If you’re searching for a career in the health care industry, there are many reasons to consider becoming a pharmacy technician. Working under the direction of a pharmacist, these professionals assist with many medication processes—such as preparation, dispensation, organization, and patient-provider communication. In addition to offering a variety of challenges within a structured work environment, this profession also presents multiple rewarding career paths. To better illustrate these opportunities, here are five of the most common places where pharmacy technicians work.

5 Career Opportunities for Pharmacy Technicians

1. Retail Drugstores

The retail setting is the most common place where pharmacy technicians become employed. Whether you work for a small business or a national chain, you’ll be focused on serving customers, filling their prescriptions, assessing inventory, maintaining facility cleanliness, and clarifying orders with doctors.

2. Hospitals

Within a hospital pharmacy, you will not interact directly with patients. Instead, you’ll work directly with nurses and physicians to help fill one-time prescriptions for those receiving treatment in the hospital.

3. Compounding Pharmacies

Compounding pharmacies are similar to traditional retail drugstores, but they also offer customized medication options. For example, patients will turn to a compounding pharmacy if they require medication in a non-standard dose or delivery method. Others may use these providers to combine multiple drugs into one convenient formula.

4. Pharmaceutical Industry

While the majority of technicians work within some form of pharmacy, others may apply their skills within the corporate pharmaceutical side of the industry. In these roles, you may be tasked with processing benefit claims and handling prescription pricing for health insurance companies and other medical care providers.

5. Private or Closed-Door Pharmacies

A closed-door pharmacy is one that does not serve the general public but instead works directly for a specific agency. In some cases, these facilities meet the needs of inmates at a prison or soldiers serving the military. This type of work may also apply to mail-order pharmacies, which specialize in shipping medications directly to the consumer.

No matter what environment you want to work in, becoming a pharmacy technician requires thorough training and certification. Fortunately, budding professionals can master every corner of the job as students of Big Apple Training. Located in the Bronx and White Plains, NY, this medical training facility offers accelerated, in-depth, and affordable certification programs to prepare students for in-demand positions within the health care industry. Visit this educator online to learn more about all of the training programs they offer—including those for CNAs, phlebotomy technicians, and medical billing and coding. For questions about enrollment, call (914) 437-7373 to speak with a friendly representative.