Pharmacy Technician Resume Skills (With Tips and Examples)

Updated 19 March 2023

A pharmacy technician is a medical professional who assists pharmacists by preparing and dispensing medications to patients in medical settings, such as hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores. They're responsible for ensuring pharmacy operations run smoothly and safely. Learning which skills to highlight in your job application can help you demonstrate that you're capable of accomplishing the expected tasks. In this article, we look at pharmacy technician resume skills, examine the potential responsibilities of the role and provide a sample resume.

Pharmacy technician resume skills

By learning about pharmacy technician resume skills, you can better understand the job expectations and focus on highlighting the skills mentioned in the job description. Pharmacy technicians handle all aspects of the prescription fulfilment process and assist pharmacists with daily operations.

Some responsibilities of a pharmacy technician include:

preparing new patient prescriptions and refilling existing prescriptions
handling medications according to prescriptions or orders from providers
repackaging bulk medications
tracking inventory
labelling and packing prescription medications
making compounded medications using sterile and non-sterile methods
handling insurance claims.

A well-written pharmacy technician's resume highlights industry-based skills and competencies. The next section includes some skills to focus on in your resume.

Soft skills

Soft skills refer to abilities and personality traits that determine how you interact and work with others. An individual's soft skills indicate how they communicate, interact with other employees and perform tasks related to work. Some soft skills include emotional intelligence, communication, creativity, adaptability and problem-solving.

As a professional in the pharmacy field, you may rely on excellent communication skills, a strong work ethic, good listening skills and empathy for others. Customer service skills are among the various communication skills you may want to develop. This profession requires interaction with other team members, pharmacists, insurance companies, doctors and nurses. It's common for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to coordinate their tasks, which may sometimes require calling doctors, nurses or hospitals to double-check prescription information. All these interactions involve strong verbal communication skills, teamwork and motivation.

Technical skills

Pharmacy technicians use special computer programs, especially database software, to keep track of relevant information, such as patient histories, current prescriptions and medication specifics. In addition, this profession might require you to focus on developing a strong knowledge of chemistry, pharmacology, medical terminology and mathematical calculations.

It's essential for pharmacy technicians to be computer literate, with strong technical skills to assist them in tasks like printing labels, handling billing, entering patient and inventory data and filing online insurance claims.

Some technical skills include:

software proficiency
maintaining records
fast typing speed
processing payments
scheduling appointments
expertise in spreadsheets
resolving billing discrepancies.

Pharmacy skills

Pharmacy skills are the abilities or tasks you may perform as a pharmacy technician. Pharmacy knowledge is essential for professionals in distributing prescription medications to customers and explaining the usage, dosage and frequency of the patient's medication. It's also essential for pharmacy technicians to understand and explain the primary side effects of the medications to customers when handing them out.

Depending on the position and duties you may perform, you can consider including more specific skills in the skill section of your resume. Pharmacists often have character traits and task-related traits in common. Here are a few examples:

knowledge of different over-the-counter medications and prescriptions
monitoring drug supply
maintaining and storing pharmacy equipment
checking expiration dates
selecting packaging for medications
delivering medications.

Interpersonal skills

In this field, pharmacy technicians interact with customers and help them fill prescriptions. You might use interpersonal skills, also known as employability skills, to coordinate, assist and communicate with other employees and customers. Employers may hire employees who can communicate well with others, even when facing challenging situations. Below is a list of beneficial interpersonal skills for a pharmaceutical career:

customer service
explaining medical directions
explaining costs
answering customer questions
collaboration
professionalism
knowledge of medical and pharmaceutical terms
confidentiality
supporting appeals processes
conflict resolution.

Pharmacy technician resume sample

A well-written resume highlights important keywords related to the job. You can create a checklist that emphasises your competencies and strengths. In addition, focus on mentioning certificate programs, on-the-job training, specialisations and relevant achievements to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Here's a sample of an appropriate resume for a pharmacy technician:

Sophie Cabal
80 Mark Street
Coorparoo, QLD, 4151
61 1212 1313
sophie.c@email.com

Professional Summary
Customer-oriented and caring pharmacy technician with three years of experience within retail pharmacy settings. Focuses on building trusting relationships with expertise in dispensing and packaging medications with 99.2% efficiency and reducing inventory mistakes by 25%. Looking to leverage exceptional customer service and pharmacology knowledge.

Work experience

Pharmacy technician
PV Medical Clinic, Brisbane
January 2017–March 2021

Assisted pharmacist with dispensing medication
Calculated dosages and filled prescriptions for approval
Guarded customer confidentiality and ensured safety
Used the pharmacy's proprietary computer software to access patient data, insurance billing, drug selection and prescription interpretation.

Pharmacy technician trainee
PV Medical Clinic, Brisbane
July 2015–October 2016

Completed practical training and enrolled in a formal training program
Worked alongside senior pharmacists to provide exceptional patient care
Assisted the clinic in migrating patient records to a new system, which included hundreds of customer profiles.

Education
ALT College, Queensland
Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science, May 2015

Completed 900 hours in online and lab settings, covering topics such as health products logistics, good dispensing practice, basis of drug action, non-sterile compounding and dosage form design

Certifications

Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
Certificate IV in Hospital/Health Services Pharmacy Support

Skills

Inventory management
Payment processing
Insurance claims processing
Drug classifications and safety
Accuracy
Compassion
Teamwork.

Find the best companies to work for on Indeed

Get access to millions of company ratings and reviews

Tips for improving pharmacy technician skills for your resume

Pharmaceutical services are becoming increasingly popular, creating more competition for professionals. Therefore, it's important to add skills such as dependability, good listening and numeracy for credibility to your resume. Listed below are some tips on improving the skills you may include on your resume:

Establish goals

It can be helpful to set achievable goals to improve your skills. Prepare a list of skills you want to improve and an actionable plan for improving them. To achieve your goals, ensure they're specific and measurable by using the SMART method. The five SMART elements are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Search for resume keywords

Employers describe the skills they seek with several keywords in job descriptions. Look for recurring keywords that appear in job postings to identify skills you wish to acquire or improve. Having a well-rounded skill set may improve your chances of a hospital or business hiring you.

Related: What Makes a Good Resume?

Take a certification exam

Although some states require certification to pursue a career in this field, you may consider taking a program regardless of your state's requirements. Obtaining a pharmacy technician certification can provide knowledge about standard pharmacy equipment and management software programs. On your resume, you can include several skill categories and your certifications.

Enrol in courses

Learning new skills and expanding your knowledge is important for every field. Explore the educational facilities in your area and undertake courses you find relevant. Universities, TAFEs, community centres and extended learning programs may offer courses that teach important job skills, such as time management, organisation and computer usage. You can also consider upgrading your skills by taking short online courses, such as a digital literacy course, to address skill gaps and meet the in-demand skills in this profession.

Practise

You can gain experience and improve your skills by volunteering with organisations, interning or taking part in certification programs. A certification course concludes with a series of tests that measure an individual's abilities and expertise in a specific field. It also provides training on various topics and guides you in applying them effectively in the workplace.

Network

By expanding your network, you may find people who can give you valuable advice. There may also be opportunities for further skill development, such as additional certification programs. Joining online communities, attending conventions or events and talking to professionals at your school and work can help build your network.

Ask for advice

You can seek advice on how to improve your skills from professional pharmacists by communicating with your connections. If you need assistance, speak to your pharmacy technician certification instructors and pharmacists at your current pharmacy technician job. To enhance your soft skills as a pharmacy technician, you could also ask friends or family members for advice.

Pharmacy Technician Resume Skills (With Tips and Examples)