Download Another career option in the pharmacy field is working as a

Another career option in the pharmacy field is working as a pharmacy technician.
Graduates of a pharmacy technician program program are qualified to work as Pharmacy Technicians in
any pharmacy setting, such as community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, long-term care facilities,
large health centres, rehabilitation centres, insurance firms, pharmaceutical companies, and
pharmaceutical dispensing depots.
-There is a pharmacy technician program at the academy of learning in Edmonton (there are also other
cities in Alberta where you can take this program). The program is 51 weeks long (1 year) and after
completion of the program you receive a pharmacy technician program.
-There are currently changes occurring to the regulation of technicians and it will be mandatory for
technicians to complete a pharmacy technician program. After completing the pharmacy technician
program the students will need to complete a PEBC Pharmacy Technician Evaluating Examination (the
first exam is running April 2010). The Pharmacy Technician Qualifying Examination consists of two parts:
a written multiple choice question examination (MCQ) and a performance-based examination, called an
Objective Structured Performance Examination (OSPE).
Duties
Pharmacy assistants and technicians work under the supervision of one or more pharmacists.
Their duties and responsibilities vary depending on their level of training and where they work
(in a hospital or a retail pharmacy). In general, they:
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maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs
enter patient information and doctors' prescriptions in computer systems
prepare, package and label prescription medications
maintain prescription and inventory record keeping systems
prepare compounds
place and receive orders for stock to maintain inventory.
Other responsibilities depend on the setting. For example, in retail outlets, pharmacy assistants
and technicians may:
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answer telephones
help customers find non-prescription items
answer customer questions about non-drug products
accept payment for prescriptions
price stock and mark items for sale
prepare and reconcile third party insurance claims and records.
In hospital settings, they may:
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restock drugs and solutions kept on nursing wards
restock drug kits that are kept for specific types of emergencies (for
example, anapylactic or diabetic shock)
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fill dose carts and deliver them to nursing stations
collect and chart information.
In addition to the duties and responsibilities listed above, technicians may:
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prepare sterile products such as intravenous (IV) admixtures, chemotherapy admixtures
and total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
check dispensed, compounded and sterile products
supervise other staff.
http://www.pebc.ca/PharmacyTechnicians/index.html
http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/
http://www.academyoflearning.ab.ca/programs/healthcare/PharmacyTechnician.cfm