There is never a shortage for opinions on the subject surrounding techs with their associated pay and education. I too am a tech with an opinion related to the question posed. While I often agree the wage scale for techs is low, I also believe there is two way traffic on this road of discussion. In addition to a minimal qualifying requirement of certification, I believe techs should possess formal college education of at least a bachelors degree, since I also believe this to be minimal for anyone in the workplace today. The exception being in basic functionary roles that do not require specialized skills other than what can be obtained through on the job training. Additionally pay should be commensurate with additional qualifications such as Chemo training, Med-reconciliation, etc. Finally, I believe the particular sector of health care a tech works in, such as hospital, retail, home infusion, manufacturing, etc., undoubtedly has an effect on the requirements and resulting pay for techs. One failure of today's attempt to organize the Pharmacy Technician is making it too universal. For example if I were to say all factory workers had to have a common certification and would fall within a common pay scale, it would be quite a failure for both worker and employer. A working packing textiles is not the same as a worker assembling jet engines, therefore, all qualifications and skill sets, and of course resulting pay, should not be equal.
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PTCB touts the need for AAS Degree programs, (see below), that will create more specialized Pharmacy Technicians. What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe a Pharmacy Technician with an AAS degree (possibly from a Diploma Mill), is better than what we have today? Is the cost associated with an AAS Degree, (up to $32,000 or more), worth the pay we see today in wages earned?
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The two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program in Pharmacy Technology for pharmacy technicians, developed by the Coalition with support from the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy and the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, meets these needs by preparing a highly trained and PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) workforce to take on select new medication distribution and administrative tasks.
The program's comprehensive curriculum includes a range of courses on pharmaceutical calculations, medical terminology, computer systems, and critical thinking skills necessary for safe preparation and distribution of medications, and 600 hours of clinical hospital rotations under the supervision of pharmacists and senior pharmacy technicians.
"Graduates of the AAS program are qualified, have an appreciation for the work pharmacists do, and are eager to support and take ownership in patient care services," said Michael Nnadi, BSP, PharmD, MHS, Vice President Pharmacy Services, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Novant Health. "We have seen unprecedented response from community colleges. Five additional community colleges have replicated the program across the state with an anticipated enrollment of 80 students for the 2011-2012 academic year."
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