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Pharmacist technician trainee vs senior pharmacist technician

The differences between pharmacist technician trainees and senior pharmacist technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior pharmacist technician has an average salary of $68,845, which is higher than the $50,647 average annual salary of a pharmacist technician trainee.

The top three skills for a pharmacist technician trainee include patients, HIPAA and phone calls. The most important skills for a senior pharmacist technician are patients, customer service, and math.

Pharmacist technician trainee vs senior pharmacist technician overview

Pharmacist Technician TraineeSenior Pharmacist Technician
Yearly salary$50,647$68,845
Hourly rate$24.35$33.10
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs97,22772,832
Job satisfaction-1
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 29%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age3838
Years of experience--

What does a pharmacist technician trainee do?

A pharmacist technician trainee is responsible for supporting the staff on pharmacy operations, assisting patients on their medications, and providing other needs according to prescriptions. Pharmacist technician trainees maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility, including the adequacy of medicine storage and creating purchase requests. They also respond to patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as reiterating the instructions and dosage of medicines to take. A pharmacist technician trainee verifies order forms and processes payment accurately, escalating discrepancies to the supervisor immediately.

What does a senior pharmacist technician do?

A senior pharmacy technician is an individual who assures that pharmacists have access to appropriate pharmaceuticals and supplies as well as provide convenient access to customers on over-the-counter items. Senior pharmacist technicians must assist the pharmacist on duty in filling prescriptions by verifying the correct product and entering the patient's insurance and personal information into the pharmacy software application. They must provide good customer service by coordinating with physicians to obtain refill authorizations and accepting refill requests from customers over the phone. Senior pharmacist technicians must also assist with the annual inventory of prescription drugs and over-the-counter products.

Pharmacist technician trainee vs senior pharmacist technician salary

Pharmacist technician trainees and senior pharmacist technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pharmacist Technician TraineeSenior Pharmacist Technician
Average salary$50,647$68,845
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $105,000Between $37,000 And $126,000
Highest paying CityMilford, CTDraper, UT
Highest paying stateCaliforniaRhode Island
Best paying companyAmazonAllergan plc
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between pharmacist technician trainee and senior pharmacist technician education

There are a few differences between a pharmacist technician trainee and a senior pharmacist technician in terms of educational background:

Pharmacist Technician TraineeSenior Pharmacist Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 29%Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common majorPharmacyPharmacy
Most common college--

Pharmacist technician trainee vs senior pharmacist technician demographics

Here are the differences between pharmacist technician trainees' and senior pharmacist technicians' demographics:

Pharmacist Technician TraineeSenior Pharmacist Technician
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 21.5% Female, 78.5%Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%
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, 8.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 10.1% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between pharmacist technician trainee and senior pharmacist technician duties and responsibilities

Pharmacist technician trainee example 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.
  • Maintain confidentiality and adhere to strict HIPAA guidelines.
  • Fill medication in Pyxis machines on each individual floor
  • Show more

Senior pharmacist technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
  • Call doctors to confirm DEA numbers and NPI numbers.
  • Contribute to helping the RX budget stay within a certain range.
  • Ensure that patient's allergies, therapies and current medications are updated regularly.
  • Generate Rx labels, count out the prescribed medication amounts for inspection by license pharmacists.
  • Monitor and evaluate appropriate drug therapy, drug interactions, allergies, and duplication of therapy.
  • Show more

Pharmacist technician trainee vs senior pharmacist technician skills

Common pharmacist technician trainee skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • HIPAA, 6%
  • Phone Calls, 6%
  • Quality Customer Service, 5%
  • Math, 5%
  • Compassion, 4%
Common senior pharmacist technician skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Math, 6%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Direct Supervision, 4%
  • Pharmacy Inventory, 4%

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