Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technicians assist pharmacists by compounding, preparing, packaging and labelling pharmaceutical products and maintaining prescription records and inventories of medications and pharmaceutical products. Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of one or more pharmacists. 

An Exciting Field of Work

In general, Pharmacy Technicians: 

• Enter patient information and doctor’s prescription in computer systems
• Prepares and labels pharmaceutical products
• Maintains stocks of pharmaceuticals
• Records medication discrepancies including narcotics and controlled drugs.
• Prepackages drugs for dispensing, such as tablets, capsules, liquids, topical treatments
• Prepares and labels sterile products such as total parenteral nutrition, chemotherapy agents, intravenous admixtures and other compounded intravenous products that require specialized technique
• Checks pharmaceuticals for expiry dates; returns and/or destroys expired medications and narcotics
• Prepares bulk solutions and other compounds
• Responds to inquiries and telephone calls
• Delivers medication including narcotics and controlled drugs to patient care areas and maintains records
• Participates in physical inventory counts
• Order supplies and equipment
• Performs general office duties as required

Personal Characteristics / Skills

• High degree of concentration and attention
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• A caring attitude towards others
• Good manual dexterity
• Willingness to keep up to date with new products and changes in old products

Education and Training

Completion of a College Pharmacy Technician program.

Education program offered in New Brunswick

Pharmacy Technician programs are offered in New Brunswick by the following educational institutions:

• New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) – English program
• Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) – French program

Length of Study / Training

1.0 years

Licence and certification

None required

Helpful High School Courses

• Math
• Science
• Basic computer course

Employment and Common Working Conditions

Pharmacy Technicians work in a variety of settings such as:

• Hospital and medical centre pharmacies
• Retail pharmacies
• Health insurance companies and third party billing centres
• Pharmaceutical companies, drug wholesalers and pharmacy supply companies

Pharmacy Technicians may be required to work shifts, including evenings, weekends and holidays, sometimes under stressful conditions. The work is demanding and requires accuracy; there is no room for error.

Employment Prospects - GOOD

With the aging population, the demand for Pharmacy Technician is expected to grow.