Pharmacy Technician Salary Range

With ample developments in the pharmaceutical sector, career opportunities in this field have increased in leaps and bounds. Expansion of industry and establishment of a large number of pharmaceutical companies, have succeeded in meeting the demands of pharmacy students. It has immense opportunity for growth and development and salary range is decent enough to make a thorough progress.

Job Description

A pharmacy technician's job is not restricted to only helping pharmacists to count medications and fill prescriptions. This job depends on his experience and also on the infrastructure of company. He is given the responsibility to deal with patients and maintain complete records of their prescription. He also acts as an adviser for patients in health related issues and helps him to take the correct medicine. It's mandatory on his part to keep himself upgraded about the latest medicines released in the market. He assists senior pharmacists with work management.

Job Requirements

The educational requirements are associated with a degree in pharmacy. For entry level, knowing basics skills can get you a job. However, if you have specialized in this field, you can directly join a better designation. Pharmacy technician certificates require less than a year and are also available at associate level from pharmacy school. Industries provide internship programs for students, in order to give them hands on experience in this field. Few companies provide on job training for their employees who have just passed out. The salary depends on your educational background as well.

Range of Salary

The salary is dependent on factors like, nature of degree, experience in work and location of industry. A survey conducted in the US shows the average salary of a pharmacy technician is approximately about USD 35,000, annually. However, candidates who have passed out from reputed pharmacy school get paid much more in comparison to others. Reputed hospitals and pharmacy companies always pay a decent salary and provide better perspective for growth. Pharmacy technicians working in small medical shops and outlets usually draw less salary, which is estimated approximately to be USD 18,000, annually. However, they can switch to better organization if they have 2 or more years of experience.

Salary for freshers without any work experience is estimated to be in the range of USD 20,000 to USD 30,000. If they have work experience of 2-3 years then the annual income for them is in the range of USD 35,000 to USD 40,000. A study conducted by American Medical Association, shows that people who have more than 4 years of experience have annual income more than USD 45,000, provided they are working in reputed sectors. Payment rates for overtime is usually fixed on hourly basis. This lies in the range of USD 15.13 to USD 22.05.

From this data we can draw an inference that the salary follows a progressive pathway and stepwise growth pattern. The government is making a constant effort to create more pharmaceutical jobs and improve salary schemes. However, if you are genuinely interested in the field of pharmacy, it is always advised to get your degree from a reputed school and keep uplifting your skills.