If you are interested in helping patients in a hospital setting, you may want to consider becoming a hospital pharmacy technician.
Hospital pharmacy technicians work closely with pharmacists to mix medication compounds, deliver medicines to hospital units, organize different drugs, and keep patients safe.
Hospital techs enjoy a decent salary, great benefits, good job security, and flexible scheduling options.
This guide covers what a hospital pharmacy technician is, their responsibilities, the average salary, where they work in hospitals, how to become one, and more.
What Hospital Pharmacy Technicians Are & What They Do
Hospital pharmacy technicians play a vital role in getting patients the life-saving medications they need while in the hospital. They often handle more complex medications than retail pharmacy technicians.
A hospital pharmacy technician's responsibilities include:
- Compounding medications. Hospital pharmacy technicians often have to create compounds to be used for intravenous use or given as a liquid down a feeding tube. They may have to compound highly potent drugs for use in intensive care or chemotherapy units.
- Organizing inventory. All pharmacy techs are responsible for keeping medications organized and well-stocked. Most hospitals use computer systems to help technicians know when a certain medication is running low or reaching its expiration date.
- Creating clear labels. Clear labeling in the hospital can prevent life-threatening mistakes in medication administration. Labels must have the patient's name and birthdate as well as the medication name, dose, route, and special warnings. Most hospitals also use special barcodes on each medication to avoid errors in mixing or administration.
- Responding to emergencies. Some hospital pharmacy techs respond to emergencies such as mass blood transfusions, cardiac arrests, and strokes. Nurses and doctors may rely on the pharmacy tech to deliver medications reserved for emergency use only.
- Tracking high-risk medications. Working in a hospital means a pharmacy tech will handle more high-risk medications. These can include narcotics, blood-thinning medications, strong blood pressure medications, and chemotherapy or radioactive medications. Pharmacy techs often complete special training courses before handling these types of medications.
- Keeping patients safe. The most important part of any pharmacy technician’s job is to keep patients safe. Pharmacy technicians should pay close attention to the details of their job and speak up if they see or suspect a problem.
Where Hospital Pharmacy Technicians Work in Hospitals
Hospital pharmacy technicians work all over the hospital.
They typically spend a large portion of their day in a medication room, organizing, mixing, and taking inventory of different drugs. Some hospitals have large tube systems that allow the pharmacy technician to deliver medications to different areas without leaving the medication room.
However, many pharmacy technicians also spend time walking around the hospital, delivering medications to nurses for patient care, or responding to emergencies.
Some hospitals have retail-type pharmacies within the building where patients can fill their prescriptions to take home after hospital discharge.
Hospital pharmacy technicians may split their time between the medication room reserved for inpatient medications and the retail-type pharmacy.
Hospital Pharmacy Technician Salaries, Benefits, & Job Outlook
Pharmacy techs earn an average salary of $40,300 per year or $19.37 per hour.
Hospital pharmacy technicians earn much higher salaries, averaging about $60,320 per year, or $29 per hour.
Only about 16% of pharmacy technicians work in hospitals, and working in a hospital usually requires more training and advanced certifications.
Pharmacy technicians have a good job outlook, with opportunities expected to increase by 6% between 2022 and 2032.
Hospital pharmacy technicians also enjoy great benefits. Most hospital pharmacy technicians earn benefits such as:
- PTO
- Sick leave
- Health insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Medication discounts
- Tuition reimbursement
How to Become a Hospital Pharmacy Technician & Find a Job
If you are hoping to become a hospital pharmacy technician, here are the steps to take:
- Obtain your high school diploma or GED. All pharmacy technicians have to have a high school diploma or GED before enrolling in a training program or getting a job
- Make a plan for certification. Many states require pharmacy technicians to earn a certification. Even if your state doesn't require it, a certification can help you find a job more easily. You can choose either the PTCB’s CPhT or NHA’s ExCPT certifications.
- Choose a training program. Pharmacy technicians can complete training online, at a technical school, or in college. Online pharmacy tech programs are typically the shortest and least expensive.
- Complete your education and training. Training programs teach students the basics of physiology, compounding medications, infection control, insurance, and more. Programs should prepare students to pass their certification exam and enter the workforce.
- Take your certification exam. Both the PTCB and NHA certifications require paying a testing fee and passing a proctored exam.
- Register with your state’s board of pharmacy (if required). Some states require pharmacy technicians to register with the board of pharmacy. Registration usually includes a background check and drug screening test.
- Get advanced certifications. Because of the types of medication you'll be working with, many hospitals require pharmacy techs to earn advanced certifications. Hospital pharmacy techs may need to be certified in sterile compound preparation, hazardous drug management, controlled, substances diversion prevention, or supply chain, and inventory management.
- Create your resume. Even without experience, you can build a strong resume. Successful entry-level pharmacy tech resumes often include things like extracurricular activities, volunteer hours, good grades, and awards.
- Apply for jobs. Hospital pharmacy technicians are in demand all over the country. Most technicians are able to find and apply for jobs on websites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter.
- Maintain your certification. After you start working, make sure that you keep your certification up to date. Both the PTCB and NHA certifications require pharmacy technicians to complete continuing education credits and pay a fee to the organization to maintain their certification.
Hospital vs. Retail Pharmacy Technician
While there are many similarities between hospital and retail pharmacy technicians, there are also many important differences.
Hospital pharmacy technicians are more likely to deal with the following:
- Sterile medications. Because so many medications are given intravenously, hospital pharmacy technicians must perfect their sterile technique to avoid contaminating medications with harmful bacteria.
- Chemotherapy medications. While retail pharmacy technicians may handle chemotherapy medications, the ones used in the hospital are typically much stronger and more dangerous. Special training is required to handle these medications.
- Compounding. Many patients in the hospital are unable to swallow pills and need many combinations of medicine. Hospital pharmacists will spend more time compounding medications than retail pharmacy technicians.
- Emergency medications. Hospital pharmacy techs need to be able to respond quickly in an emergency. They must be able to find, measure, and label medications in life-and-death situations while staying calm and collected.
- Large volumes of controlled substances. Hospitals, especially large surgical or trauma centers, will have large volumes of controlled substances such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants.
There are also some other key differences between hospital and retail pharmacy technicians, such as:
- Risk of disease exposure. While hospital pharmacy techs don’t often deal directly with sick patients, their risk of disease exposure is still higher than it is for retail pharmacy techs.
- Variation in schedule. Hospital pharmacy technicians are needed 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Hospitals usually require each employee to work at least a few weekend, holiday, and overnight shifts.
- Higher pay. Hospital pharmacy techs are generally paid more than retail pharmacy techs. Many receive an increase in pay when working weekends, evenings, nights, and holidays.
