Post job

Pharmacist technician vs software engineer

The differences between pharmacist technicians and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a software engineer has an average salary of $100,260, which is higher than the $36,090 average annual salary of a pharmacist technician.

The top three skills for a pharmacist technician include patients, math and direct supervision. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.

Pharmacist technician vs software engineer overview

Pharmacist TechnicianSoftware Engineer
Yearly salary$36,090$100,260
Hourly rate$17.35$48.20
Growth rate5%21%
Number of jobs73,800339,938
Job satisfaction13.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age3839
Years of experience-4

What does a pharmacist technician do?

Pharmacist technicians assist pharmacists in their daily activities. They receive prescription medicine order requests of customers, validate the prescription, prepare the medicines, properly label medicine bottles, and hand them off to customers. They also answer customer inquiries and attend to customer concerns. Pharmacist technicians also manage the pharmacy's inventory and ensure that all records are up to date. They are also authorized to create purchase requisition requests for medicines that are running low and need to be refilled, but these requests should still be authorized by a doctor.

What does a software engineer do?

A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.

Pharmacist technician vs software engineer salary

Pharmacist technicians and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmacist TechnicianSoftware Engineer
Average salary$36,090$100,260
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $48,000Between $73,000 And $136,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Bruno, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companyValley Presbyterian HospitalThe Citadel
Best paying industryHealth CareStart-up

Differences between pharmacist technician and software engineer education

There are a few differences between a pharmacist technician and a software engineer in terms of educational background:

Pharmacist TechnicianSoftware Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorPharmacyComputer Science
Most common college-Harvard University

Pharmacist technician vs software engineer demographics

Here are the differences between pharmacist technicians' and software engineers' demographics:

Pharmacist TechnicianSoftware Engineer
Average age3839
Gender ratioMale, 24.9% Female, 75.1%Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage5%8%

Differences between pharmacist technician and software engineer duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage the OPTIFILL (automation) operations and maintenance of equipment, including the PYXIS medication dispensing machine.
  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Manage inventory; process physician orders; prepare chemotherapy and intravenous medications; support departments in distribution and preparation of medications.
  • Consult with patients as an (CPhT) on their medical usages via written prescription by authorize medical personnel.
  • Compound TPN's (total peripheral nutrition), chemotherapy, iv admixture, antibiotics, and other pharmacy medications.
  • Record customer information into Rx computer system.
  • Show more

Software engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage product releases, solve software bugs in a client/server environment, write UNIX shell scripts to manage development environments.
  • Manage responsive UI design, implementing complex, dynamic functionality.
  • Define continuous integration process and configure Jenkins build server to manage it.
  • Develop a python serial communication program to automate test procedures and verify proper operation.
  • Manage website/software/mobile applications by generating full scope requirements base upon PMI / SDLC guidance.
  • Contribute to implementing microservices used to manage entities and maintain a synchronize state between supplier and distributor.
  • Show more

Pharmacist technician vs software engineer skills

Common pharmacist technician skills
  • Patients, 32%
  • Math, 12%
  • Direct Supervision, 5%
  • HIPAA, 4%
  • Collective Bargaining, 4%
  • Telephone Calls, 4%
Common software engineer skills
  • Java, 15%
  • Python, 9%
  • Software Development, 6%
  • Database, 3%
  • GIT, 3%
  • Object Oriented Programming, 3%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs