Your Lucrative Career as a Pharmacy Technician Starts Here

With a reported 7% growth rate anticipated over the next 7 years (2 % higher than other occupations), and an ability to train and certify to secure higher salary rates, pharmacy technician is a stellar career option for those looking for success while helping others.

Pharmacists are an integral part of this country’s healthcare system. As the ones to dispense prescriptions, they need to ensure that patients take their medications as prescribed so that they don’t have adverse reactions. They are there to answer patients’ questions, advise on healthcare topics and encourage wellness strategies.

But pharmacists aren’t the only people working behind the counter to help patients get the right medications. Pharmacy technicians also play a vital role in helping patients stay healthy. And with that faster-than-average job growth rate, a career as a pharmacy technician offers the opportunity to work in an essential and growing part of healthcare. Let us tell you more.

The Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry develops drugs that treat or prevent every type of condition imaginable, such as influenza, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hepatitis, and Parkinson’s disease to name a few.

In Canada, the pharmaceutical sector is one of the most innovative industries in the country, composed of companies developing and manufacturing inventive medicines and generic pharmaceuticals, as well as over–the-counter drug products. Being a part of this industry, can offer rewarding and exciting career challenges.

The Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians fill and label prescriptions, which the pharmacist will later check for accuracy. Technicians also assemble, measure and mix medications, organize and maintain medication inventories, operate automated dispensing equipment to fill orders and consult with pharmacists about drug interactions and reactions. Pharmacy technicians are also permitted to accept verbal prescriptions (with the exception of narcotics, controlled drugs, benzodiazepines, and targeted substances) and provide prescription transfers.

Pharmacy technicians can be employed in retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, long-term care facilities and by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Pharmacy technicians are not to be confused with pharmacy assistants, who focus on clerical duties by answering phones, maintaining patient files, packaging shipments for patients, and arranging for customers to speak with the pharmacist if they have questions.

Take the “Anderson College Pharmacy Technician Career Discovery Quiz”

Regulated

Unlike a pharmacy assistant job, pharmacy technicians are regulated, allowing for better support from pharmacists as they work to serve patients and customers. To become regulated as a pharmacy technician in Ontario, you must register with the Ontario College of Pharmacists after completing an education program accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) – just like the one offered by Anderson College.

Longer Training = Higher Salary

One of the major differences between a pharmacy assistant and pharmacy technician is that a technician’s education is longer to complete to gain qualification. But with that additional training comes a higher salary. For a pharmacy assistant, the median hourly wage is $18 per hour, while the average salary for a pharmacy technician is $24.04 per hour in Canada.

Job Growth

Those who pursue a career as a pharmacy technician can expect to see faster than average job growth. According to recent reports the growth rate for pharmacy technicians will be 7% between now and 2028, while the growth rate for all other occupations is expected to be 5% during the same period.

Anderson College Pharmacy Technician Diploma

The Anderson College Pharmacy Technician Diploma is accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs. As a graduate of this program, you will be eligible to complete the necessary steps to become a regulated pharmacy technician in Ontario. These steps include completing Structured Practical Training (SPTs), the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) Jurisprudence exam, the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) qualifying exams and obtaining personal professional liability insurance. Regulation is mandatory to work as a pharmacy technician in any pharmacy in Ontario. Some of the areas of study you will cover during the 43-week program include: human body in health and disease; pharmacology; medical devices, natural health and OTC products; pharmacy law and ethics; community, long-term care and hospital pharmacy practices; management and inventory control; and, professionalism in pharmacy practice.

If you seek a rewarding and well-paid career that will allow you to help patients, consider the possibility of becoming a pharmacy technician.

To learn more about the Anderson College Pharmacy Technician Diploma, book a virtual appointment with our Admissions team today!