Written by Colleen Flaharty, Pharmacy Technician Program Coordinator, Eagan Campus
Healthcare has always appealed to me as a career -- the opportunity to help others, interest in health and biology, how the body works, etc. I thought about medicine, but I never wanted to be "the dollar stops here" person. And the thought of having to clean up after various bodily eruptions steered me from nursing. I attended a career fair when I was in junior high, for "women in non-traditional careers" and was introduced to the idea of pharmacy. I wanted to be sure that I liked the field, though, before investing all of the time and money into pharmacy school, so I enrolled in a pharmacy technician program right out of high school.
It is many years later, women in pharmacy are now the majority, at least in pharmacy school classes of recent years, and women pharmacists are definitely no longer considered "non-traditional." My years as a technician have been very rewarding, and now I am finally near the end of my educational road to become a pharmacist. It is very exciting to see all of the changes that have developed over time in the field, and very gratifying to see how the value of a well-trained, hard-working technician is widely recognized and appreciated!
The following is from the Winter 2008 newsletter from the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board) website.
Pharmacy Technician listed in Top 30 Jobs of 2008 on CareerBuilder.com
A new year means new beginnings: new resolutions, ideas and friends; new habits, relationships and goals; new salaries, titles and responsibilities. And perhaps most importantly, new jobs. Lots of them. And not just for 2008, either - until 2016.
Total employment is expected to increase by 15.6 million jobs during the 2006-16 decade, according to the most recent employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Almost all of this growth will occur in the service-providing sector, which will account for 75 percent of all jobs in 2016.
Professional and related professions and service occupations are projected to grow most quickly, accounting for more than six of 10 new jobs created throughout 2006-2016. Twenty-eight of the 30 fastest-growing jobs are in professional and related occupations and service positions.
Interested in getting in on the new job action this year? 2006-2016, According to the BLS pharmacy technician is number 16 of the 30 fastest growing careers between 2006 and 2016.
16. Pharmacy technicians
2006 employment: 285,000
2016 projection: 376,000
Percent growth: 32
Salary range: $21,260 - $30,560
Education/training: Moderate on-the-job training