Pharmacy Technicians
What Pharmacy Technicians Do
Prepare medications under the direction of a pharmacist. May measure, mix, count out, label, and record amounts and dosages of medications according to prescription orders.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.6/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.9/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.8/5
- English Languageimportance 3.8/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.7/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 3.5/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.3/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.2/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate5.0/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- E-Mail4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Pharmacy Aides96% skill match
- Fire Inspectors and Investigators95% skill match
- Tellers94% skill match
- Registered Nurses94% skill match
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria94% skill match
- Optometrists94% skill match
- Food Servers, Nonrestaurant94% skill match
- Office Clerks, General94% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.5/5
- Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 2.5/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Billing and reimbursement software
- Compounder software
- Database software
- Drug compatibility software
- Label-making software
- Medical condition coding software
- Patient record maintenance software
- Pharmaceutical software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Self-Control
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalHigh
- RealisticMedium
- SocialMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where pharmacy technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Aguadilla, PR3.46× national avg
- 2Arecibo, PR3.45× national avg
- 3Guayama, PR3.31× national avg
- 4Ponce, PR2.48× national avg
- 5Mayaguez, PR2.12× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Pharmacy AidesCareer Change
- First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service WorkersCareer Change
- Funeral Home ManagersCareer Change
- Flight AttendantsCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Medical/Clinical Assistant
- Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)grads earn ~$35,525
- Hillsborough College (Tampa, FL)
- NUC University (Bayamon, PR)grads earn ~$31,621
- Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale, FL)grads earn ~$39,852
- The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest (Houston, TX)grads earn ~$32,907