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What is a pharmacist technician trainee and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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Pharmacist technician trainees mainly assist pharmacists in filling prescriptions, providing services to customers, keeping the pharmacy clean, and collecting payments for medications. Pharmacies hire such individuals to assist in all daily pharmacy operations and customer service. They primarily report to the pharmacist or pharmacy managers. This is an entry-level job.

The main duties and responsibilities for the position include providing customer service, filling prescriptions, keeping the pharmacy clean, collecting payments, announcing orders, managing inventory, and process insurance.

Essential skills required for this position include customer service, computer skills, mathematics skills, communication skills, and physical stamina. Pharmacy technician trainees must have a high school diploma or equivalent and be at least 18 years of age.

Many employers prefer professionals who also have past experience working in a pharmacy environment, but this is not a hard requirement. In addition, several states require that pharmacy technician trainees become registered with the state pharmacy board within one year of employment. Trainees who do not become registered must be terminated from employment.

The average hourly salary for the position is $17.04, which amounts to $35,448 annually. The career is projected to grow in the near future.

ScorePharmacist Technician TraineeUS Average
Salary
4.0

Avg. Salary $50,647

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.5

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 10.11%

Black or African American 8.65%

Hispanic or Latino 14.49%

Unknown 5.72%

White 60.23%

Gender

female 78.47%

male 21.53%

Age - 36
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36
Stress level
8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
8.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Pharmacist technician trainee career paths

Key steps to become a pharmacist technician trainee

  1. Explore pharmacist technician trainee education requirements

    Most common pharmacist technician trainee degrees

    High School Diploma

    29.2 %

    Bachelor's

    27.0 %

    Associate

    17.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific pharmacist technician trainee skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Patients30.63%
    HIPAA6.46%
    Phone Calls5.80%
    Quality Customer Service5.11%
    Math4.74%
  3. Complete relevant pharmacist technician trainee training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pharmacist technician trainees learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pharmacist technician trainee based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pharmacist technician trainee resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed pharmacist technician trainee usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed pharmacist technician trainee in most of states. 38 states require pharmacist technician trainees to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    StateEducationExamLicense url
    Alabama--Licensed Pharmacist Technician
    AlaskaDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredPharmacist
    ArkansasDegree requiredBoth state and third-party exams requiredPharmacist
    CaliforniaDegree requiredBoth state and third-party exams requiredPharmacist, Registered
    ConnecticutDegree requiredState exam requiredPharmacist
  5. Gain additional pharmacist technician trainee certifications

    Pharmacist technician trainee certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific pharmacist technician trainee certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for pharmacist technician trainees include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Medical Assistant.

    More About Certifications
  6. Research pharmacist technician trainee duties and responsibilities

    • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
    • Master Sig codes and math skills require to accurately input prescriptions.
    • Restock Pyxis machines, emergency crash carts, and patient cart medications.
    • Perform chemotherapy calculations and prepare chemotherapy drugs.
  7. Prepare your pharmacist technician trainee resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pharmacist technician trainee resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pharmacist technician trainee resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable pharmacist technician trainee resume templates

    Build a professional pharmacist technician trainee resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pharmacist technician trainee resume.
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
    Pharmacist Technician Trainee Resume
  8. Apply for pharmacist technician trainee jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a pharmacist technician trainee job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first pharmacist technician trainee job

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Average pharmacist technician trainee salary

The average pharmacist technician trainee salary in the United States is $50,647 per year or $24 per hour. Pharmacist technician trainee salaries range between $24,000 and $105,000 per year.

Average pharmacist technician trainee salary
$50,647 Yearly
$24.35 hourly

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How do pharmacist technician trainees rate their job?

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Pharmacist technician trainee reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

This salary range is based off a pharmacist which is a doctorate degree, not a senior pharmacist technician. They range between $15 to $25 per hour which is closer to $30k to $40k.

Cons

This article is misleading and needs to be corrected.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Clean environment

Cons

Very low salary, stressful conditions and working with crazy pharmacists


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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