[A Beautiful Struggle]

Hi.. I'm thinking about a job at walgreens as a pharmacy technician.
I'm a first year in college.. and i dont know anything about... it. xD


Have you guys worked at Walgreens or heard about it?

i heard the pay was good. =]

meehehe...

[hailing from ny]

as a first year student, I dont know if you chances at getting that job are high

and i dont know what pharmacy technicians do. at the least, you may need a degree

[A Beautiful Struggle]

i dont either. o_o


Pharmacy Technician
As a Pharmacy Technician, you will work under the supervision of a pharmacist to deliver quality patient care and excellent customer service. As allowed by law, your duties may include:

# Assisting pharmacists in filling prescriptions
# Using our Intercom Plus computer system to process prescriptions and assist patients
# Handling phone inquiries
# Entering patient purchases on pharmacy cash registers

Walgreens offers paid training and national certification for Pharmacy Technicians.Pharmacy Technicians must be at least 18 years old.

So i have to wait 9 days. xD

[pauline5]

i don't know much so don't quote me on this but i think you have to pass some kind of test to be a pharmacy technician

[dunpingy]

yeah but the test is not that hard in the sense you can study for it yourself and pass

[pauline5]

yeah but the test is not that hard in the sense you can study for it yourself and pass

yeah my mom had a co worker who has a bachelor's degree in business from uc davis but decided she wants to be a pharmacist and she decided she wanted to gain experience by starting out as a technician...anyways i'll just get to the point she bought a study book and studied for the test herself

[A Beautiful Struggle]

do you have to have a degree though? I'm still in my first year of college... o_o
i'm not even 18 yet.. (turning 18 in a couple days).



Also... do u guys have any books or anything that you recommend?

[uandme4ever21]

do you have to have a degree though? I'm still in my first year of college... o_o
i'm not even 18 yet.. (turning 18 in a couple days).
Also... do u guys have any books or anything that you recommend?

Yes I think you have to be 18 to legally work as a technician. However, you can be a clerk without taking the exam. So you can be a clerk first and then study for the technician exam as you work. Working also helps with passing the exam, but the exam itself is very easy, it is built so high school students could pass it.

[fruit]

I work at Walgreens but not in the Pharmacy. But I have a friend who works in that department and he says he hates it.. the customer that is. They're complaining left and right. But don't worry, I'm sure not all Walgreens are like mines because mines is located in the ghetto where everyone is mostly drunk and/or on drugs. If your Walgreens is in a nice quiet place I'm sure you won't have much problems. I'm not sure if he's a clerk or technician, but from the descriptions you provided it sounds like he's a technician. He's only 18 too.

[buidoi]

as a first year student, I dont know if you chances at getting that job are high

and i dont know what pharmacy technicians do. at the least, you may need a degree

Chances are high you just need to find it. And you don't need a degree.

do you have to have a degree though? I'm still in my first year of college... o_o
i'm not even 18 yet.. (turning 18 in a couple days).
Also... do u guys have any books or anything that you recommend?

No degree, but you need to be licensed as a certified pharm tech.

How?
1. Get into a pharm tech program at your school if they have or nearby schools. I think Walgreens may have a program too. They will provide you with books and lectures. Also hands on training.
2. Pay for it. Costs about $5,000-10,000, but I got mine for $2,000.
3. Learn it and take tests. Usually takes 8 months to finish the class work stuff.
4. Externship, you need to work at a walgreens or some other pharmacy for 120 hours to get hands on training. A pharmacy tech will approve you. The program will help you find one though.
5. Once you are approve, and got your certificate you can now work as a pharm tech. It's not that easy as I listed above, there may be some things that pop up. Also they do not gaurantee you a job, but if you work hard enough the place where you did your externship might hire you. Even if you can't find a job, having that "certified pharmacy tech" on your resume will look good for your future employers.

About the pay, yes it is good for college students as they do it on the side. If you can invest $5,000 and about 8-12 months of your life you can expect anywhere from $11/hr to $20+/hr depending on where you work at. I even see old people in their 40s-60s going in the pharm tech program because they think it's good pay.

[A Beautiful Struggle]

buidoi thanks so much for the detailed descriptions!! xD

[jjh536]

Hello Beautiful Stranger,

I work at Walgreens pharmacy. you need to have a tech license. The rules vary from state to state on getting a license. In California, you can simply take the test and become liscensed. But the majority of techs usually take classes, do an externship, and complete a certification before taking the tech license test. I believe employers look more favorably on these ppl.

Your responsiblities as a tech do include customer service, using the Intercom Plus computer software, calling third parties (aka insurances), typing Rx and filling Rx. Typing and filling Rx requires you know drug names which is why having a tech certificate is highly desirable.

The best way to get in is to start out as a cashier in the pharmacy, while taking classes/externship, and completing your certification. Why be a cashier first? Most companies favor promoting existing employees over a new applicant with the same qualifications. Here's a little secret, they may even pay for your tech exams and license fees! Once you pass your tech license exam, you will instantly be promoted as tech. And yes, techs do make more than cashiers.

Good luck