Pharmacy Technician Questions Thread

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Passion4Sci said:
I doubt it'll EVER be back to "normal", if by "normal" we mean the free credit of 2000-2006... I don't think, in this country at least, we'll EVER see that kind of free money available, ever again.

I'm pretty happy overall. My family has a good deal of disposable income (pensions and retirement, sweeeet) so we came out on top of this recession. Due to the easy credit, I was able to get my FICO almost to 800 with only a few years of credit history, since I could get 9 cards and use them on rotation.

That'd never work now. I don't know how an 18 or 19 yearold kid will be able to get enough credit to raise his or her credit score to a level good enough for the best mortgage and auto loan rates. Therein lies the rub of credit...

However, if by normal we mean not absolutely crappy, then I'm happy.
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Well that sucks, my score is a 734. I was hoping that I can eventually get it up to at least a 800 so I can get the best mortage deals but I guess that won't happen anytime soon if ever. :rolleyes:

Well at least I won't need auto loan.
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SHC1984 said:
Well that sucks, my score is a 734. I was hoping that I can eventually get it up to at least a 800 so I can get the best mortage deals but I guess that won't happen anytime soon if ever. :rolleyes:

Well at least I won't need auto loan.
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734 is pretty much in the "no risk" category, so your mortgage/auto loan will be imperceptibly different than someone with 800.
 
SHC1984 said:
Well that sucks, my score is a 734. I was hoping that I can eventually get it up to at least a 800 so I can get the best mortage deals but I guess that won't happen anytime soon if ever. :rolleyes:

Well at least I won't need auto loan.
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currently 740/750 is required now where 700-720 would have gotten you the same thing years ago.

Front end DTI and LTV are going to become more important in the coming years as the economy rebounds. I'm still calling the RE bottom at 2013-2015 with a general economic recovery in 2011-2012.
 
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We're never going to go back to easy credit like in the early 2000s, but that's probably for the better.

We got a letter yesterday from Citigroup, who apparently bought the "Dell Preferred Accounts" thing that my wife used to buy her XPS computer a few mos. ago. Anyway, it's not really a revolving line of credit, more like an installment, maybe a hybrid. Anyway, we're making the last big payment on it this month, and the letter was like, "Hey there, we're Citigroup and we're taking over this company's debt. Since we're blood sucking bastards, your new interest rate is Prime+22.99%, and your default rate if applicable(yeah right!) is Prime+26.99%. Holy balls! This from a 14.99% APR! I can only imagine how big a kick in the pants that would be if we actually owed anything on it.
 
confettiflyer said:
currently 740/750 is required now where 700-720 would have gotten you the same thing years ago.

Front end DTI and LTV are going to become more important in the coming years as the economy rebounds. I'm still calling the RE bottom at 2013-2015 with a general economic recovery in 2011-2012.
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I know what you mean. One of my goals in life is to get a 800 on my FICO score (actually 850, but I don't know if I will ever be that good! :laugh:) and another goal is to be a proud owner of an BLACK American Express card, but I don't want to get ahead of myself here! :laugh:

I guess I am lucky in that I will never need an auto loan and when I am ready to buy a house it will most likely be 2015+ (I graduate 2013, I will owe around 80K to 100K in student debt, I will have to work for 3-4 years/live in a crappy apartment to pay that OFF completely before I can buy a house) so it will be 2015+ before I can buy a house. Hopfully by then my credit will be at least a 800!
 
SHC1984 said:
I know what you mean. One of my goals in life is to get a 800 on my FICO score (actually 850, but I don't know if I will ever be that good! :laugh:) and another goal is to be a proud owner of an BLACK American Express card, but I don't want to get ahead of myself here! :laugh:

I guess I am lucky in that I will never need an auto loan and when I am ready to buy a house it will most likely be 2015+ (I graduate 2013, I will owe around 80K to 100K in student debt, I will have to work for 3-4 years/live in a crappy apartment to pay that OFF completely before I can buy a house) so it will be 2015+ before I can buy a house. Hopfully by then my credit will be at least a 800!
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Highest FICO I've ever worked with was an 805, the numbers are arbitrary after 760. I've compared tri-merges on 760 borrowers and the random 800 ones I get and could not discern what would have boosted the score. I think the FICO algorithm gets funky after 760-780.

As for the black card...haha yeah right, minimum spending amount is $250k/year, the two people I know who have this card use it for entertaining clients and it is tied to a business. Goodluck trying to get one with a staunchly middle class pharmacist salary!

As for buying a house past 2015...good call. I use these blogs to keep a pulse on what's going on (ignore popular news sites for this).

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/
http://www.fieldcheckgroup.com/blog/

As a review, you'll want the following items for a supremo prime mortgage w/ the best rate:
1) 2 years continuous employment history & verifiable income (1040's/W-2's)
2) 2 years continuous living situation (ie rental history, verifiable with canceled checks if necessary...parents don't count).
3) FICO >740
4) 20% down payment...but if you're really ambitious, 30% is a tad bit better (I've seen a few loan programs where 70% LTV yielded maybe an 1/8 of a percent better rate than 80% LTV).

damn it SHC, you got me talking about mortgages again, i hate you
 
Don't forget, Flyer, that SHC fully intends on marrying a wealthy dermatologist in West Hollywood, so the middle-class pharmacist salary is no problem! Hell, that'll just be weekend spending cash!
 
Passion4Sci said:
Don't forget, Flyer, that SHC fully intends on marrying a wealthy dermatologist in West Hollywood, so the middle-class pharmacist salary is no problem! Hell, that'll just be weekend spending cash!
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I am going for a plastic surgeon. Derm sounds good right now. I wish I was still at Columbia b/c I was dating an Oral Surgery resident. :(
 
confettiflyer said:
Highest FICO I've ever worked with was an 805, the numbers are arbitrary after 760. I've compared tri-merges on 760 borrowers and the random 800 ones I get and could not discern what would have boosted the score. I think the FICO algorithm gets funky after 760-780.

As for the black card...haha yeah right, minimum spending amount is $250k/year, the two people I know who have this card use it for entertaining clients and it is tied to a business. Goodluck trying to get one with a staunchly middle class pharmacist salary!

As for buying a house past 2015...good call. I use these blogs to keep a pulse on what's going on (ignore popular news sites for this).

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/
http://www.fieldcheckgroup.com/blog/

As a review, you'll want the following items for a supremo prime mortgage w/ the best rate:
1) 2 years continuous employment history & verifiable income (1040's/W-2's)
2) 2 years continuous living situation (ie rental history, verifiable with canceled checks if necessary...parents don't count).
3) FICO >740
4) 20% down payment...but if you're really ambitious, 30% is a tad bit better (I've seen a few loan programs where 70% LTV yielded maybe an 1/8 of a percent better rate than 80% LTV).

damn it SHC, you got me talking about mortgages again, i hate you
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I know and $5000 annual fee! I use to wait tables at my parents' restaurant and I LOVE it when I get to wait on a customer with a BLACK card. They always get their food extra fast when they leave me a generous tip on those cards. ;)
 
SHC1984 said:
I am going for a plastic surgeon. Derm sounds good right now. I wish I was still at Columbia b/c I was dating an Oral Surgery resident. :(
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i'm telling you, you're going about it wrong...you need to be hanging around b-schools, not med schools, that's where the real money is at. bernie madoff was NOT an oral surgeon.

then again, he never had a centurion (black) card...he just had plain 'ol platinum http://www.scribd.com/doc/15027931/Bernies-Credit-Card-Statements
 
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confettiflyer said:
i'm telling you, you're going about it wrong...you need to be hanging around b-schools, not med schools, that's where the real money is at. bernie madoff was NOT an oral surgeon.

then again, he never had a centurion (black) card...he just had plain 'ol platinum http://www.scribd.com/doc/15027931/Bernies-Credit-Card-Statements
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I agree...but you never can tell who is going to be the MOST successful until they GET successful...thats the only negative about dating people with MBAs. You don't know exactly how much they are worth. :confused:

This is one of the guys I use to wait on. Sandy Lyons always uses his Black card. He still has a house in Hickory, NC where I use to live. :)

http://lyons.cdbh.com/index.cfm?SectionID=2&ParentID=0&SectionTypeID=2&SectionTree=2
 
drjmariesegars said:
It's like a catch 22 right now..you can't get a pharmacy technician job without experience but paying for pharmacy technician school is pointless because I want to be a pharmacist.
More and more Colleges of Pharmacy are putting an emphasis on experience.
Is anyone besides me experiencing this?

I get the blow off when I call, the firm "no's" and "We'll call you"

Maybe this is a sign that I'm not meant for pharmacy...I really want to be a pharmacist but I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and I just began.
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When I was applying for a pharmacy technician job, it took me about 3-4 weeks before I got something squared away. In that time, I sent an application to every independent and chain pharmacy that I could find. I also scoured the classifieds for any stores that I may have overlooked.

Typically, it is more difficult to find a hospital position than a retail position, especially if you do not have any prior experience.

Keep in mind that flu season is coming around the corner. Stores will be increasing their required manpower hours during these months, and you might be able to find an opening in this time period. I would say this typically occurs during late September to mid October. Concerns over increased rates of influenza this year (as a result of the swine flu) may cause some pharmacies to pick up an extra technician to help with the extra prescriptions.

In either case, hang in there and be persistent!

--Garfield3d

(Edit)

Eh, okay, apparently I didn't read deep enough into the thread:

drjmariesegars said:
This is very true. However, I went to a big chain. The pharmacist was a very caring foreign woman (I couldn't tell you where she was from but she had an accent) and she just listened to me and Hired me TODAY. Telling them your plans really can help you out
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Congratulations on getting hired! Glad to hear that you found a job. Don't forget to ask the pharmacist for a recommendation when you start applying for schools. Pharmacist recommendations are pretty high on admission committees.

--Garfield3d
 
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drjmariesegars said:
it's like a catch 22 right now..you can't get a pharmacy technician job without experience but paying for pharmacy technician school is pointless because i want to be a pharmacist.
More and more colleges of pharmacy are putting an emphasis on experience.
Is anyone besides me experiencing this?

I get the blow off when i call, the firm "no's" and "we'll call you"

maybe this is a sign that i'm not meant for pharmacy...i really want to be a pharmacist but i can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and i just began.
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congrats on finding a job! :)
 
Passion4Sci said:
I'm beginning to think I pissed you off somehow, CF.

My apologies if that's the case.
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lol...you crying cuz i didn't quote your post? :smuggrin:

haha, don't worry about it, we buddies. cue bromance.
 
As a Pharmacy tech, how often did you have to use calculations (i.e. convertion)?

Please provide insight in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Thanks-
 
Jerking said:
As a Pharmacy tech, how often did you have to use calculations (i.e. convertion)?
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A common one is like 4 Fl. Oz = 120 mL, 1 tsp = 5 mL, etc. Alligations are done pretty much via automated formula, plug and play really... I double check everything but it's all easy. Dilutions, alligations... the occasional Young/Clark's Rule check...

Remembering what "room temperature" is in celsius instead of farenheit can be annoying.
 
Thanks for the input.

How is the Pharmacy situation in california?
Does CA have too many/too few pharmacists and/or pharmacy techs?
 
Jerking said:
Thanks for the input.

How is the Pharmacy situation in california?
Does CA have too many/too few pharmacists and/or pharmacy techs?
Click to expand...

CA is way, way, WAY too big to answer that fairly and things are always changing.

Like, in northern California, residents (at my hospital, finishing their rotation) are being offered jobs as staff pharmacists, and I can tell by looking at some of the clinical pharmacists (age),they will be thinking about retiring soon. There are tons of per-diem opportunities, and while they do not typically offer bennies, the hourly is awesome ($80+) and can definitely whet your whistle while you find more permanent places.

Southern California... I have no idea. I HEAR it's super-saturated and ****, but I HEAR that about Nor Cal too, but truth is, there are jobs here in Alameda County and Yolo County, and probably others... No more cushy $35,000+ salary bonuses I guess, but the rate for a clin.pharm. in my neck of the woods is $62.50/hr with no whack shift differentials or anything... So the sky is falling crowd, I dunno.

It's definitely not as nice as it was in 2006 I'm sure, and maybe in 2011 or 2012 it'll be worse, but who the hell can tell the future? The more I work in the field the more I find that the opportunities for pharmacists are growing exponentially with offerings in almost every medical specialty. Perhaps in 2011+, the recession will be nicely turned around and people, comfortable with their fat 401(k)s and pensions will retire, opening up nice spots for incoming pharmacists.

Who knows? But I am really excited to be riding the tip of the bullet through the aorta.
 
Jerking said:
As a Pharmacy tech, how often did you have to use calculations (i.e. convertion)?

Please provide insight in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Thanks-
Click to expand...
I work in retail and my pharmacy manager only let his "pets" do anything like that--its total *****ng bullsh*t! Sorry...venting again :)
 
rphfan2009 said:
I work in retail and my pharmacy manager only let his "pets" do anything like that--its total *****ng bullsh*t! Sorry...venting again :)
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wait, what? he only lets certain techs do calculations? that makes no sense.
 
themulya said:
wait, what? he only lets certain techs do calculations? that makes no sense.
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I do absolutely NOTHING at my pharmacy--its almost insulting--I ring customers and put away bags and drugs. Nothing else. The pharmacy manager lets his favorites do all the 'good' jobs there. Needless to say, I won't be doing an internship with this particular company down the road--nor would I EVER want one there!
 
rphfan2009 said:
I do absolutely NOTHING at my pharmacy--its almost insulting--I ring customers and put away bags and drugs. Nothing else. The pharmacy manager lets his favorites do all the 'good' jobs there. Needless to say, I won't be doing an internship with this particular company down the road--nor would I EVER want one there!
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At least your 60 hour requirement is getting satisfied though.
 
rphfan2009 said:
I do absolutely NOTHING at my pharmacy--its almost insulting--I ring customers and put away bags and drugs. Nothing else. The pharmacy manager lets his favorites do all the 'good' jobs there. Needless to say, I won't be doing an internship with this particular company down the road--nor would I EVER want one there!
Click to expand...

and you're a tech? how long have you been there? Calculations aren't even "fun jobs", they're just part of the job. I could see this if you are new, relegating you to clerk work until they feel comfortable letting you do tech stuff, but if you've been there for a while, that is straight up ******ed.
 
Nothing major, like stated previously. I work in retail. Sometimes I have to bust out a calculator to calculated inhale DS, but still basic math, and not conversions.
 
At Rite AId as a clerk but certified so i count pills. only conversion i did was the ml to oz.
 
Thanks everyone for all the congratulations...I'm sorry i'm just seeing these now. Work is rapidly taking over my life. lol
 
I've been studying for the ptce using a review book from mosby, and i had a few questions. Does the number of drug questions in the practice tests resemble the number of drug questions on the actual exam? Also, i've been getting low to mid 60's in the practice tests, but I plan to take the real exam soon. Would I be wasting my time and money if i took it now?
 
Cataly5t said:
I've been studying for the ptce using a review book from mosby, and i had a few questions. Does the number of drug questions in the practice tests resemble the number of drug questions on the actual exam? Also, i've been getting low to mid 60's in the practice tests, but I plan to take the real exam soon. Would I be wasting my time and money if i took it now?
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In my opinion, Mosby's goes a lot more in depth on remembering drug names than the actual PTCE. I would not worry about it. If you feel prepared in other aspects (ie: laws, math) then I say go for it. I did miserably on most practice tests in Mosby's because I just couldn't remember so many drugs, but I ended up passing with a pretty good score on the actual test.
 
Also bear in mind that there are multiple forms of the test. My version of the PTCE had a fair amount of drug-appropriate questions, for example:

Metformin would be prescribed for X condition:

a. diabetes
b. high blood pressure
c. cholesterol
d. acute angina

and stuff like, in which place would the pharmacy tech. expect to find Lorazepam?

So a general understanding of top 200 drugs will help, definitely. BUT... you can practically have no knowledge at all and pass at 650/900.

The 650 is a scaled score, with the bottom of the scale being at 300. It's really easy.
 
I dont have any pharmacy experience, so will that be a big problem for me on the test?
 
The pharm tech position will be improved and more respected over the next few years, hopefully. A lot of states, including mine (Florida) will be requiring state registration to be a tech January 2010. After January 2011, to be a tech, you have to have gone through a training program. This should increase the quality of workers, as well as pay.
 
Passion4Sci said:
Never going to happen.
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I know some tech's that made in the $22/hr range, BUT they were highly trained in numerous aspects. Not like they just became certified and was bumped up to that pay.

Don't get too excited about state registration, I have worked with a state that required that and it wasn't any different.

The PTCE used to be a challenge. People actually were proud to have earned the title C.PhT. Hell when I took the test almost five years ago it was fairly difficult. I had had four years of pharmacy experience in retail and nursing service, with some hospital, at that time and it certainly wasn't a cake walk. There was some math involved, but not nearly as much as it is now.

I know a kid who went into to take the test and the day before he asked me what hydrocodone was. Sure enough, he passed it with flying colors because he got a version that was mainly math. That kid had no right whatsoever to have that title.
 
When I took the PTCE, I had never been in a pharmacy, and while I did knew what hydrocodone is, my experience was extremely limited... 3 weeks of intense study w/ the Mosby's book and voila.

And I am shocked that the CPhTs in WA are making $22/hr. Our lead, lifer-pharmacy tech at the hospital is barely in the $20s after years of experience. I am looking at $13.75 if I take the job at a new Target.

Even still, $22/hr is peanuts compared to what other "tech" supplemental people make, such as a radiological technologist (also called radiology tech some places).
 
Passion4Sci said:
When I took the PTCE, I had never been in a pharmacy, and while I did knew what hydrocodone is, my experience was extremely limited... 3 weeks of intense study w/ the Mosby's book and voila.

And I am shocked that the CPhTs in WA are making $22/hr. Our lead, lifer-pharmacy tech at the hospital is barely in the $20s after years of experience. I am looking at $13.75 if I take the job at a new Target.

Even still, $22/hr is peanuts compared to what other "tech" supplemental people make, such as a radiological technologist (also called radiology tech some places).
Click to expand...

A Radiology tech has very specialized training compared to a pharm tech. A lot of them really do just count by five every day.

And I would say that $13.75 is a nice starting wage. I've been with my current company for 5+ years and am only at $11. They start at about $7.50 here so I have no hopes of making any more.

I miss the days when I was makin $19 an hour lol
 
I am aware that R.T.s have a more complicated job than we do. However, the gap between amt. of training and salary is astronomical between the two "technician" jobs. The difference, more than just job difficulty (because a lot of easy/rote jobs make good money) is that, sans at least a 2year degree in R.T., you cannot find a job. "Anyone" can be a Pharmacy Tech (I am excellent proof) but you can't just take a nat'l cert. in R.T. and hop right in.

That's why I brought it up actually. We were kinda talking about the possibility of the future bringing us mandatory training programs and stuff, more in line w/ respiratory therapists and rad. techs. That's all - I was not comparing the two certifications in terms of difficulty or any other metric.

I am not complaining about my wage, I'll be forthright about that. However, for comparison purposes, a starting radiological technologist at my hospital is just shy of $29/hr for JUST the Associate's degree in R.T., whereas a CPhT can't hope to make $29/hr ever in her career outside of special circumstance in special places. Exceptions, not rules.

I would get a job at In'n'Out for $10.50/hr if pharm. tech only paid me $7.50/hr, **** that.


phathead said:
A Radiology tech has very specialized training compared to a pharm tech. A lot of them really do just count by five every day.

And I would say that $13.75 is a nice starting wage. I've been with my current company for 5+ years and am only at $11. They start at about $7.50 here so I have no hopes of making any more.

I miss the days when I was makin $19 an hour lol
Click to expand...
 
Hey everyone, I'm new here, but I am also planning to take the certification test. I have volunteered for a little bit in the pharmacy, but I couldn't work much with the drugs. Should a week of studying Mosby's be able to do it? The math seems fine, but I have to work at the laws and drug questions.
 
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