Unitek College Blog

Pharmacy Technicians work under the supervision of registered pharmacists, assisting them with the filling of drug prescriptions, reviewing orders for dosages, allergies, incompatibilities and interactions. It is a job that requires an astute knowledge of chemistry, biology & math. A Pharmacy Technician often also interacts with the customers they service, so a Pharmacy Tech must be personable and patient when dealing with people who are sick and not necessary in the best frame of mind.

This is the perfect job for someone who enjoys multi-tasking and having different things to do each day they come into work. Some days you come in and you have lots of prescriptions to fill as well as long lines of customers to service. Conversely, there may also be those days when you are able to quickly fill the few prescriptions you have as well as service the handful of customers and then you are free to assist the registered pharmacist in other aspects of the laboratory.

Other things a Pharmacy Technician will get to do include mixing, measuring, packaging, and delivering medications as well as maintaining computerized lists of the medications in circulation and checking with the pharmacists before delivering any medication, to see whether those are the right drugs. They may also be called upon to clean and sterilize the instruments, transporting medication and pharmacy equipment to clinics and nursing units, answering various questions about non-drug products, or calling physicians’ offices for prescription refills.

Many people choose a pharmacy technician career for a variety of reasons. First of all, the working conditions are very good. Pharmacy Technicians work in clean and organized areas, which are well ventilated and well lit. Secondly, Pharmacy Technician jobs are always in high demand and you will have the ability to start at a higher salary if you have a Pharmacy Technician certification.

There is no requirement for formal training or licensing as pharmacy technician. However, on-the-job training is less available nowadays, and employers prefer individuals who hold a pharmacy tech certification issued by a training institution. There is a voluntary exam that future pharmacy technicians can take, known as the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examinations.

Do you know anyone right now who is a Pharmacy Technician? What have they said about their experiences?

With the ever increasing demand for EMT Training from the east coast, our sales staff have had their desk phones forwarded to their cell phones for early morning inquiries. Last month, we had a reality check when Verizon Wireless sent us a gigantic phone bill. Our CFO nearly had a coronary, and asked us to look at other options.

After careful analysis, it seemed that AT&T Wireless / Cingular had a much better corporate plan (they also have the iPhone, but we neglected to mention that to the CFO). Unfortunately, we have a bunch of rabid ‘Verizon lovers’ around the office that insisted that Verizon had much better coverage around the Fremont, CA area. So, to shut them up, we decided on a road test. We had two volunteers drive around Fremont doing the ‘Can you hear me now’ thing. The first volunteer drove out from Unitek to the Mission hills (filthy rich people such as our CEO live up there, watching over us mere mortals) and then drove along Mission Boulevard to the extreme north end of Fremont. The second volunteer drove from Unitek to the extreme northwest point in Fremont (close to the Dunbarton bridge). On day 1, they used AT&T phones, and they used Verizon phones on Day 2. Continuous talk time was approximately 1 hour on both days.

Alas, those !#$!@#% Verizon lovers were right !! Verizon consistently delivered better cell quality throughout Fremont, and didn’t drop calls (AT&T did, occasionally). Much as we hate the gigantic phone bills (and love the iPhone), we’ve decided to stay with Verizon Wireless and hope that they come up with better corporate plan for their long-suffering customers. Can you hear me now, Verizon?

With a degree in nursing, Elsa Mendoza didn’t have to look far for a job. After receiving her degree in nursing from Unitek College in 2007, the 25-year-old Elsa applied for positions at four local hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area; (Kaiser, Stanford Hospital, El Camino Hospital, and Good Samaritan). Elsa soon received four job offers from all four hospitals. Within a short period of time Elsa was earning an annual income of more than $65,000 and only working four days a week.

As the fears of recession build up, employees begin to worry about their future, fortunately nursing jobs are one of the five careers that are recession proof according to Yahoo.

“As long as people continue to get sick, there will be a need for nurses. Nurses perform perhaps the most critical role of all–they save lives and prevent illness. And with demographic shifts putting extra strain on the health care system, nurses are experiencing unprecedented demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts nearly 30 percent growth in nursing jobs through 2014, the second largest increase of any occupation.”

Did your profession make the top five recession proof careers?

I can’t seem to get the consistent urgent demand that’s going on for nursing and healthcare. By 2012, it’s quoted that over a million additional nurses will be needed for the emerging baby boomer generation. Several people are talking about this and reporting it online (view article). Then there’s the perks. Flexible hours, six figure salaries (once in senior management). It all seems too good to be true. My fiancé’s mom is a director of nursing at a hospital and gets to take one week off a month in vacation, and gets paid overtime! Not only that, she gets additional pay incentives for working the night shift.

There is obviously a need and a demand for what is obviously a great career path. How else would I know? I market it. I consistently see people who are looking to change their lives, and also to improve their quality of living. I see graduating students going to great jobs at Stanford, and other surrounding bay area schools (check out last year’s graduating class video, second video from the top). I also want to point out that we didn’t produce that student video. It was provided by our great class of students in 2006. I’m proud of the fact that we help people reach their dreams, and also improve their career opportunities. I ask you. Why not fill out a form? Speak to an educational advisor. There’s no risk. The only thing you have to lose is a chance at finding out what can be a great new life.

Eric Garrison
Marketing Manager
Unitek

While working minimum wage jobs for nearly two years, my friend Anaa Jenome has been fighting a war with rising bills, long hours waiting tables at our local Diner, and taking care of her home and 2 kids as a single mother. I always knew she could do better professionally, given her amazing patience and relaxed demeanor with people, and I even told her off and on. But her calling finally came when the diner, she was slaving double shifts at, informed the employees that it would be re-locating from San Jose to Bakersfield due to an expired lease contract and high costs of operation.

Anaa then got a moment to sit back, and re-visit her ambitions to give a better life to her self and her family. Over a hot cup of tea at my place, during the Christmas break last year, while 3 pairs of toddler feet played havoc with Freddie, the resident mutt, we explored various EMT sites on the web for basic how’s and why’s.

I found the Department of Labor to be an informative starting point in our hunt for elaborate and insightful industry information. A feature on future forecasts on the industry highlighted how EMT jobs are expected to grow 20% in the next decade. Anaa was most excited to read the industry median wage information. We were very surprised to learn that an EMT could make upwards of $45,000 in earnings annually.

It’s been a year, since she embarked on that journey, and now Anaa has entered the Healthcare profession. She gained her EMT credentials in the top 2% of her class and is now a practicing EMT with a leading hospital in the Bay Area. She aspires to gain some experience in her current position, before enrolling for an advanced healthcare degree in a few years. I am not sure if the reality of a better paying profession drew Anaa to the Healthcare field, or if it was her natural affinity to help people in need and her high patience quotient. But I am sure there are plenty of other women out there like her who are waiting for that life changing moment, when they can take action to better their lives and live their dreams. If they can draw inspiration from Anaa’s ability to deal with the challenges life posed to her and still come out a winner, this was worth writing about.

Unitek College would like to wish you a Happy New Year filled with happiness, success, and joy!!!