Pharmacy Technician Salary
As with any job, particularly in the health care field, the pharmacy technician salary to be expected will vary according to several factors. Naturally, the more experience that the technician has, the higher the salary they can expect to be able to get. This includes not only the actual job duties typical of the technician but also any other skills that may be helpful, such as ability to deal with insurance companies.
The amount of education completed and the certifications obtained will also influence expected salary. With little formal educational requirements in most states, educational programs are not standard and can vary from as little as six months up to two years training. Some on-the-job training programs will be completed in only three months.
Another factor that will have great influence on the pharmacy technician salary range is the setting that the person chooses to work in. Someone who has a great deal of responsibility and autonomy working in a large hospital will often see a higher salary than the technician who works only at a tiny grocery store pharmacy counter.
As the pharmacy technician improves upon their skills and experience levels, there may be supervisory opportunities available that will usually mean an increase in salary corresponding to the additional duties. These jobs would most often be in a large hospital pharmacy or in the mail-order drug industry, but may even be found in other settings on occasion.
How much does a pharmacy technician make?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pharmacy technician salary will be about $13.92 per hour, or $28,940 annual base salary. This average will be affected by setting, as stated above.
The lowest pharmacy technician salary will be found in department and general stores, such as the pharmacy within a Costco or Sam's Club. The average there runs from $12.34 to $12.65 per hour, or $25,660 up to $26,310 annually.
The highest paid salary within traditional settings would be at hospitals with their own pharmacies on-site. There the technician can expect an average salary of $15.73 per hour, or $32,710 every year.
The real potential for a pharmacy technician salary to rise beyond the average is found in areas outside of the traditional pharmacy setting as well as at specialty hospitals such as cancer centers. Research and development services companies hire pharmacy technicians, although not in large numbers. Insurance companies employ about one thousand technicians in the United States, believe it or not, and the salary expectations are up in the range of $18.08 per hour, or $37,610 annually.
