following discussion will vary with the specific location.

When a medication order or prescription is received, it is reviewed by the pharmacist. This review assures that the order is properly written, and is for a safe and effective dose considering the patient's medical condition and the other drugs being taken. Once the order has been reviewed, the technician locates the medication, counts the required number of doses, prepares a label, and performs other required tasks such as pricing the prescription. This work is subject to review by the pharmacist, who is also responsible for giving the medication to the

patient and for providing information about the proper way in which the medication should be taken.

Preparing medication for dispensing may take varying forms, depending on the work setting. In some hospitals, technicians, following written protocols, prepare injections. This requires familiarity with infection control procedures and specialized machinery. Extreme care in measuring and technical proficiency in the use of equipment are also required. Technicians may also prepare ointments, solutions, or fill capsules.

Technicians may be expected to do stock work. This may require taking inventories of drugs, checking inventories for expiration dates, preparing orders, and checking in deliveries.

Technicians may be responsible for maintaining patient medication profiles. These are records of a patient's prescriptions or drug orders, and are used by the pharmacist to review all the drugs a patient is taking. After the order has been reviewed, the technician may transcribe the information onto the profile, either by hand or using a computer. This task requires familiarity with drugs names and doses, as well as knowledge of common medical abbreviations and terminology. The technician must be extremely diligent and precise.

Technicians commonly prepare insurance claim forms. This requires the same familiarity with terminology as preparing medication profiles, plus familiarity with insurance claims procedures.

Technicians routinely clean and maintain equipment, including computers and dispensing machinery. Because the cleaning process prevents medication from becoming contaminated by other drugs, this task requires extreme thoroughness.

In some work locations, the technician may be expected to serve as a cashier. This requires knowledge of cash register operation and additional diligence.