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Occupation Profile
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Occupation: Pharmacy Technicians Change Occupation
State: Maryland Change State
Profile Content: (content listed below) Modify Profile Content
Wages  |  Employment Trends  |  Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities  |  Tasks & Activities
Tools & Technology  |  Education & Training  |  Related Occupations
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PHARMACY TECHNICIANS: MARYLAND

Occupation Description

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


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Pharmacy Technicians
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State and National Wages

Location Pay
Period		 2009
10% 25% Median 75% 90%
United States Hourly $9.36 $11.07 $13.49 $16.26 $19.31
Yearly $19,500 $23,000 $28,100 $33,800 $40,200
Maryland Hourly $9.70 $11.35 $13.98 $17.62 $21.75
Yearly $20,200 $23,600 $29,100 $36,600 $45,200
Annual Wages for Pharmacy Technicians

United States - $40,200 United States - $28,100 United States - $19,500 Maryland - $45,200 Maryland - $29,100 Maryland - $20,200
  • High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
  • Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
  • Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Hourly Wages for Pharmacy Technicians

United States - $19.31 United States - $13.49 United States - $9.36 Maryland - $21.75 Maryland - $13.98 Maryland - $9.7
  • High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
  • Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
  • Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Occupation Wages FAQs

Median Wage by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey
State Data Source: Maryland Career and Workforce Information

State and National Trends

United States Employment Percent
Change		 Job Openings 1
2008 2018
Pharmacy technicians 326,300 426,000 +31% 18,200
Maryland Employment Percent
Change		 Job Openings 1
2006 2016
Pharmacy technicians 4,900 6,720 +37% 330
1Job Openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Note: The data for the State Employment Trends and the National Employment Trends are not directly comparable. The projections period for state data is 2006-2016, while the projections period for national data is 2008-2018.

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Employment Trends by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections
State Data Source: Maryland Career and Workforce Information, Office of Workforce Information and Performance

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are listed for Pharmacy Technicians.

Knowledge:

  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills:

  • 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.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Abilities:

  • 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.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Source: Occupational Information Network: Pharmacy Technicians.

Tasks and Activities

Occupation specific tasks and the most important generalized work activities are listed for Pharmacy Technicians.

Occupation Specific Tasks:

  • Answer telephones, responding to questions or requests.
  • Assist customers by answering simple questions, locating items or referring them to the pharmacist for medication information.
  • Clean, and help maintain, equipment and work areas, and sterilize glassware according to prescribed methods.
  • Compute charges for medication and equipment dispensed to hospital patients, and enter data in computer.
  • Deliver medications and pharmaceutical supplies to patients, nursing stations or surgery.
  • Establish and maintain patient profiles, including lists of medications taken by individual patients.
  • Maintain and merchandise home health-care products and services.
  • Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs.
  • Mix pharmaceutical preparations according to written prescriptions.
  • Operate cash registers to accept payment from customers.
  • Order, label, and count stock of medications, chemicals, and supplies, and enter inventory data into computer.
  • Prepack bulk medicines, fill bottles with prescribed medications, and type and affix labels.
  • Prepare and process medical insurance claim forms and records.
  • Price and file prescriptions that have been filled.
  • Price stock and mark items for sale.
  • Receive and store incoming supplies, verify quantities against invoices, check for outdated medications in current inventory, and inform supervisors of stock needs and shortages.
  • Receive written prescription or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate.
  • Restock intravenous (IV) supplies and add measured drugs or nutrients to IV solutions under sterile conditions to prepare IV packs for various uses such as chemotherapy medication.
  • Supply and monitor robotic machines that dispense medicine into containers, and label the containers.
  • Transfer medication from vials to the appropriate number of sterile, disposable syringes, using aseptic techniques.

Generalized Work Activities:

  • Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Interacting With Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities:

  • accept prescriptions for filling
  • adhere to safety procedures
  • answer customer or public inquiries
  • clean rooms or work areas
  • collect payment
  • communicate technical information
  • compound pharmaceuticals or medical preparations
  • compute financial data
  • deliver or obtain mail, messages, records, food or other items
  • dispense prescribed medications and pharmaceuticals
  • distinguish colors
  • follow safe waste disposal procedures
  • interpret prescriptions
  • inventory medical supplies or instruments
  • inventory stock to ensure adequate supplies
  • label pharmaceutical supplies
  • maintain customer records
  • maintain dental or medical records
  • maintain established procedures concerning quality assurance
  • maintain record of medication or equipment dispensed to patient
  • maintain records, reports, or files
  • measure, weigh, or count products or materials
  • mix paint, ingredients, or chemicals, according to specifications
  • monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
  • obtain information from clients, customers, or patients
  • order or purchase supplies, materials, or equipment
  • post medical insurance billings
  • prepare sterile solutions, infusions, or intravenous packs
  • price merchandise
  • process medical records
  • provide customer service
  • sell merchandise
  • sterilize or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment
  • stock or organize goods
  • store pharmaceutical supplies or filled prescriptions
  • understand drug products
  • understand government health, hotel or food service regulations
  • understand properties or composition of drugs
  • use cash registers
  • use clinical sterilizing technique
  • use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
  • use health or sanitation standards
  • use interpersonal communication techniques
  • use knowledge of medical terminology
  • use knowledge of metric system
  • use laboratory equipment
  • use precision measuring tools or equipment
  • use quality assurance techniques
  • use sanitation practices in health care settings
  • use telephone communication techniques
  • verify completeness or accuracy of data

Source: Occupational Information Network: Pharmacy Technicians.

Tools and Technology

Pharmacy Technicians  View Detailed Report

Tools:

  • Filling or sealing auger dose machines - Automatic unit dose-strip packaging machines, Tube filling and crimping machines
  • Laboratory balances - Double-beam balances, Equal-arm balances, Single-beam balances, Torsion balances, Unequal-arm balances
  • Laboratory blenders or emulsifiers - Blending/agitating machines, Total Parenteral Nutrition TPN compounders
  • Laboratory mills - Benchtop colloid mills, Colloid mills, Grinding and shearing colloid mills
  • Sterile or aseptic processing or filling machines - Automatic bottle filling machines, Computer-based dispensing equipment, Semi-automatic sterile solution transferring devices

Technology:

  • Accounting software - Billing and reimbursement software
  • Data base user interface and query software - Database software, Drug compatibility software
  • Inventory management software - Cardinal Health Pyxis CII Safe, Inventory management software
  • Label making software - Label-making software
  • Medical software - Compounder software, Patient record maintenance software, Pharmaceutical software, Prescription processing software

Source: Occupational Information Network: Pharmacy Technicians.

Education and Training

Occupation: Pharmacy Technicians
Most Common Educational/Training Level: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Related Instructional Programs: Pharmacy Technician/Assistant

Distribution of Educational Attainment
Occupation Percent of employees aged 25 to 44 in the occupation whose highest level of educational attainment is
Less than high school diploma High school diploma or equivalent Some college, no degree Associate's degree Bachelor's degree Master's degree Doctoral or professional degree
Pharmacy technicians 2.5% 27.8% 34.1% 19% 14.1% 1.4% 1.1%
Health Technologists and Technicians 1.9% 19.6% 29.5% 25.6% 19.1% 2.3% 2.1%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical 1.2% 10.4% 15.4% 15.4% 20.7% 11.6% 25.2%
Total, All Occupations 10.7% 27.6% 20.6% 8.9% 19.4% 8.3% 4.5%

Find colleges, training schools and instructional programs for this occupation.

Find education and training programs where you can earn a certificate, diploma, or award in less than 2 years with the Short-Term Training Finder.

Access additional Education Resources in the Career Resource Library.

Use the Financial Aid Advisor to help find funds for financing education.

WIA Eligible Training Provider List: http://www.mhec.state.md.us/utilities/search_providers_all.asp

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections (Education/Training Level, Educational Attainment); National Center for Education Statistics (Typical Instructional Programs)

Related Occupation Profiles
Occupations with similar skill requirements

Web Resources

The following resources are related to occupations in the job family
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners
Health Technologists and Technicians
Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners
Health Technologists and Technicians
Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations


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