Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technician is represented by 20 task examples that show what you will do on real assignments. The list focuses on practical skills, common signals and how to record results. Each one shows where we found it, and comes with an AI prompt you can copy and use straight away.

20evidenced tasks
20ready prompts
7tools of the trade
29-2052.00O*NET-SOC code
471,680hold this job (US, BLS 2025)
$45,750median pay/yr (US)
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What it pays

Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.

Half of all Pharmacy Technicians in the U.S. earn more than $45,750 a year — the middle 80% land between $36,020 and $61,040. About 471,680 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Pharmacy Technicians”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$45,750typical pay / year
471,680people in this work
$61,040+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
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The work, task by task

These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.

Analysing4

Verify patient data and prescriptions

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Verify Mrs. Nguyen's name, DOB and insurance against the prescription on file, confirm prescriber DEA number…
Verify Mrs. Nguyen's name, DOB and insurance against the prescription on file, confirm prescriber DEA number and dosage, correct any discrepancies, then mark the prescription verified and ready for dispensing at the counter.
The tools that do the workMEDITECHjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia

Repackage and organize prescriptions

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Repackage the batch of pediatric amoxicillin for pickup: split into daily dose packets, label each with…
Repackage the batch of pediatric amoxicillin for pickup: split into daily dose packets, label each with patient name, directions and expiration, update the inventory and notify the nurse that the prescriptions are ready for bedside delivery at 11:00.
The tools that do the workCompounderjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia

Update patient medication records

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Update Mrs. Alvarez’s medication list to reflect her new metformin dose and discontinued lisinopril, verify…
Update Mrs. Alvarez’s medication list to reflect her new metformin dose and discontinued lisinopril, verify allergies and insurance details, save the record, and flag the chart for the pharmacist to review before the next refill.
The tools that do the workMEDITECHjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia

Ensure compliance with pharmacy regulations

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Audit this week’s controlled substance logs against prescriptions filled, note any missing signatures or…
Audit this week’s controlled substance logs against prescriptions filled, note any missing signatures or expired permits, correct entries with pharmacist sign-off, and file the compliance summary for the district regulator.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
Make1

Dispense medication

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Prepare and dispense Mr. Thompson’s hypertension refill: confirm identity, check for interactions with his…
Prepare and dispense Mr. Thompson’s hypertension refill: confirm identity, check for interactions with his current meds and allergies, label the vial with directions, document the dispense and notify the pharmacist of any issues.
The tools that do the workCompounderESCOWikipedia
Keeping the record1

Provide customer service and answer patient questions

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Answer Ms. Patel’s call about her new antibiotic: confirm her name and prescription, explain dosing and…
Answer Ms. Patel’s call about her new antibiotic: confirm her name and prescription, explain dosing and common side effects, log the interaction in the patient record, and escalate to the pharmacist if she reports swelling or breathing difficulty.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
The daily work14

Handle payment processing

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Process payment for Mrs. Alvarez’s asthma inhaler refill: verify her insurance details, post the patient and…
Process payment for Mrs. Alvarez’s asthma inhaler refill: verify her insurance details, post the patient and third‑party amounts to the account, collect the co‑pay or card on file, print a receipt and note payment in the medication record before release.
The tools that do the workBilling and reimbursementWikipedia

Check incoming goods

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Receive the delivery for Ward B, count and inspect each box against the purchase order and expiry dates,…
Receive the delivery for Ward B, count and inspect each box against the purchase order and expiry dates, reject any damaged or short items, update stock quantities on the inventory record, and sign the goods received note before filing.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCO

Handle pharmaceuticals

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Prepare Mrs. Khan’s metformin supply: retrieve the verified prescription, select the correct product by name…
Prepare Mrs. Khan’s metformin supply: retrieve the verified prescription, select the correct product by name and strength, check expiry and lot numbers, count and label the dispensed pack, and record the transaction in the patient medication profile with counselling notes.
The tools that do the workCompounderESCO

Process insurance claims and billing

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Process today’s insurance claims queue for Medicare Part D and the three major private payers, resolve the…
Process today’s insurance claims queue for Medicare Part D and the three major private payers, resolve the five rejects marked patient-pay, post payments to customer accounts, and prepare a batch for next-day remittance to the billing department before close.
The tools that do the workBilling and reimbursementjob descriptionsO*NET

Price stock and mark items for sale.

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Price incoming stock shipment, apply shelf labels with the retailer margins we agreed with purchasing, flag…
Price incoming stock shipment, apply shelf labels with the retailer margins we agreed with purchasing, flag controlled substances for secure storage, and print a pricing list for front-of-store staff to update by Saturday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET

Assist pharmacists in compounding medications

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Prepare the clean compounding bench, gather the listed ingredients and measured volumes from the master…
Prepare the clean compounding bench, gather the listed ingredients and measured volumes from the master recipe, run the required compatibility check for active ingredients, and hand the kit and worksheet to the pharmacist for final mix under supervision.
The tools that do the workCompounderDrug compatibilityjob descriptionsWikipedia

Control stock

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Perform the weekly stock count for analgesics and antibiotics, reconcile physical counts to inventory…
Perform the weekly stock count for analgesics and antibiotics, reconcile physical counts to inventory records, mark discrepancies for pharmacist review, and reorder items that fall below par levels to meet next-week demand.
The tools that do the workMEDITECHESCOWikipedia

Clean and help maintain equipment or work areas and sterilize glassware, according to prescribed methods.

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Sanitise the compounding hood, clean benches and shelving using the hospital-approved detergents, sterilise…
Sanitise the compounding hood, clean benches and shelving using the hospital-approved detergents, sterilise glassware by autoclave with the prescribed cycle, log completion in the cleaning register, and notify the pharmacist if any equipment fails validation.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET

Compute charges for medication or equipment dispensed to hospital patients and enter data in computer.

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Calculate and post charges for all medications and equipment dispensed to ward 3B today, verify patient IDs,…
Calculate and post charges for all medications and equipment dispensed to ward 3B today, verify patient IDs, insurance plans and dosages, correct any billing flags, and enter finalized charge records into the patient account before 17:00 for end-of-day reconciliation.
The tools that do the workBilling and reimbursementO*NET

Deliver medications or pharmaceutical supplies to patients, nursing stations, or surgery.

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Deliver the oncology oral chemo and take-home IV supplies to room 412 and the nurses’ station by 10:30,…
Deliver the oncology oral chemo and take-home IV supplies to room 412 and the nurses’ station by 10:30, confirm patient name and allergy band, obtain nurse signature on the delivery log, and note any temperature-sensitive items returned to cold storage.
The tools that do the workCompounderO*NET

Maintain and merchandise home healthcare products or services.

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Restock and merchandize the home healthcare shelf in the outpatient pharmacy: check expiries, rotate stock so…
Restock and merchandize the home healthcare shelf in the outpatient pharmacy: check expiries, rotate stock so nearest expiry is front, price labels correct, and reorder walking aids and diabetic supplies low on inventory before Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Operate pharmacy automation and software systems

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Run the morning automation cycle, clear any exception alerts, reconcile robot counts with physical stock on…
Run the morning automation cycle, clear any exception alerts, reconcile robot counts with physical stock on the blue cart, document discrepancies in the automation log, and tag items needing manual dispense before the 08:30 med-pass.
The tools that do the workCompounderjob descriptions

Collaborate with healthcare professionals

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Call Dr. Patel on cardiology and the charge nurse on 5A to clarify the twice-daily anticoagulant dosing…
Call Dr. Patel on cardiology and the charge nurse on 5A to clarify the twice-daily anticoagulant dosing change, record their agreement in the patient chart, update the medication profile, and notify the prescribing pharmacist before the noon round.
The tools that do the workMEDITECHjob descriptions

Assist with medication preparation for hospital use

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Prepare ward-dose trays for the morning surgery list: compound and label each syringe and IV bag per…
Prepare ward-dose trays for the morning surgery list: compound and label each syringe and IV bag per protocol, double-check concentrations and expiry, place completed trays in the clean pass-through and log them on the prep sheet by 06:30.
The tools that do the workCompounderjob descriptions

Says who?

These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.

The logs, files & records this job keeps

Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.

Related careers

Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.

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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses