Are you planning to advance in your career as a pharmacy technician in the U.S.? Wondering about some of the advanced pharmacy technician roles? Not sure what kind of roles you will have as you advance in your career as a pharmacy technician? Worry not!
In this article, you will learn about some advanced pharmacy technician roles that can help you grow in your career.
7 Advanced Pharmacy Technician Roles
Pharmacy technician is one of the best career options for people who wish to work in the healthcare industry but not on the patient care side of healthcare. As a pharmacy technician, you have a lot of options to advance in your career over time.
Likewise, gaining the required skills and certifications can help you advance and stand out as one of the best pharmacy technicians among your coworkers. Similarly, advancing in your career helps you gain more knowledge and experience, earn a good salary, and reach higher positions in the pharmacy technician field.
If you have been looking for some ideas, here’s a list of some of the advanced pharmacy technician roles you may consider.
- Pharmacy Analyst Technician.
- Business Systems Analyst.
- Lead Pharmacy Technician.
- Discharge Pharmacy Technician.
- Clinical Pharmacy Services Technician.
- Pharmacotherapy and Medication History Technician.
- Medication Reconciliation by Pharmacy Technicians.
Let’s discuss these advanced pharmacy technician roles in detail.
PHARMACY ANALYST TECHNICIAN
The role of a Pharmacy Analyst Technician is to evaluate reports regarding pharmacy IT associates, Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN), identify issues with Local Coverage Determination (LCD), and secondary coverage. This role adds more value to the organization they work for and also limits data management.
Pharmacy Analyst Technicians are also responsible for identifying claims with missing information and offering efficient on-time submissions for reimbursement. Analysts resolve problems and offer solutions for critical decision-making, accuracy, billing compliances, and cost-saving initiatives.
Pharmacy Technician Analysts are required to have a strong pharmacy background. They generally work with physicians, auditors, and other healthcare providers to complete all the necessary tasks in regard to medication management and billing.
BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST
The role of a Business Systems Analyst is to optimize the maintenance of pharmacy systems integral to business and offer reports. They are required to have a strong pharmacy background as they offer reports for cost-saving initiatives and critical decision-making.
The Business Systems Analyst is required to be an individual who is analytically-focused. Also, the analyst must know how to balance the priorities of multiple levels of pharmacy leadership.
LEAD PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
The responsibilities of a Lead Pharmacy Technician include purchasing drugs, drug recall audits, components of technician training, completion of controlled substance audits, and drug shortage management.
They are also responsible for other tasks, such as offering hands-on training, coordinating training schedules, and filling in whenever required. Lead Pharmacy Technicians assess the basic skills required for new pharmacy technicians, schedule training programs, and train new technicians.
The other responsibilities of Lead Pharmacy Technicians include managing patient-specific, supply chain management, data entry, modifying drug inventory, and interviewing applicants for pharmacy technician positions.
DISCHARGE PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
The role of a Discharge Pharmacy Technician is to offer information regarding discharge prescription services and ask if the patient is interested in any services upon discharge. The patient’s response is documented and is used at the time of discharge. The response is helpful in determining which patient has an initial interest in discharge prescription services.
The Discharge Pharmacy Technicians also go on rounds to patient care units to learn about the upcoming discharges for the day, as well as do other discharge-related services. They also help promote and facilitate patient enrollment in their mail-order pharmacy services.
CLINICAL PHARMACY SERVICES TECHNICIAN
Some of the responsibilities of a Clinical Pharmacy Services Technician are as follows:
- Screening patients prior to their appointments.
- Scheduling appointments for patients.
- Checking and preparing the patient and other documents or charges required for the appointment.
- Scanning the patient’s reports or documents into the Electronic Medical Record.
- Communicating the status to patients.
- Offering administrative support in recruitment and documenting the ongoing clinical studies.
- Collecting all the required data to assess patient outcomes.
PHARMACOTHERAPY AND MEDICATION HISTORY TECHNICIAN
The main role of a Medication History Technician is to show effective documentation of the medication history of patients. These technicians are one of the most valued team members in the process of patient admission and medication reconciliation. They document medication histories using standardized forms and processes, as well as patient interviews.
MEDICATION RECONCILIATION BY PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
Medication Reconciliation is the process that helps to avoid medication errors and demonstrates the integral contribution of pharmacy technicians. It also involves the process of comparing the patient’s medication order with all the medications the patient has been consuming before admission to the hospital.
This process is done to avoid medication errors, such as dosing errors, duplications, omissions, or drug-to-drug interactions. A Medication Reconciliation Pharmacy Technician’s role is to prepare a list of current medications the patient is taking. This is mainly done for patients in the Emergency Department (ED).
Wrapping Up
As discussed above, a pharmacy technician is one of the best career options you can consider in the healthcare industry. Progression in your career as a pharmacy technician requires you to be well qualified and skilled. It is always a good option to choose advanced pharmacy technician roles and take all the necessary efforts to become one.
If you are passionate about becoming a pharmacy technician, make sure to try out our free practice test to help you prepare well for the PTCB exam. We also offer a PTCB guide to help you gain more knowledge about the PTCB exam.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What makes a good Pharmacy Technician?
Some of the ways to become a good pharmacy technician are as follows:
- Have a service-oriented mindset.
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong mathematical skills.
- Organizational capabilities.
You can also refer to our article on the Top 7 Pharmacy Technician Skills to learn more.
What are the duties and responsibilities of a Pharmacy Assistant?
The main role of a pharmacy assistant is to assist a pharmacist in the pharmacy to perform clerical duties. A pharmacy assistant performs tasks, such as answering phone calls, restocking shelves with medication and other pharmaceutical supplies, and managing the cash register.
Do I need to get Certified as a Pharmacy Technician?
Yes. To be able to practice as a pharmacy technician in the U.S., you need a pharmacy technician certification. You must have passed the PTCB exam and hold a pharmacy technician certificate. The certificate is helpful in ensuring that the individual is well qualified and skilled for the role. Also, employers prefer hiring certified pharmacy technicians.
