Occupation Profile

Pharmacy Technicians

(SOC Code : 29-2052)

in California

Prepare medications under the direction of a pharmacist. May measure, mix, count out, label, and record amounts and dosages of medications.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$18.69	$15.79	$18.41	$21.56

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	29,000	38,600	9,600	33.1	1,460

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Possible Licenses Required and Issuing Authority

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License Title

License Authority

Pharmacy Technician

Department of Consumer Affairs
Board of Pharmacy
Licensing Unit
www.pharmacy.ca.gov

About Licenses

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Health and Personal Care Stores

17,459

52.5%

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,393

22.4%

Grocery Stores

16,120

5.4%

Employment Services

6,297

1.9%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Pharmacy Technician/Assistant

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate.

Establish or maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.

Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs.

Answer telephones, responding to questions or requests.

Prepack bulk medicines, fill bottles with prescribed medications, and type and affix labels.

Mix pharmaceutical preparations, according to written prescriptions.

Clean and help maintain equipment or work areas and sterilize glassware, according to prescribed methods.

Price and file prescriptions that have been filled.

Assist customers by answering simple questions, locating items, or referring them to the pharmacist for medication information.

Receive and store incoming supplies, verify quantities against invoices, check for outdated medications in current inventory, and inform supervisors of stock needs and shortages.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

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Alternate Titles

Pharmacy Technologists; Pharmacy Laboratory Technicians; Pharmacist Technicians; Certified Pharmacy Technicians; Pharmaceutical Care Associates; and Pharmacist Assistants.