Pennsylvania Pharmacy Technician Salary Info

Anyone considering pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician in Pennsylvania should be asking themselves two questions: what exactly is the average Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary and will it be enough to significantly improve my life? While the training period to become a certified pharmacy technician is significantly shorter than other medical-assistant related fields, training is not cheap so it’s best for anyone considering making a career change in this direction to find out if working as a pharmacy technician is really the best choice.

If you are here seeking information about information related to working as a pharmacy technician in Pennsylvania, then be sure to read this entire report because it contains important facts other than just what the average Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary is. It’s most likely true that you’re hoping to pursue working as a pharmacy tech because you hope that it will help you do better in life and it’s not a good idea to assume that jumping into this career without considering all the related details. We’ll touch on all this info so that you’ll have it close at hand when making a final decision on whether working as a pharmacy tech in Pennsylvania is a the right decision for you.

Top Eight States Salary Comparison

Pennsylvania ranks #6 out of the Top 8 most populous states in America. It is neither among the highest or lowest paid states for this profession, but is instead about middle-of-the-road where pay is concerned. The graph above shows that the rate of pay in this field is pretty competitive across states and even California, which seems to have a significant advantage, isn't really that much better when the cost of living there is factored in.

The Bureau of Labor Statists reports that the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary is about $28,710.

Cost-of-Living Comparison

Pennsylvania actually compares very well against other states where cost-of-living is concerned. In the graph above you can see that someone earning the typical $28,710 Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary would have to increase their income a bit if they were moving to California in order to maintain their standard of living, but this isn't so with the other areas. The bottom line is that Texas pharmacy technicians are not living at a significantly higher level when compared to those doing the same work in Pennsylvania.

Medical Technologist Career Salary Comparison

It's important, when thinking of making a major career move, to consider whether other similar fields pay better. That's what we are attempting to do in the graph above. There is a wide berth of variety in the amount of school and experience needed in order to qualify to work in any of these positions, but we've done our best to provide an apples-to-apples visual comparison. It makes no sense to compare the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary (which only requires a brief certification course or an on-site internship) with the average dental hygienist salary because the latter requires extensive schooling. For that reason we've tried to stick with careers which require short training cycles for this comparison. These include the positions of: medical assistant, phlebotomy technician, ultrasound technician, and nursing aid.

The biggest bit of information that you should take away from this graph is the fact that working as a pharmacy technician isn't going to make you rich. Remember, the $28,710 figure is the average for the industry. That means that there are a few that earn more, some earn less (usually those with no experience), but the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary tends to level out somewhere less than $30,000. We'll cover exactly how much that type of annual wage can cover in a bit, but first let's touch on whether or not there's a big degree of variability within the state itself.

Work Environment

The vast majority of pharmacy technicians are going to be found working in neighborhood drug stores. These may either be independently owned or part of a nationally recognized chain. Others work alongside pharmacists in hospitals, nursing homes, and long term care facilities. Another large portion of pharmacy techs are employed by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs to meet the growing needs of armed forces personnel. A fair number of servicemen live in Pennsylvania after having been discharged from active duty service and the local VA hospitals and other treatment facilities is where most of the pharmacy techs employed by the VA can also be found aiding in long-term treatment of disabled veterans.

One factor that may negatively impacts the prospects of Pennsylvania pharmacy technicians is the fact that more and more people are turning to online pharmacies in order to get their prescriptions filled. Not too long ago the neighborhood drug store was as much of a central component of the local community as a church was. Of course, in a day and age where you can buy just about anything and everything online, it only makes sense that they would buy their medications online as well. Due to the fact that these online pharmacies are often not located in Pennsylvania and may even be located in another country, the increased popularity of these online resources has already begun to change the landscape of how patients gain access to their medications as well impact the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary.
Duties and Responsibilities of a Pennsylvania Pharmacy Technician

In recent years, drug stores have been hiring more and more pharmacy technicians. Much of this activity is due to the fact that it takes significantly longer to train a pharmacist than it once did which has resulted in a shortage in the number of available pharmacists. Training to become a pharmacist requires about 8 years of both undergraduate and graduate work. The requirement of a Pharm.D. professional degree (along with the 8 years of schooling that comes with it) has created a situation in the pharmacy field where there are not enough Pharm.D. graduates being turned out each year in order to keep up with patient demand for physician-prescribed medications. Add to this the fact that a local pharmacy pays out the equivalent of three pharmacy technician salaries in order to buy the services of one pharmacist, and both the supply of labor and the associated economics are making the pharmacy technician's role more important than ever.

The general role of the pharmacy tech is to work closely with the appointed pharmacist and aid in the typical duties that he or she would not be able to safely get to during the course of a single shift. This includes such common tasks as filling prescriptions and issuing them to patients as well as other things like informing patients about possible side effects of the medications they have been prescribed. A Pennsylvania pharmacy technician working in the field will probably tell you that the job resembles that of a pharmacist to a very close degree. Mostly, it's the fact that the pharmacist is ultimately responsible for the actions of the pharmacy tech where it comes to patient health which separates the two jobs and accounts for the large difference in pay.

While the issuing of prescription medications accounts for the vast majority of a Pennsylvania pharmacy technician's time, they are also required to be able to establish contact with a patient's doctor in order to verify medication amounts as well as follow up with insurance companies to ensure prompt reimbursement. Placing orders for various products so that they are immediately available when needed as well as other inventory management tasks also are often found under the umbrella of the duties assigned to the pharmacy tech.

Well over 90% of the medications issued by pharmacies come prepackaged or in tablet format and are either ready to issue to patients immediately or simply need to be counted and added to the classic orange bottle before being given out but this isn't the case for all medications. Certain types of medicines have to be made-to-order as specific concentrations have to be tailored to the particular physiological makeup of the patient and are made in compounding pharmacies. These special pharmacies usually assign such duties as compounding medications to pharmacists, but in some situations pharmacy techs are also required to do so as well.

Earning Potential for Pennsylvania Pharmacy Technicians

The pharmacy technician career path is often taken by those who are looking for a fast way to move out of the low-paying and unrewarding work they are presently doing into a better work environment which also pays well. Unfortunately, the job does not always fulfill on these assumed promises because many people don't really give serious thought about how far the typical pharmacy technician salary will stretch.

Consider the fact that the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy tech brings home less than $2,400 each month or about $29,000 per year. Even those residing in some of the highest-paying states, like California, earn less than $40,000 p/year. It's very difficult to try and achieve the American Dream to any degree at this income level in today's world. If you're happy living in a studio apartment furnished with a mish-mash of stuff bought on CraigsList and at Ikea while living alone, then this might work for you in the long run. Same goes if your sole ambition is to become the dominant player in World of Warcraft. If you plan to raise a family, have health insurance, and plan for retirement, then you're going to need a little more fuel in your financial tank.

The internet is awash with claims that some pharmacy technicians earn fifty-five thousand dollars each year. While it's probably true that there are a few pharmacy technicians being paid at such a high level, it is prudent to assume that this is the exception to the rule. Plain and simple, it's very rare for the average pharmacy technician salary to exceed forty thousand dollars per year. Go into this thing planning to earn what other pharmacy techs do and then you won't be disappointed when you are working behind the glass.
Benefit Packages for Pennsylvania Pharmacy Techs

While there are many great things about working as a pharmacy technician, one of the downsides is the fact that most techs do not receive a comprehensive benefit package by default. Health insurance is usually not provided by the pharmacy and when it is, it usually requires a majority contribution on the part of the worker. The same goes for retirement benefits. Other benefits such as fully-funded eye-care insurance and dental insurance are almost unheard of.

Benefit Packages for Pennsylvania Pharmacy Techs

Pennsylvania Pharmacy Technician Salary Comparison

In many states, the rate at which pharmacy techs are paid is rather uniform. This isn't the case in Pennsylvania. The difference between what the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary is in Philadelphia as compared to the pay rate seen in Williamsport, PA is about $7,860. That's figure adds up to about 30% of the state average rate of pay for this field which is a rather significant swing. The good news is that if you are planning to live in or around one of the larger cities in Pennsylvania and work as a pharmacy technician, then you'll probably be earning a bit more.

Metro Area	Average Salary
Williamsport, PA	$22,940
Erie, PA	$25,200
York-Hanover, PA	$27,760
Pittsburgh, PA	$28,320
Philadelphia, PA	$30,800

Mean Pennsylvania Pharmacy Technician salary data in-state metropolitan areas as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics OES – May 2012.

Important Points of Consideration

The fact that pharmacy technicians work in a professional environment and wear a white lab coats is often very deceptive to many people. They don't do the research on both how much a typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary is nor do they compare that to realistic expectations on how much cash is required to keep the family going each month. Make sure that you are not among those making this mistake.

If you envision bringing home in excess of $60,000 as a yearly salary working as a Pennsylvania pharmacy technician, then you are going to be sorely disappointed because only a handful of those working in this filed nationwide earn as much. This is just one reason to do your homework and learn as much as possible about both training for this career as well as what the work and pay will be like once you've begun working in the field as well. It's true that a pharmacy technician salary can carry someone who needs to provide for nobody but himself through life rather well. Raising a family on a pharmacy technician's income, however, requires a little more financial fuel to power though life.

Many will find that the short training period and subsequent fast entry into the job market are a major motivation and will decide to pursue work as a pharmacy technician as this makes the most sense for them at this point in time in their lives. If you plan to work in this field for a long time without pursuing further education with the goal of becoming a pharmacist, then start planning now to try and begin work in a hospital. Working in a retail pharmacy is different than working in pharmacy situated inside a medical center or hospital. Pharmacy techs working in hospitals tend to have more responsibility and are paid a bit more. The video below features an interview with Louise LeBlanc, a LPN pharmacy technician, who goes over some of the differences.

Finally, it's a good idea to pursue training and certification if you are looking to maximize your earning potential as pharmacy tech. Many states do not require formal training but the fact of the matter is that the mean certified pharmacy technician salary is higher than those who are not certified. It's also easier to get access to highly competitive jobs in hospitals if you have pharmacy tech certification.

Future Outlook for Pennsylvania Pharmacy Technicians

Considering the fact that more and more people are plagued with health issues from a lack of proper diet and exercise, predictions can be made that the need for Pennsylvania pharmacy technologists will increase as in other states. Until people decide to start making healthy eating choices which will help them avoid the need for pharmaceutical intervention, there will be an increasing need for hard-working individuals to fill these positions. How likely is it that the typical Pennsylvania pharmacy technician salary level will continue to rise as time goes on? It's impossible to say. Most indicators point to increased wages being the norm, but with the rise of online pharmacies – all bets are off. Whatever the case may be, it's a good idea to do as much research as you can to find out what the Pennsylvania requirements are to become certified as a pharmacy technician. Then, and only then, will you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about embarking on this career path or not.

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