Becoming a Pharmacy Technician in the UK

clendar November 24, 2023

clendar 8 minutes

Isaac Dobson

3983 Users

Healthcare industry is currently one of the fastest-growing work fields in the UK. Particularly, the pharmacy sector has grown 75% in the last decade. As the population increases, the demand for healthcare professionals is also rising. If you’re looking for a career in this industry, Pharmacy Technician might be a great fit for you.

Continue reading to learn about the key benefits of becoming a Pharmacy Technician in the UK.

What Does a Pharmacy Technician Do?

To better understand the advantages of being a Pharmacy Technician in UK, you need to know the primary tasks of a pharmacy technician.

Pharmacy Assistants help licensed Pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients. They usually perform routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication, such as counting tablets and labelling bottles. They also perform administrative duties, such as answering phones, stocking shelves, and operating cash registers. Pharmacy Technicians are also called Pharmacy Assistants. They refer to any questions regarding prescriptions, drug information, or health matters to a pharmacist technician.

Your main tasks include:

reviewing and recording medicines
providing recommendation on how to take and keep medicines safely
monitoring, ordering and taking inventory of medicines acquired from pharmacy suppliers
interpreting prescriptions, creating labels and providing the suitable medication
recording, analysing and deciphering records

7 Reasons for choosing pharmacy technician profession

If you’re thinking about a pharmacy technician career path in the healthcare industry, then here are 7 reasons why becoming a pharmacy technician will be your top choice.

1. You can become certified in less than a year

Unlike other careers in the healthcare sector, one of the many benefits of working in the pharmaceutical industry is that you can train growing to be a licensed Pharmacy Technician in underneath a year. Yep – that’s right. In less than 12 months (some programs require solely 9 months of study) you could be utterly outfitted to kickstart your new pharmacy tech career by mid 2023!

Pharmacy Assistant necessities include analysing for an accredited qualification such as BTEC National Diploma in pharmaceutical science or an NVQ/SVQ stage three in pharmacy services, which will allow you to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPHC). Services such as the NHS even offer jobs for trainee Pharmacy Technicians and Dispensing Technician.

2. Your work helps people

So many jobs can experience meaningless—you work, you go home, you come back the subsequent day. But pharmacy technician career comes with the fulfilment of supporting others.

Whether you’re measuring medications, manning the cash register or simply engaging in a pleasant conversation with a customer, your job revolves around assisting people. So if you’re looking for a pleasurable profession you can be proud of, seem no further!

One of the biggest advantages to a career as a pharmacy technician is something that doesn’t revolve around pay, but round fulfilment. When you work with different people who need your particular abilities in order to get the assistance they need, it leaves you feeling properly now not solely about the job you’re doing, but the way you’re having a nice impact on the lives of others. Making a patient’s day could be as simple as having a friendly conversation as the cash register. The factor is that becoming a pharmacy technician is a profession that you can be proud of and absolutely look ahead to doing each day

3. An affordable education

To emerge as a pharmacy Technician or Dispensing Technician, you don’t want a bachelor’s diploma or masters, or even years of savings. Four GCSEs (A* to C grade, inclusive of English, Maths and science) alongside with a one-year diploma or certification application is all you need to qualify you for the role. This skill no scholar mortgage repayments or excessive fees, and you don’t have to commit to years of studying. Of course, it goes except announcing that you ought to have an ardour for the role and dedication.

Another advantage of Pharmacy technician coaching is that the coursework you want to complete to end up a Pharmacy Technician lets you work around your schedule, and therefore doesn’t interfere with your way of life in any conflicting way. Most of the training will be executed online, and you can select to find out about on a full-time or part-time basis. You must, however, keep active certification (every two years).

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4. Flexibility

The coursework you want in order to emerge as a pharmacy technician is accessible to you in ways that effortlessly match your lifestyle. Although you will be expected to do some hands-on work and training, you can additionally complete some of the coursework online. New classes are provided every 5 weeks and there are even accelerated classes on hand in the morning or evening in order to get your necessities completed even quicker while you still fulfil your current duties at home or at your present day job.

5. Handsome salary

As reported by the Economic Research Institute, the average base Pharmacy Technician Salary Uk is approximately £11 for every working hour. Which implies that an employee of this job earns about £22,000 per year in the United Kingdom. And the pharmacy technician uk salary potential is expected to be around £24,000 by 2025.

6. Opportunity of Pharmacy Technician Career advancement

One of the many advantages of becoming a pharmacy technician is that there is plenty of room for professional development in the pharmaceutical industry, as non-stop developments in this area open doorways to new roles, with the chance to specialise in a range of areas.

Once you have established yourself in this area and developed expert expertise and skills, you will have the chance to discover specialised areas of practice, such as management, mental health, oncology, paediatrics, and even nuclear pharmacy. Of course, turning into a Pharmacy Technician is additionally a necessary step to turning into a certified Pharmacist Technician, but there is also potential to emerge as a Community Store Manager or Pharmacy Technician Supervisor.

A Pharmacy Technician can rank up to the following roles:

7. Satisfactory working conditions

Pharmacies are designed in a way that makes working conditions excellent and comfortable. They are generally well-lit, well-ventilated, climate-controlled buildings, where a well-mannered and expert atmosphere is constantly maintained. Also, due to the fact you’re working in the clinical industry, you’re usually guaranteed a clean and organised working area. And, as stated previously, Pharmacy Technicians work the equal normal daytime hours as Pharmacists, with no overtime. If the working environment is essential for you, then you may prefer to seriously think about a pharmacy technician career progression uk.

Closing remarks

So, if you’re thinking about a profession change, and want to take your first steps toward a lucrative occupation in the pharmacy industry, then, you’ve bought all the information you want to get started! Now that you’ve made your mind that a profession in the pharmaceutical region is proper for you, it’s vital to take motion now and begin looking for apprenticeship and training opportunities. Taking an online course alongside your education is also highly recommended assisting you to attain the expert competencies and confidence to assist you to stand out to potential employees. Finally, make certain that you’ve done enough researching and that your CV is updated and highlights the competencies and traits preferred for the role. Good luck and happy training!