Business
Career opportunities for a graduate of a degree or diploma program in pharmacy technology include entry-level positions in a broad range of health care settings. Employers include the following:
- Hospitals
- Drugstores
- Department stores
- Mail-order pharmacies
- IV/Home infusion services
- Insurance companies
- Compounding pharmacies
- Unit dosing pharmacies serving long-term care facilities
What does a pharmacy technician do?
Pharmacy technicians save lives. Program coordinator and pharmacy technology instructor Julie Romano impresses that fact on every student. She tells an unforgettable personal story – when her own small child was prescribed an adult dose of a powerful drug, Julie herself caught what could have been a fatal error.
A pharmacy technician must be alert, detail-oriented and motivated to excel. Working under the direction of a pharmacist, the technician prepares IV and oral medications. Always conscious of training in pharmacology, anatomy, medical terminology and related subjects, the technician is a second-line of security for health-care providers and patients, seeing that prescriptions are appropriate and filling orders accurately.
There are exciting new advances in the field – a pharmacy tech might operate a dispensing robot or work for an online pharmacy. As healthcare providers seek ways to cut costs, trained allied health professionals such as pharmacy technicians assume more responsibilities formerly performed by pharmacists. Tasks might include counting tablets, labeling bottles and verifying information.
An important part of pharmacy technology training at Utah Career College is helping students learn how to identify situations where they need to question a customer request, verify a prescription or rethink a procedure. Our students role-play appropriate questions and responses for sensitive situations and ethically questionable requests. This thorough, comprehensive training prepares our graduates to assume those responsibilities with confidence.
Training for careers in pharmacy technology
At Utah Career College, we offer two pharmacy technology programs that prepare students to protect the health of patients and promote the business interests of employers:
- Pharmacy Technology Associate Degree program (two year)
- Pharmacy Technology Diploma program (one year)
If you would like more information about those or any other health degree program at our school, please contact UCC Admissions. A representative will help you evaluate programs in light of your personal goals. If you are ready to enroll, the representative will assist you with all administrative processes.