Pharmacy Technician Salaries
Pharmacy technician salaries as I mentioned on the home page are determined by a number of factors. Some common factors that influence pharmacy technician salaries are:
• Whether an individual is certified or not
• Experience
• Type of setting
• Advanced qualifications
• Benefits & other perks offered by company
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Certified or Not?
If you’ve been following in sequence since the home page then at this point it should be abundantly clear to you that becoming certified is very, very important. As far as pharmacy technician salaries are concerned, certified technicians almost always will be hired at a higher pay rate than uncertified technicians and in some cases may even start at a higher pay
then techs that have experience, this is not written in stone but it is not unusual. So, being certified has advantages, not only as far as pharmacy technician salaries are concerned but also for advanced education, because advanced courses require the basic CphT certification. There are a lot of advanced courses available for pharmacy technicians that have already become certified. These courses help to further their career and with that comes increased pay because they have taken the initiative to further educate themselves and acquire new skills within the same industry and therefore get compensated accordingly.
Experience
Pharmacy technician salaries based on experience and certification give you a great negotiating edge and experience and certification count as a major plus from an employers’ point of view. Why? Because they (the employer(s)) are not going to have to spend as much money and time in extensive training because you are already experienced, if you migrate from one setting to another e.g. going from retail to hospital then again your experience comes in handy because even though the settings are different, most medications will stay the same and your experience should have turned you into a quick learner so that you can easily integrate into the new setting with some minimal training. Experience does count for a lot, however, in order to get experience you have to start somewhere and most employers realize this due to the shortage of pharmacy techs and pharmacists and so are willing to train new employees that have no prior experience. It's to their advanatge if they want to keep their pharmacies in business.
Type of setting
Pharmacy technician salaries are also dependent on the type of setting you’re in. As mentioned previously, retail is the easiest setting to get into if you’re completely new to pharmacy. It provides a great stepping stone and opens doors to other settings. Salary level is dependent on experience and certification, if you’re certified then congratulations! You most likely may be quoted a higher per hour rate than someone that has applied who isn’t certified. If you’re not experienced don’t worry, with training you will be. Almost all of my students had no clue about pharmacy before they took my training program and now a lot of them have become certified and found jobs, some got hired even before they took the national PTCB exam!
The other settings such as hospital, mail order, etc may offer a differential to their employees. A differential is getting paid an extra 10-15% or more on top of your base pay just because you were gracious enough or wanted to work the second (normally 2:30-11PM shift, may differ by institution) or third shift. Note: Some retail pharmacies that are open 24 hrs will also either pay a differential or start you off at a higher base pay.
When you do the math, working a second or third shift can really add up, and guess what? If you work weekends than you get paid even a higher differential. Is this great or what?
So, if you work in certain settings such as a hospital or mail order facility or overnight in retail etc than you can most likely expect to get paid a differential. The above settings are just examples, pretty much any setting that requires or requests you to work the afternoon or overnight shift will most likely pay a differential. It is important to ask the employer about this.
Advanced Qualifications
Pharmacy technicians that have taken the initiative to further their career by obtaining advanced education get compensated accordingly. In some cases the employer may pay for the advanced training if they feel it is worth it for their organization and you're an employee in good standing.
Examples of common types of advanced training:
• IV certification training
• Compounding certification
• Prescription billing certification and more...
IV certification is the most sought after certification because of it’s specialized nature. The more specialized you become the more potential there is to obtain a higher paying salary. If you recall, I mentioned that hospitals pay a differential based on the shift you work, well, if you’re IV certified your base pay will be higher and if you choose to work the second or third shift add the differential pay and you can see why becoming CphT & IV certified can be a VERY good thing. Plus, employers in these types of settings want techs that are IV certified not only from a cost savings perspective BUT also from a liability stand point. With greater responsibility comes greater pay.
*****Side bar*****
Once you become trained and start working in the specific environment it soon becomes second nature. So don’t be discouraged at this point if this seems like too much info. My goal is to give you a clear picture on what to expect.
Benefits & other perks offered by company
Pharmacy technician salaries are not always wholly based on rate/hr. Some things to consider when evaluating a job offer besides just the salary are: (keep in mind this is not a list written in stone, it just serves as a guide, use your own judgment.)
• Does the company offer differential pay? (if you’ll be working second or third shift)
• Does it provide medical insurance?
• Does it provide dental insurance?
• Does it provide a vision plan?
• Does it provide a pay raise every year? (if you’re in good standing)
• Does it provide bonuses? (if you’re in good standing)
• What are the opportunities for advancement?
• What sort of a pay raise can you expect if you advance your career?
• Would the employer completely or partially reimburse further education expenses?
• Would the employer reimburse you for CE(Continuing education) expenses?
• What other perks and benefits are offered?
So, as you can see pharmacy technician salaries don’t necessarily mean a certain pay rate/hr, other benefits the employer provides also count.
Pharmacy technician salaries range; usually depend on the following major criteria: Company, type of setting & your certification status. A lot of other factors besides the above three will determine the exact salary a person will receive and the salary decision is not final until the company offers you the job.
Proceed from Pharmacy Technician Salaries to Pharmacy Technician Requirements
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