Do you know what it takes to become a pharmaceutical tech?

Also known by other names like pharmaceutical technicians, pharmacy Tech, pharmacy technicians are the trained professionals who assist licensed pharmacists provide medicines and other health care products to patients.
They presence in hospitals, clinics, grocery stores, health insurance companies, and retail pharmacies and drugstores ensures the smooth functioning of drug distribution activities in the related place.

• Duties & responsibilities: Duties of pharmaceutical technicians vary according to the type of the work location such as hospital, retail environment, or nursing home medical store. Some state rules and regulations also govern what pharmacy techs can do. In a retail environment, Pharma techs receive prescription slips from doctor’s office, customers, and check them for accuracy. According to the information written on prescription order, they prepare the orders by measuring medication quantities, mixing liquid medications, counting out pills, packaging and labeling of medicines etc. It is the duty of the technician to re-check the order according to the prescription. Once the prescription order is fulfilled, they make calculations for price and file the prescription.
  These professionals also responsible for behind-the-scenes tasks such as ordering inventory, handling insurance claims, maintaining patient records, and keeping the shelves of the store stocked.

How to become a pharmaceutical tech:


If you are wondering how to become a pharmaceutical tech, pharmacy technician training program can help you step-in this competitive industry that is challenging, stimulating, and important to society.

• Pharma TechTraining: Degrees and Coursework: Once you decide to pursue a career as a pharmaceutical aide, you can join training programs offered by: community colleges, hospital, the military and vocational schools. Most technicians learn the skills to perform duties through on-the-job training. Another widely accepted and flexible option of completing the course is an online training program which allows students to attend online lectures as per their schedules and easiness.
  
• The coursework of the training program: is wide-ranging, including science, math, medicine, communications, law and administration. Some of the most common subjects in the coursework include: Pharmacy calculations, Handling controlled substances, Medical and pharmaceutical terminology, Pharmacy law and ethics, Recordkeeping, Communication, Insurance and inventory procedures and others.

During the pharmacy technician training, a student will learn about:

• Law and Ethics
• Pharmacology
• Systems/Anatomy
• Medical/Pharmacological Terminology
• Pharmacy Technology
• Receiving and Interpreting Medication Orders
• Pharmaceutical Calculations
• Filling and Distributing Medication Orders
• Inventory, Purchasing and Reimbursement Packaging
• Over the Counter Medications
• Aseptic IV preparation
• Prescription study skills
• Professionalism and the Workplace, and others.

Essential Skills: Being a pharma aide requires the strong customer service, teamwork skills, the ability to be on one’s feet for the whole day, climbing ladders to retrieve stocks, good communication skills, ability to handle heavy workload, and others.

Sources : - http://www.slideshare.net/SamuelSmih/do-you-know-what-it-takes-to-become-a-pharmaceutical-tech  

Types and benefits of going through pharmacy assistant training

Pharmacy technicians, or more commonly known by the name of pharmacy assistants, majorly work in pharmacists to help them out in their routine medical jobs, such as filling up of prescriptions and ensuring that all patient information is correct.

Undergoing pharmacy assistant training, would not only prepare the aspiring candidates to explore opportunities in pharmacy, but also in hospitals, pharmacists' office and nursing homes.

Types of training
Almost all the professional pharmacists would give their pharmacy technician, training session during their jobs where they have to follow the instructions given by them. Such training sessions are more formal in nature. On the other hand, if you choose to undergo professional training, there are many medical institutes, colleges and schools that offer such programs. The time frame of the programs can range from eight months training to a year almost. Different institutes offer prefer different types of degrees such as diploma, etc. One can also choose online training or class room sessions as well.

Curriculum for training
The curriculum an intern will have to study would include a variety of subjects. Some of the pharmacy assistant courses would include dosage calculations, CPR and first aid, and courses related to computer technology. An assistant may also have to learn about the laws and ethics related to pharmacy industry. The course would include understanding the work structure of a pharmacist, human anatomy, career development and pharmacology. Additionally, the curriculum of a pharmacy assistant training may also include additional courses explaining medical abbreviations, about compounding and about building healthy relations with your pharmacist.

Benefits of training
Undergoing training session would prepare you mentally and technically about the job you are going to perform. For instance, the valuable skills you learn during training can be applied on the entry level jobs. After example, after the completion of training, you would know how to weigh and mix pills, liquids and other medications. The candidates would be aware of writing and interpreting prescriptions and communicating the instructions clearly with others. Additionally, the training session would help build improved interpersonal and communication skills as well as organizational and project management skills. These skills are essential, because in addition to pharmaceutical knowledge, pharmacy assistants also have to document the information related to monitoring and packing of inventories, filing up documents and recording keeping, etc.

As evident by all the above-mentioned fact, one would know that the benefits of undergoing training are countless. So for any individual who wishes to become a part of pharmacy industry, getting hands on a fruitful training session, via a reputed institute should be the first priority.

Read more about pharmacy technician training school and courses and the best institute for medical career.

CNA: Work description and training requirements

A nursing assistant is an important member of a medical team who performs jobs under the direct supervision of a physician or licensed nurses. They support nurses by providing direct practical care to the patients.

Some routine tasks of their work activities include helping patients to eat, bathe, and dress, serving meals, tidying up rooms, making beds, delivering messages, answering calls. Some medical tasks of their job profile are taking a patient’s temperature, blood pressure, measuring of pulse and respiration rate, guiding a patient to operating and examining rooms, setting up machines for use, cleaning and sterilizing medical equipment before and after use, and others.

One of the most in-demand medical careers, nursing assistants is the right choice if you want to step-in the medical profession. To work efficiently and to ensure best quality services, having training is of utmost importance.

In addition to excellent practical patient care, NAs must have good communication skills and patience. All suck skills can be gained through training. Certified nurse training is an advanced education programs that authorize your abilities and skills to work in this profession. To become a CNA, an applicant must have, at least high school diploma or equivalent, positive qualities in helping people, ability to work as a team, and others.

Moreover, employers give preferences to those applicants who have specialized theoretical as well as practical training to work in this field. There are number of accredited schools and community colleges that offer students online training. Some programs can be completed in two months while other can last up to 1 year. The length of the training depend upon the rules and regulations of the state board, the type of the curriculum, and the number of hours each day offered by the program.

Students enrolled in nursing assistant training programs participate in lectures, laboratory and clinical experiences. Subjects of the coursework include Patient care ethics and legalities, Anatomy and physiology, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Medical vocabulary, Infection control techniques, Automated external defibrillator (AED) practices, Nutrition basics, Patient vital signs, Range of motion exercises, Patient hygiene etc.

During training, students will provided the opportunity to work in medical offices so that they have real world experience before actually work in hospitals. Apart from MA training, there are many other training programs like pharmacy assistant course, medical assistant training, EKG technician course to name a few, that offer you choice your work in the medical field.

Certified nurse assistant training mostly known as CNA training can make you job-ready in as little as 10 Weeks!

The medical arena awaits your arrival!

The field of medicine is fascinating to a host of people. However being able to make a stable career out of it is not something everyone can do. There goes in a lot of training and hard work and determination to achieve vocational success in the field. However with changing times, there are now a number of options to choose from, making it possible for many people to join this industry, without having to stick to the cliché options such as becoming a doctor or a nurse.
Pharmacy assistant course is one of those training programs that are offered by a number of medical colleges across the vicinity. Here are the highpoints of this training:

• Not only does this course supply a profound knowledge about the technical aspects of becoming a pharmacist
• It gives the students a firm base to build a stable career on. It makes one aware of the general antics of a professional atmosphere, which is obviously going to be beneficial to them in the time to come
• It helps the students fetch good jobs, because only proper vocational training can help them withstand the pressures of the actual industry

When you start hunting for a college you will find a number of small and big institutes offering pharmacy training, nurse assistant training, and E.R room training and so on. Education plays a major role in helping to build a good pharmacy technician. This is why; it needs to be understood by people that even the slightest mistake while selecting an institute for the same might lead to problems for them in the future.
When choosing a training centre, one needs to bear in mind the below mentioned aspects:

• Ample practical experience in the field, in order to be able to deal with the challenges that the real job shall offer
• Certified programs because they are the ones that will help you get jobs later
• Look for courses with colleges that offer education at affordable prices, you may compare various options. However, the quality of education should not be compromised and you should be ready to spend a little extra as well in case the best education is at stake
• Check the genuineness of the institutes offering education, so that you can make sure that you are learning from only those institutes that are trustworthy and certified

Some institutes offer campus placements as well. You need to choose one according to what your priorities are. You need to research well so that you can choose the best possible options, so that you study well and become a properly learned pharmacy technician in the end.

Apply online for your certified nurse assistant training at Manhattan Institute

Career overview of EKG profile

As the count of specialized hospitals, medical offices, and other health care institutions in medical industry are increasing, so are the availability of job opportunities. EKG specialists can pursue their career in different areas: electrocardiography, cardiovascular technology, and invasive cardiology procedures. They are responsible to perform various tests to monitor the normal activity of the heart.

EKG technicians are the professionals who know the functionality of the holter monitor (a machine that records the rhythms of the heart) and other machines related to measure the functioning and current conditions of the heart. These measuring tasks involve the high-tech mechanical equipment operated by highly trained and certified professionals before they enter into this medical field.

Job descriptions:

The key role of the EKG professional is to administer several cardio tests at hospitals, and other medical centers. When a patient comes at the related medical office complaining of chest pains, problem in breathing, or simply needs a routine examination, EKG specialists attached electrodes from an electrocardiogram to the different parts, including arms, legs, and chest, of the patient’s body an adjust the settings of the machine to obtain reading. As a result of the test, machine prints out the heart condition called, an electrocardiograph. The technicians then pass the report to the cardiologist for interpretation. Besides reporting the current heart conditions, electrocardiographs help diagnosing various heart diseases like atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and angina. Other responsibilities of ECG techs include:

• Prepare room for EKG testing and reading
• Record and understand patients’ medical history
• Set EKG machines
• Explain the whole procedure to the patient
• Identify any deformities (in case if any are present) in normal functioning of the heart
• Sterilize and maintain the equipment
• Perform treadmill tests and EKG stress checks examination

Education requirements:
To work as an EKG tech does not require any specialized degree like many other medical positions. Those who interested to pursue their career in this medical field can join courses offered by community colleges, or schools that provide training in various medical programs like pharmacist, EKG and phlebotomy training programs.
 
The main goal of EKG tech training is to prepare and polish skills of students to efficiently and effectively perform intended tasks including record patient data, administer EKG tests, and more. Most training programs cover following subjects in their coursework: Human physiology and anatomy, CPR and first aid, Operating EKG equipment, Medical terminology, and others.

Read more about Career guidance of EKG technician .

Know the nature of EKG technician jobs

Are you one of the candidates who want to become an electrocardiograph technician? If yes, then you have made a promising career choice. This is a profession that can never fade out of demand, because these experts will always be required in every medical facility, be it a small clinic or a big hospital.
Several new professions have been introduced in the health care field due to the ever evolving medical technologies such as profession of medical assistant. EKG professionals are one of them. Let us read more to know the details of this job profile and the responsibilities involved.

What is EKG?
EKG stands for electrocardiogram. It is a machine which is used to monitor and measure the patient’s cardiac activities. The machine is used on patient suffering with heart disease or just to perform a cardiac test. The test can be performed within five minutes and involves setting up the machines and attaching electrodes to the patient’s chest to monitor the readings on the machine.

Roles and responsibilities of EKG experts:
There are multiple duties and responsibilities that EKG technicians perform. It involves preparing the room where test will be conducted and setting up the EKG machines. They explain what the need of this procedure to the patients and what it is meant for. After the EKG has been set up, they observe the reading on the machine. After that, they take out the print of the readings for further analysis by senior doctors and physicians. Once the test has been conducted, they clean up the room.

Where can you find these professionals?
You can easily find a job as an EKG expert at a number of medical facilities. You can choose to work in a hospital to do outpatient and inpatient care. Cardiology clinics always have these professionals. These professionals can also be found in a doctor’s clinic. Almost every health care organization and facilities require these professionals.

What is the future of career in EKG technology?
Just like most of the other medical professions and technologies, EKG technology is a fast growing field. The statistics offered by bureau of labor shows a projected increase of around 20% in the coming ten years. So the individuals pursuing this as a career option do not have to worry about job placements.
These were some of the important aspect of EKG technology and the technician performing EKG. Undergoing medical training would provide you practical knowledge about the EKG technology and performing tests. Earning a bachelor’s degree would offer a wider scope for higher position and better salary.

Read  more about EKG technicians and its benefits as a medical career

Role of medical assistants in modern health practices

Also known as patient-care technicians or CMA, or administrative medical aide (AMA), medical assistants job role vary from one medical office to another. Depending upon the size and location of the health practice, sometimes it requires number of people to handle clinical and administrative tasks individually or sometimes a single person can control both clinical and administrative activates.

No matter what type of job role they perform, the main goal of their services offered is to ensure the smooth running of several types of activities in the medical facility they are associated with. With the significant rise in medical science and technology, many students are heading toward opt this field as a career. As medical practices are growing rapidly, so the demand of skillful patient care technicians and administrative medical aide are increasing equally.

A clinical medical assistant is responsible for smooth running of the various clinical tasks such as recording vital signs, draw blood, completing patient medical histories, sterilizing and arranging examining room equipment, collect relevant information for charting, give injections to patients and perform several laboratory tests for their doctors, and more.

On the other hand, clerical or administrative responsibilities of a medical assistant include greet patients on their arrival at the related medical practice, direct them to appropriate health department, answering phone calls, record and update of patient’s personal information, collect information about their treatment and record it in the record-keeping system, completing insurance forms, making appointments according to the doctors’ availability and more.
From aforementioned clinical and clerical responsibilities, one can easily estimate the challenging role of health and administrative technicians. For successful handling of all such activities, multi-tasking and effective organization skills are essential in the person. Basic knowledge of human anatomy, computer, medical terminology, communication ethics, and business mathematics are important to work in this profession.

Many medical offices or employers in this competitive and challenging industry prefer to hire for professionals having certification from accredited medical assistant training school or vocational college. The certification or training in this medical field exhibits your knowledge and skills of working in the field. There are numerous vocational colleges and schools that offer online training for various job roles like MA, EKG technician training, primacy assistant training etc. one more thing, certification helps you to qualify for jobs in reputed hospitals and at good salary scales.

Read more about successful medical career and what role has medical assistants to play .

Description of medical billers and coder profile

Demand for increased specialized for every profession in almost every field has given birth to numerous new sciences, studies and specialized courses. One fine example for that is the specialization course for medical billing. The profession is relatively newer and according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, there is an expected increase of around 20% in the demand of medical billers by the year 2018. So one expect a great career by choosing the designation of a medical coder and biller!

There are certification programs offered by medical institutes to acquire a certificate in this field to become a specialized medical biller. One of the biggest requirements demanded by employers before hiring individuals is medical billing training and expertise in medical as well as administrative field. Let us have a look at some important checkpoints of medical biller’s profile.

Education:In most of the cases, to become a certified medical biller and coder, a person is usually required to undergo a two years associate degree followed by training. The degree can be obtained from community colleges, medical institutes and vocational schools. To secure an edge, one can get a bachelor's degree from a university which offers more chances of earning higher wages.

Subjects for medical billers and coders:Candidates undergoing training would be reading subjects related to medical sciences such as anatomy, medical terminologies, health care compensation methods and physiology. Technology has an important role in this profession because every medical unit relies on storing medical data in electronic form by classifying the data according to codes assigned to different diagnosis and treatments using classification software. So the medical studies are accompanied by technical training which includes coding systems, data analysis, securing and maintaining data base and clinical classification.

Personal qualities necessary for medical billers and coders:These professional are the link between the patients at the hospitals and their insurance companies. So individual going to become medical coders must have good command over written as well as communication skills. Proficiency in general sciences, biology, medical science and terms, software knowledge, interest in technology and computer knowledge are equally essential. These traits are also important for people undergoing pharmacy technician training . Since the medical field keeps changing every day, these professionals are usually required to attend regular workshops to keep them updated about newest introductions in medical sciences and technology. So a learning mind is best suited for this job.

Choice of medical institutes to undergoing medical training is a crucial factor that would shape your career. Always adequately research about the medical institute before you choose any institute!

Medical industry & associated career opportunities for students

Medical industry, today, is not only limited to general physicians who offer few medications or some home remedies to treat minor health problems. With the significant advancements in the medical science and technology, newer techniques for providing specialized medical assistance have been invented. All in all, there are specialized health practitioners are available for the treatment of different types of medical issue. This results in increased number of hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical industries, drug stores, that collaboratively offer solutions for health concerns.

This rise in medical and pharmaceutical industry is a good signal for those who wish to pursue their career in medical field but skipped because of the misinformation “lack-of jobs”. It is important to mention here that medical and pharmaceutical industry is one of the rapidly growing careers that created numerous employment opportunities at good salaries. There is an immense demand of medical assistants, pharmaceutical assistants, and others in the medical industry. Depending upon the size and the location of the medical setting, each of these professionals has their own role in the smooth running of activities in the medical office.

For example, hospitals, clinics, health care institutions, and other medical setting demand medical assistants to handle variety of administrative and clinical tasks. An administrative medical assistant is basically responsible for non-medical jobs of the workplace including greeting patients upon their arrival at hospital, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, record keeping, handling billing, processing insurance claims etc. clinical tasks performed by a health care assistant include conducting in-office screening tests, taking vital signs, collecting specimens and preparing them to send to laboratories for diagnosis, applying and removing bandages, administering medications, taking electrocardiograms and X-rays, stocking medical equipment, and more.

On the other hand, medical offices also demands for pharmacy technicians in order to distribute right medications as prescribed by the doctor. They work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist in grocery store pharmacies, drug store pharmacies, hospitals, retail pharmacies, and other medical environments.

No matter what kind of medical assistance one may provide at any medical setting, he/she must have perfection on it which can be achieved only by practicing on this. Because, employers prefer to hire those persons who have specialized skills for the posts they are applying for. These skills can only be obtained by joining some accredited training program. There are number of medical and pharmacy assistant training programs available that are aimed to provide both, classroom and hand-on-experience, to the students.

What are the advantages of becoming a pharmacy assistant?

Individuals who are not interested in becoming doctors or surgeons they have other great options in medical field like becoming of pharmacist or a pharmacy aide.
Basically, they are the ones who dispense medication to the patients. Apart from this they even look after various administrative, as well as support duties. So, if you aspire to take up pharmacy assistant profile then you must have a glance over the advantages of becoming a pharmacy aide:

• Quick schooling: Usually, most of the medical fields have long schooling time period. But pharmacy is one such field that is provides quick schooling to an individual. Thus students need not have to wait for years to start a professional career and earn a good salary. Though there are various colleges that provide degree for this field but nowadays students have another good option besides colleges i.e. training institutes. Such institutes have same curriculum as that of colleges and they make sure to grant classroom, as well as hands on training session to the students.
• Higher wages: Likewise doctors and surgeons earn good salary; pharmacy assistants can also expect the same from their job profile. Thus on the whole, assistants have great opportunities to earn a handsome salary package from their job.
• Greater work opportunities: A pharmacist or a pharmacy aide is not just restricted to work in hospitals, clinics or pharmacy shop; rather they can work in different fields, as well. Let’s have a look on all the fields in, which they can work:

1. Home health care pharmacist: They are the ones who work for the patients who cannot travel to pharmacy shop and get the needful medications
2. Hospital pharmacist: They work under doctors in the hospitals. Their main task is to distribute medications to the patients as prescribed by the doctor.
3. Nuclear pharmacists: They too work in hospitals but under different working conditions. Their prime job is to use radioactive drugs to treat cancer.
4. Veterinary pharmacy aide: Many pharmacist or aide who love animals they gets an opportunity to treat pets, as well. They would have to provide medications to the veterinary doctor.
5. Psychiatric aide: To provide medications to the patients who have mental disorders, pharmacy aides and specialists are too trained in this field.

With the increasing demand for the need for medical care people, many health care centers look for those candidates who are not just qualified in one field, rather have some knowledge regarding other medical fields too. For example, apart from gaining excellence in the field of pharmacy, a pharmacist is expected to have gone through certified nurse training program. This would help them in managing the work flow of the hospital or clinic.

Pursuing EKG technician job profile as a career option

EKG technicians form an integral part of health care industry. Since they are involved in the field of cardiology which involves monitoring patient's heart for detecting problems and diseases, their designation is highly crucial. Regardless of the size of medical unit, be it a large hospital, small medical unit, emergency rooms or a doctor's office; these professionals are required everywhere.

The jobs of these technicians can never fade out of demand, because of the highly specialized tasks they are required to carry out. Undergoing an effective and intensive EKG technician training program is essential to ace this field because, an EKG technician must have in-depth technical knowledge of the complex machinery they handle. Also, since training would help you achieve specialization with better skills than others, you can demand a higher pay.

These experts deal with a machine known as electrocardiograms to monitor the pulse rate and other activities of patient's heart. These machines have electrodes which are connected to the patient's chest. These electrodes release electric waves which induces contractions and relaxation, thus helping these technicians to detect and observe heart related abnormalities. Since it is a very technical job, it takes a lot of practice, skill and experience to fully understand and master it. That is the reason, to succeed in this field, aspiring candidates must go through intensive education and training program.

Once eligible for this profile, the candidates can easily get their hands on a good job. They will always have a lot of options to choose from which includes health care centers of varying sizes. For example, one can choose to work with a cardiac rehabilitation center, public and private hospitals, cardiologist clinics, etc.

One crucial aspect of EKG technician job profile is that this designation demands high level of patience. This is due to the fact that the work environment of this job tends to be quite hectic and pressurizing. Therefore, these experts are required to keep their calm under the most pressurizing conditions. Working hours for these technicians are usually eight hours a day. However, depending on the work environment and size of the medical unit, these hours can be stretched up to twelve hours. Also, EKG technician usually do their work standing or walking across the hospital. So patients who are physically fit and have a good level of physical stamina would have an added advantage in this medical field.

In addition to providing EKG training, many medical schools and institutes provide training programs in various medical fields such as nurse assistant, medical assistant and pharmacy technician training programs. So, candidates looking forward to excel in medical fields should go for a good training school for a promising career.

What is the role of pharmacy technicians in the medical industry?

Due to increase in number of medical facilities, the demand of pharmaceutical technicians is also growing, day by day. Therefore, increase in job opportunists has turned many students towards this profession. If you are interested to make your career in this rapidly growing medical field, this article will help you understanding the various important aspects about the secure and economic pharmacy career.

Pharmacy assistant (PA), sometimes referred to as pharmacy tech, pharmaceutical technician or pharmacy aide, is a person who offer several types of pharmacy related services (we will discuss later in this article) under the direct supervision of licensed pharmacist.

The greater percentage of pharmaceutical assistants provide services in retail pharmacies including department stores, mass retail outlets, chained and independent drugstores. Rest of the professionals works in clinical and hospital pharmacies.

General role: Pharmaceutical technician assist licensed pharmacists in numerous tasks like provide medications and other prescribed products to customers by counting pills, tablets, measuring solutions, and bottling them. Besides this, PAs also handle administrative tasks including answering phone calls, providing information to the patients regarding use of medications as prescribed by the physician.

Prescription Verification: Pharmaceutical technicians receive written prescriptions from customers from medical practitioners through a physical messenger or via telephone. In addition to this, a PA verifies that the received request is accurate and complete.

Prescription Preparation: After verification of prescription, pharmaceutical assistant sort and pack tables and pills, mix and bottle liquid medications, attach labels to prescriptions.

Office Administration: Pharmacy assistants maintain patients’ histories and their prescription records. In addition to this, depending upon the facility they work, pharmacy techs prepare medical claim forms; maintain records of the billing information in the offices’ record keeping system, take care of medication stock requirement and supplies.

Therefore, is you are considering the field of pharmacy assistant as your career; you are definitely on the right track. However, there are numerous job opportunities in this medical field, the most sought after individuals are trained pharmaceutical assistants.

Although PA training is not mandatory, it is huge advantageous. As in any field, trained professionals are preferred over others. Pharmacy assistant training programs prepare students to be a full-fledged pharmaceutical techs having complete knowledge of variety of medications and efficiency to handle different types of administrative and clerical tasks. Students can get training from accredited schools, community colleges, or from vocational colleges that offer formal PA education programs.

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