Most pharmaceutical jobs require a fair amount of education and pharmacist technicians are no exception. Many community colleges or vocational schools offer coursework or certification programs for pharmaceutical jobs. Many hospitals have also gotten into the act and offer similar instruction. Classes that deal with health, sciences, reading and spelling are helpful as they build the skills and knowledge you will need to do your job effectively.
Get as much pharmaceutical job experience as you can in the form of internships, hospital volunteering or part-time jobs at your local pharmacy. Not only will this look great on your resume when you begin your pharmaceutical job search, but experience in customer service, computers, handling inventory and working around medications at an early stage will build a solid foundation for you once you've gotten your first pharmaceutical job.
Once you have completed your school work, consider taking the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination. While taking and passing this exam is not required to work in all states, it lets potential employers know that you know everything you need to do your pharmaceutical job well. If you choose to take the exam, which is administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, you will need to take and pass the exam again every two years for re-certification. In order to be eligible for this exam, a person must have a high school diploma or the equivalent, be 18 or over and have no prior felony convictions.
Once you are ready to start your pharmaceutical job search, look for pharmacist technician openings at hospitals, local pharmacies or other medical facilities. Online job sites such as HealthcareRecruitment.com or Jobster.com are great resources for finding pharmaceutical job openings.
