Why pharmacy techs are essential for every pharmacy

I’ll never forget my first day as a pharmacist. After a whirlwind few days of job training, I was thrown to the wolves as a staff pharmacist in a large chain. As I nervously opened up the pharmacy, I spotted the store manager. I introduced myself and asked, “When do my techs get here?” He laughed and replied that there were no pharmacy technicians in that store. It was apparently not busy enough to need techs. 

Eventually, I learned to make do on my own, but I knew something was missing. At my next pharmacy, when we had a whole “family” of licensed pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, I learned that life is completely different with techs. It was a million times better!

Peanut butter and jelly, cookies and milk, salt and pepper—some things are just better together. Likewise, pharmacists and techs are a winning combination. The saying about teams is true: Together, everyone achieves more. 

4 pharmacy technician duties

Here are just a few duties of a pharmacy technician that help a pharmacy run more smoothly:

1. Greet patients

Usually, a tech is the first person the patient encounters at the pharmacy. A professional, friendly tech can make the patient’s experience better, and free up the pharmacist to focus on clinical issues and verifying prescriptions.

2. Answer phones

When the phones are ringing off the hook, techs help triage the phone calls, which allows the pharmacist to verify medication orders with less interruptions.

3. Manage drop-off

Techs manage prescriptions as they come in (whether dropped off in person by patients or sent in electronically by healthcare providers) while taking care of rejections by fixing problems and contacting insurance companies. 

4. Handle pickup

Techs continue providing great patient care at the pick-up window while ringing up patients at the cash register and sending them happily on their way. 

A great team of techs can help maintain a positive and productive work environment. This keeps patients happy and keeps the team less stressed overall. 

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When I had a whole team of techs, we were a perfect assembly line. We worked as a team. We helped each other constantly. If one of us saw someone else needed help, we would quickly jump in where needed. 

Whenever it felt like the ship was sinking, we hustled a little quicker and caught up. I never felt alone or hopeless, like I did when I worked at a pharmacy without technicians. I knew that as a team, we would pull through and get the job done, together.

As you can tell by now, there’s more to the pharmacy technician job description than completing a pharmacy technician program or passing a pharmacy technician certification exam. Depending on the pharmacy setting you work, your job duties may include administrative tasks as well as customer service skills, communication skills, and organizational skills. Learn more about what it takes to become a certified pharmacy technician here.

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Don’t forget to celebrate technicians

Pharmacists couldn’t do what we do without techs. On Oct. 20, it’s National Pharmacy Technician Day. Use it as an opportunity to say thank you to all of the fantastic technicians out there who are the backbone of our pharmacies.

Sometimes, in the chaos of our day, we forget to stop and express our appreciation. Pharmacists, in all the hustle and bustle of the pharmacy, please take the time to celebrate your technicians this year! 

What are you doing to celebrate your team? Join our pharmacist Facebook group and share your story!