pharmacy technician salary

I just saw the graph for pharmacy technician salaries posted on this site. Pharm tech's making 30k+/yr??? Is this true? I'm a certified pharm tech at WAGS, and I only make ~10/hr. That's a little more than 20k/yr full time. Wow, does this mean there's hope for me? Give it to me straight, though, what kind of qualifications do these people have that I need? I like my job, but the low pay and seeming lack of advancement makes me dream of greener pastures.

I've been certified since 2003. I started at CVS Pharmacy making 11/hr upon my initial certification and had received close to 15/hr before my departure to another company in 2005. I now make over 50K/year supervising a prior authorization department at an insurance company. I started at the insurance company as a pharmacy technician making 32K/year in Oct 2005, and have been promoted twice since I started. In my opinion, the sky's the limit as a pharmacy technician if you are willing to work in all areas of pharmacy. I've done retail, inpatient hospital, mail order, and now managed care. I've learned that retail pharmacies will only pay what you make them pay. You have to constantly negotiate your salary.

gerald in Sacramento, California said: I work as a pharm tech in northern california. i make $42000 a year and my hospital is the lowest paying in Sacramento.I am in inpatient pharmacy tech we are generaly
paid more than retail.I have in the past made up to $72000
a year 2003,2004,2005. because of overtime.You can e-mail me @gerry4402006@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

hello! i just like to know, how were you able to make 72k a year? just overtime in an inpatient department as a pharmacy technician?

Newbie in Verona, Wisconsin said: I just saw the graph for pharmacy technician salaries posted on this site. Pharm tech's making 30k+/yr??? Is this true? I'm a certified pharm tech at WAGS, and I only make ~10/hr. That's a little more than 20k/yr full time. Wow, does this mean there's hope for me? Give it to me straight, though, what kind of qualifications do these people have that I need? I like my job, but the low pay and seeming lack of advancement makes me dream of greener pastures.

WEll i work for walgreens here in visalia,ca and been there for 3 years. i started at $13.25 and currently with ptcb certified is at $18.25, i make a little over 40k because of he overtime, sometimes 30+ hr overtime.

I work as a pharmacy tech, with overtime i am averaging seventy thousand dollars a year.I work inpatient in a large hospital.The job is not rocket science and can be repetitive,but it pays well.

sam in Mission Viejo, California said: hello! i just like to know, how were you able to make 72k a year? just overtime in an inpatient department as a pharmacy technician?

lots of overtime everyday.

we get time and a half everyday after working 6 days in a row. i would work everyday including some double shifts.This is before i was married mind you,i worked up to 90 days in a row.At the time i was not going to school.i did this for 4 years.i used the money to buy two houses.I worked at the hospital for ten years. i quit two weeks ago to start a business.

Wow, so I guess this means that I may be getting underpaid big time. I am not yet certified (still waiting on my scores on October 12th) and having been making $8.00/hr since starting here at Kmart in May 2007. So the hospital allows you to get overtime? That's definitely what I need since in retail they don't allow you to get a single hour over 40.

gerald in Sacramento, California said: I work as a pharm tech in northern california. i make $42000 a year and my hospital is the lowest paying in Sacramento.I am in inpatient pharmacy tech we are generaly
paid more than retail.I have in the past made up to $72000
a year 2003,2004,2005. because of overtime.You can e-mail me @gerry4402006@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Hi im am currently in pharmacy tech training and I would really like to start at a good job where would you recommend i start and what kind of job is it that you do???

Try to work at an inpatient hospital,preferably a larger one. I do inpatient IV,s Chemo and unit dose.

I am in California $8/hr is the wage people at mcdonalds make i am serious.Yo need to work at a hospital preferably inpatient.IN CA most techs are not certified because you don't need it here.People get it here to feel important.THE average starting wage here is $17/ hour. I have a friend whom got hired in San Francisco yesterday @ $24/hr.

Any idea what a nuclear pharmacy technician makes? I know there are private companies looking for nuke pharm techs, but what about hospitals?

I am a recently CPhT from New York. I plan on moving to California near San Diego area( closer to naval air base in Coronando, Ca). I was just curious on the pay and jobs out there. I will also like to know how the transition of being a CPhT from New York to California works. please email me at dsnagg86@hotmail.com or DaEyeCandy0623@yahoo.com

Thank You Very Much

I am a retired physician. I am interested in pharm. Do I need to take courses to take the exam? Do you need a college certificate inorder to sit for the exam?

Well, hospitals will always pay more than retail pharmacies, and also depends where you live, here in san francisco, retail pays about 16 to 17 per hour where as hospital inpatient you get 24 per hour and yes, there is a lot overtime in the inpatient department.

im about to get my license im currently a certified pharmacy tech any ideas about where to start making at least more then $13.00 the hour?

Specialty pharmacies deal more with high price meds so there more able to give a higher pay or also getting your IV certification opens the door to better paying jobs

I recently got licensed and certified here, and am having a hard time finding a pharmacy tech job. Everyone wants experience. Could anyone give me any advice on how to find a job!

Newbie in Verona, Wisconsin said: I just saw the graph for pharmacy technician salaries posted on this site. Pharm tech's making 30k+/yr??? Is this true? I'm a certified pharm tech at WAGS, and I only make ~10/hr. That's a little more than 20k/yr full time. Wow, does this mean there's hope for me? Give it to me straight, though, what kind of qualifications do these people have that I need? I like my job, but the low pay and seeming lack of advancement makes me dream of greener pastures.

Hello
I live in the Boston,ma area and I work in rite aid and i am state certified not national. How is it in california if you are state certified? Can i just role over my state certificate to you guys. I really don't want to be national certified. This is very hard. I have been a tech for 17 yrs. Please get back to me. mbrown1081@verizon.net

take care,

marci

Dr Jim in NY said: I am a retired physician. I am interested in pharm. Do I need to take courses to take the exam? Do you need a college certificate inorder to sit for the exam?

No you don't need college course for the exam. Seeing you are a retired dr. you will be able to ace it. Good luck.

Angela

It seems that everyone is getting all worked about these guys in CA makin 16.00 to 24.00 per hr..where that may seem good if you live in Alabama...but if u do the math for cost of living in Cali...Their 16.00 to 24.00 per hr would be equivalent to about 8.00 to 12.00 per hr in alabama. Not trying to make anyone mad, i just dont want everyone feeling they are being under paid when they see these cali folks making so much..just my 2cents

It seems that everyone is getting all worked up about these guys in CA makin 16.00 to 24.00 per hr..Where yes, that may seem good if you live in Alabama...but if you do the math for cost of living in Cali...Their 16.00 to 24.00 per hr would be equivalent to about 8.00 to 12.00 per hr in Alabama. I'm not trying to make anyone mad, I just dont want everyone feeling they are being under paid when they see these cali folks making so much..just my 2cents

Starting my externship on thurs. in walgreens what should i expect or any hints?

I just started at Walgreens in Oklahoma. And I make $10 and hour and I'm in triaing to be Senior Tech.. Which comes along with a raise.

Martha in Dallas, Texas said: Specialty pharmacies deal more with high price meds so there more able to give a higher pay or also getting your IV certification opens the door to better paying jobs

How do you get your IV certification?

kroger pharmacy pays 7.25 starting max 16.00

I took the pharmacy tech. course online and got my diploma recently. I need to do get some experience before I apply for work since I did the course online, I didn't a chance to do practical. any suggestions how do I start?
thax

Bashir in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: I took the pharmacy tech. course online and got my diploma recently. I need to do get some experience before I apply for work since I did the course online, I didn't a chance to do practical. any suggestions how do I start?
thax

Hi Bishir, I think the certification exam helps a lot. I didn't attend any class at all.I just studied some books by myself and took the PTCE. I got my result before a couple of weeks and my certificate, too. I have applied to nearby Walgreen and they hired me last week. They have also arranged on-job training for me. I think you already have the deploma. So taking PTCE will be easy for you. But it is a plus when it comes to getting job. Good luck.

Hello. I need some help. I am taking the Certified Pharmacy Tech exam in December and I am at a loss at what to study. I have worked in a pharmacy a total of 3 years but it has been over a year since I have worked in a pharmacy. Any hints on what to study?? What kind of questions do they ask? Is the exam difficult??

google cpt exam there are sample exams on some websites.

I have graduated last december from Pharmacy Technology Diploma, and Certified Pharmacy Technician. But unable to get a job in this field. I tried everywhere and i get the same answers i don't have any experience. i went to school for a 11/2yr. and next month makes 1yr

Help!! in Cary, North Carolina said: Hello. I need some help. I am taking the Certified Pharmacy Tech exam in December and I am at a loss at what to study. I have worked in a pharmacy a total of 3 years but it has been over a year since I have worked in a pharmacy. Any hints on what to study?? What kind of questions do they ask? Is the exam difficult??

Hi. I think " PHARMACY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION EXAM REVIEW' ;2nd edition, by Patricia K. Antony is a good review book. I have read it and did the exam well even without a single day experince in pharmacy. You can find it in Borders book store. Good luck

Many of the comments here from other states are eye openers for me. Working for Pathmark I started with $6.75 an hr I now make a little over $11.00. They used to be the highest paying in retail pharmacy but now are the lowest! I went to Walgreens and applied a few yrs back. There were problems with their computer system as I did their questionare. I had to go back a few times and everytime I went they told me the rate of pay as I asked. Each time it was lower! their final rate was $9.00/hr. Part-time hours I had already been making more than that and they wouldn't allow me to work at Pathmark while working for them! I kissed Walgreens goodbye.
What are the duties of an inpatient certified pharmacy tech?

michelle in Little Rock, Arkansas said: kroger pharmacy pays 7.25 starting max 16.00

I've worked Hospital and Retail in this area. The pay in AR "bites"....Most I made was $10.00 an hour and I am Certified since 2003 and am 50 yrs old. Have been a Tech. since 1986....

ok i still don't have a job in pharmacy tech so that's not doing anything for me. they won't hire me but they will hire someone else so i wasted 1yr1/2 of school graduated and everything from pharmcy technology diplom and certified pharmacy tech in a year i won't be certified because i won't have no ce credits so i realy want to know or someone help me get a pharmacy tech job

Don't really know where you live, but in AR and NC they hire anyone off the street and do on the job training. NC you will get hired if you are not certified, but you have to get certified within a certain time frame. As for you CE credits, go to either ptcb.org and register. Also, go to pharmacytimes.com I subscribe to their magazine and do the tests online. CE's are free thru them, you only need 10 per yr. So you have time. Another thing, maybe your prospective employers feel you are over qualified, and don't want to pay what you are worth.... Especially if they hire off the street. So, act dumb, don't mention you are certified and see what happens... just a thought. I know here they don't want to pay, cause they can hire anyone off the street for minimum wage... That's why AR bites!!

Lalita in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said: I've been certified since 2003. I started at CVS Pharmacy making 11/hr upon my initial certification and had received close to 15/hr before my departure to another company in 2005. I now make over 50K/year supervising a prior authorization department at an insurance company. I started at the insurance company as a pharmacy technician making 32K/year in Oct 2005, and have been promoted twice since I started. In my opinion, the sky's the limit as a pharmacy technician if you are willing to work in all areas of pharmacy. I've done retail, inpatient hospital, mail order, and now managed care. I've learned that retail pharmacies will only pay what you make them pay. You have to constantly negotiate your salary.

How do you find a job working for an Insurance co. prior authorization, or managed care? I decided to change careers, tired of the low pay and no respect as a CPhT and am now in school for Medical Coding and Billing. I live in Arkansas by the way in a fairly rural area. Maybe living in the big city is where it all is??

Dr Jim in NY said: I am a retired physician. I am interested in pharm. Do I need to take courses to take the exam? Do you need a college certificate inorder to sit for the exam?

you do not need to attend college to take the pharacy tech exam, it
does have a lot of math questions, you might want to find a good pharmacy tech book to read up on, get IV certified too, since you are a retired doctor, your chances of getting hired are a 1000% higher then me, ive been trying well over a year now.

good luck

Becky said: How do you get your IV certification?

you may want to contact some pharmacy tech school in your area,
they will know the answer to that, or check out a local college
that offers pharmacy tech, they may even offer an IV course.

Help!! in Cary, North Carolina said: Hello. I need some help. I am taking the Certified Pharmacy Tech exam in December and I am at a loss at what to study. I have worked in a pharmacy a total of 3 years but it has been over a year since I have worked in a pharmacy. Any hints on what to study?? What kind of questions do they ask? Is the exam difficult??

I took the exam last year, I studied the wrong way...you want to study and learn the math part foremost, most times the test is more then 50% math. I also hear that you need to know your DEA sequence, and know Scedule II drugs, other then that i can not help you.

My calculator was taken at the door, you can only use a basic of basic calulator, any calcular with advanced funtions will be taken away.

falisha in Moultrie, Georgia said: I have graduated last december from Pharmacy Technology Diploma, and Certified Pharmacy Technician. But unable to get a job in this field. I tried everywhere and i get the same answers i don't have any experience. i went to school for a 11/2yr. and next month makes 1yr

You are not alone, Ive been out of school for almost 1 1/2 years, I hear from very few employers, and the ones i do hear from, I never hear from once the interview is over, I paid a lot of money going to school just to remain unemployed.

I would never recommend to anyone going to school, save the money, buy some books, get certififed, your chances are just as good.

me too i'm in debt due to going to school, buying books, drivng back and forth to school, then to work, then internships and then paying for the certification test passed it then graduation stuff, actualy graduating get my Pharmacy Technology Diploma, Certified Pharmacy Technician but no job been out of school next month make 1 year. I wish i never went to school now i paying for it. I work a lower paying job, never get any call backs for interviews, always get picked over before i even get looked at. but what realy pissed me off is they hire people right off the street no education, no experience, no certifiecation, no nothing but i get the run around about a job that i'm qualified in.

I'm taking the Pharmacy Tech. course right now, and as I'm reading these comments I'm starting to be real skeptical on continuing my course. I want to know is it really that important for one to have experience in the field so that one can get hired, and how is one to get experience if no one will hire you? Don't employers know that one is not going to have experience if they just finished school? Is it worth it to take the exam to become certified, and what is the pay difference?

Its going to be different for everyone, I was telling my experiances, if you are already going to school, then you have already committed to pay the school weather you leave or stay, at this point you might as well stay, after school, get registered with your state, get certified, get IV certified, its always a plus to have as many certifications as you can get. Ive been a truck driver for 10 years, im not any more, since my experiance is limited, i can not seem to get hired in any field, ive tried pharmacy, data entry, computer jobs, warehouse, janitorial.

the other day I was called in for an interview for a pharmacy tech, the next day, she sent me an email and said, ive looked over your resume, and we are canceling your interview, you do not have enough experiance, we are just glad that we did not waste our time and yours. This is how employers think of new pharmacy techs...gee what a blow...

it seems its very important to have experiance, I am not saying you will not get hired, who knows some do get lucky. maybe employers fear new pharmacy techs because they do have to handle drugs.

Dr Jim in NY said: I am a retired physician. I am interested in pharm. Do I need to take courses to take the exam? Do you need a college certificate inorder to sit for the exam?

If you are interested in Pharm tech you don't need a college certificate just register for the PTCB exam and pass it. But you need knowledge in chemistry and pharmacy calculatons inorder to pass. Good luck.

Here is the CA board of pharmacy tech link.

www.pharmacy.ca.gov/licensing/licensees_info.shtml

You can look for their phone number, and ask them all the
questions you need... Do i need to have schooling, do i
need a permit/registration, do i need to be PTCB certified.

Click on the contact link for their phone numbers.

I hope this has helped.

Maria in Bartlesville, Oklahoma said: I just started at Walgreens in Oklahoma. And I make $10 and hour and I'm in triaing to be Senior Tech.. Which comes along with a raise.

Walgreens is a great place to work. I worked there as a tech in college and when I started it was $12 per hour and I went up to $17 fairly quickly and this was 8 years ago so Im sure that it would be more now.

The benefits with Walgreens are really superior. I actually regret quitting that job now, even though I earn more than double that with my current job.

Good luck!

they are opening a new walgreens in the city about 15mins from me so I hope i get the job it opens jan so i already put my application on line and everything. but i'm not getting my hopes up because every place i put an application at they never call me back. i'm not just a person off the street they are hiring i busted my butt in school and graduated pharmacy technology diplioma and certified pharmacy technician so i don't see what the problem is but i wish i never went to school for this because it doing me not good i graduated last 12/06 year and yet to geta job yet in pharmacy tech

its been a 1 1/2 years for me, maybe even 2 - I just called a hospital to volunteer in their pharmacy, hopefully I will start sometime after thanksgiving...someone told me this one dsy "lower your standards" so I have :)

i did lower my standards okay, i am willing to work for 7.00 rather thatn the 10.00 than i'm worth, i tried part-time jobs, everything, prn jobs so don't tell me to lower my standards when i know i am.