The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board defines a Health-System Technician the following way.

"Pharmacy technicians are defined as individuals working in a pharmacy, who under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, assist in pharmacy activities not requiring the professional judgment of a pharmacist. The pharmacy technician is accountable to the supervising pharmacist, who is legally responsible by virtue of state licensure for the care and safety of patients served by the pharmacy. The pharmacy technician performs activities as the result of having certain knowledge and skills."

Specific responsibilities will depend on the pharmacy setting and scope of practice. Below is a list of duties that a pharmacy technician might find in may practice settings:

Assist pharmacist in labeling and filling prescriptions
Assist patients in dropping off and picking up prescriptions
Entering prescriptions into the computer
Verify that customer receives correct prescription(s)
Compound oral solutions, ointments, and creams
Scheduling and Maintaining Workflow
Prepackage bulk medications
Screen calls for pharmacists
Medication ordering
Work with insurance carriers to obtain payments and refilling authority
Prepare medication inventories
Prepare Chemotherapeutic agents
Compound total parenteral nutrition solutions
Compound large-volumes of intravenous mixtures
Assisting in outpatient dispensing
Assisting inpatient dispensing
Preparing IV mixtures
Purchasing and billing

Health-System Technicians can also take an exam to acquire certification. This certification will allow them to work more effectively with the Pharmacist and have a greater impact on patient care. To view the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board web site click here.

Back to the Consumer Main Page.