What Are Some of the Related Jobs to Pharmacy Technicians?
If you're looking for a change, here are three related health occupations that you could easily transition from being a pharmacy technician.
Dental Assistants
Duties
Dental assistants have a variety of tasks regarding dental health and care. They are responsible for assisting with patient care which consists of answering queries, guidance, and relevant dental advice. They also schedule appointments for patients which help in delivering seamless operations in dental clinics. These duties vary from one country to another again depending on the specific office they work. The health care field is going fast, and dental assistants are projected to see a 19% growth rate through 2026.
Entry-level Education
Dental assistants do not need a tertiary level of dental education to perform tasks and responsibilities. However, they have to meet the minimum post-secondary non-degree award which puts them in a recognizable state for employment. More to this, most of these assistants learn on the job through supervisions from their majors.
Expected Pay
The median pay for a dental assistant falls at about $37, 630 per year. This is according to the Occupational Employment Statistics Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2017. The rate is slightly under the annual wage for all workers that rated at $37, 690 as stated in the same survey.
Medical Assistants
Duties
As the name suggests, a medical assistant has the role of helping out in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare centers. This pertains to attending to administrative work and completing clinical tasks in those areas. A medical assistant's role will vary depending on location and specific terms of operations for different employers. At 29% growth rate, the number of positions that should be available in coming years should make this one of the most sought after roles beneath the nursing level.
Entry-level Education
A medical assistant's job does not require extensive medical and health-related education to secure a position. But, a post-secondary non-degree award is essential to take the first steps as a medical assistant. Most of these assistant perfect on the skills as they work through on-job training and experience.
Expected Pay
A medical assistant is expected to scoop an average pay of about $32, 480 per year. This rate falls under the same class of expected wage for pharmacist technicians hence the co-relation. The rate is as stated in the Bureau of Labor Statistics in a survey conducted in 2017.
Medical Records/Health information Technicians (Medical Billers/Coders)
Duties
The primary role of health information technicians is to organize and manage health information data in all aspects. They are responsible for ensuring that the information is of quality, accurate, accessible and is secure. That is in both paperwork and electronic systems implemented by the workplace. On this note, health information technicians utilize particular classification methods to code patient date. These systems help in reimbursements for insured patients as well as keep patient treatment histories. In essence, they keep a tab on all patient information which allows smooth and seamless operations in service delivery. Driven by an increasing demand for medical services, the BLS expects that the number of health information technology jobs will grow at a rate of 13 percent from 2016 to 2026.
Entry-level Education
The least requirement to work as a health information technician is a post-secondary non-degree award. Like most other assistant jobs, health information technician train on the job, get the exposure and gain the experience in work setups.
Expected Pay
A health information technician is expected to earn an annual income of $39,180. The rate is as stated in a May- 2017 survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pharmacists
Duties
Pharmacists are responsible for the right dispensing of prescriptions to patients following the guidelines provided by the physicians. They also offer advice on the safe use of the medicines at the point of dispensing. Pharmacists may also conduct screenings pertaining to health for diagnosis and treatment. Also, they can take up roles in immunizations especially in retail drug stores. They evaluate the medication given to patients to ensure the right prescriptions for safety. More to the duties, they can provide health-related advice to concerned clients at any time. If you are already a general a pharmacy technician, you likely already have these skills and can transition to becoming a pharmacist with the required training.
Entry-level Education
The pharmacist title requires one to attend a high-level institution that offers doctoral and professional degrees. The course period varies depending on the total credits and the units of study.
Expected Pay
According to a May- 2017 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a pharmacist expects an average pay of $124,170. This is on the higher side in comparison with that of pharmacy technicians, but the roles are closely related. The latest data shows pharmacy employment projects a six percent increase in the number of pharmacy jobs between 2016 to 2026. That is about average among all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Also read: Retail vs Hospital Pharmacy Technician