Under the direction of registered pharmacists, professional technicians prepare medication in various forms for dispensing to patients. Entering and extracting accurate information from patient profiles and other data requires knowledge of medications, inventory, purchasing, equipment operation and record keeping as it relates to pharmacy. Pharmacy technicians develop expertise in preparing medications for dispensing.
Most pharmacy technicians work in retail pharmacies and hospitals, while a small number are employed by mail order and Internet pharmacies, clinics, pharmaceutical wholesalers, home health organizations, teaching and the federal government. Employment for pharmacy technicians is expected to grow through 2010 due to the increased pharmaceutical needs of the aging population. With advances in science, more medications are becoming available to treat more conditions.
You can learn more about the career at the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos252.htm.