4 Reasons Pharmacy Technicians Should Get Paid More

Many pharmacy technicians make $30,000 a year or less, depending on their geographical area Pharmacists should advocate for higher technician pay for the following reasons.Many technicians work 2 jobs to make ends meets. If they were working only 1 job, however, then they would be available to adjust their schedules based on the pharmacy’s needs, rather then having limited availability that prevents them from being scheduled for certain shifts.I’ve seen many technicians start in a retail pharmacy, transfer to a hospital pharmacy where they get paid more in order to afford to go back to school, and then obtain another job in the health care field that pays even more.Many of the technicians I have met do not have an issue with their job status. They simply want to make more money to provide a better future for themselves and their families.Decreased technician turnover would allow pharmacy staff to continue growing and succeeding together. Remember, a team’s success is limited by its weakest link.Technicians generally go through the mud and back every single day they work, but making more money could justify this madness. It’s easier to get through tough shifts when you can think, “At least I made $200 today, rather than $125.”So, you want to support higher technician pay, but how can you present it to your bosses or corporate? Try recommending an increase in technicians’ wages that is dependent on their performance in the pharmacy.Are your inventory counts always off? Do you have bad customer reviews right now? Are you struggling to complete returns and stay on top of your outdates? These are all tasks that you can assign to your technicians.Document and report successful outcomes to your boss that support raises for your staff while making your pharmacy operate better through proper delegation. By assigning projects to complete over a general time period, you’re helping each technician learn a new task, become more involved in pharmacy operations, and prove their significance to justify a wage increase.