Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between pharmacy interns and certified pharmacist technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pharmacy internship has an average salary of $80,116, which is higher than the $37,059 average annual salary of a certified pharmacist technician.
The top three skills for a pharmacy internship include patients, customer service and patient care. The most important skills for a certified pharmacist technician are patients, direct supervision, and math.
| Pharmacy Internship | Certified Pharmacist Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $80,116 | $37,059 |
| Hourly rate | $38.52 | $17.82 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 89,197 | 113,033 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
When it comes to a pharmacy internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to observe pharmacy operations and develop efficient communication skills as most of the tasks will revolve around customer service, such as providing instructions on when to take medications and what could be the side effects. Moreover, working as a pharmacist requires excellent attention to detail, ensuring that all customers receive the correct type and amount according to their prescriptions. Among the duties can also revolve around administrative tasks such as verifying prescriptions, keeping and maintaining accurate records, and responding to inquiries.
A certified pharmacist technician is responsible for assisting patients by providing medicines based on their needs or their physicians' prescriptions. Certified pharmacist technicians must be able to supply the correct medications, including the right dosage to patients. They must also have a broad understanding of the medical industry, providing medicinal information to patients and referring them to the right health professionals as needed. Certified pharmacist technicians also monitor medicine inventories, manage supplies, and create sales reports.
Pharmacy interns and certified pharmacist technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pharmacy Internship | Certified Pharmacist Technician | |
| Average salary | $80,116 | $37,059 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $139,000 | Between $27,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Safeway | Dignity Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a pharmacy internship and a certified pharmacist technician in terms of educational background:
| Pharmacy Internship | Certified Pharmacist Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Pharmacy |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | - |
Here are the differences between pharmacy interns' and certified pharmacist technicians' demographics:
| Pharmacy Internship | Certified Pharmacist Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4% | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 5.4% Asian, 27.1% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 Percentage | 11% | 5% |