Be A Pharmacist

Pharmacy Tech Schools in San Antonio: Why You Don’t Want to Be a Pharmacist

Although the two sound similar, work as a pharmacist is completely different from that of a pharmacy technician. Before you start researching schools, you need to know which career path would be right for you — and in most cases, this will be pharmacy technician for its numerous advantages over pharmacist education and work opportunities. Here are a few points to consider.  

Program Lengths

Pharmacy tech schools in San Antonio offer programs that lead you to become fully qualified and a holder of the Pharmacy Technician Certification (PTCE) in anywhere from a few months to two years. To become a pharmacist, on the other hand, you need a doctoral degree in pharmacology, which takes a full eight years. 

Cost

Not only does it take longer to study to become a pharmacist, but it is also far more expensive, with tuition fees ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per year. Compare this to pharmacy tech schools in San Antonio that cost just $15,000 to $30,000 for the entire program, all expenses included.  

Course Complexity

As eight years of school would suggest, pharmacy degrees are very complex. Students must study biology, chemistry, and biochemistry and have a good understanding of how different drugs affect the human body along. They concentrate on areas including quality of medication, dosage, drug discovery, data analysis in pharmacy, and implications for drug therapy. Courses at pharmacy tech schools in San Antonio are much more accessible and do not require a strong background in science. You will learn about prescription processing, FDA drug safety, pharmacology, basic compounding, pharmacy operations, keyboarding, and computer applications. Everything in your program will prepare you for a job taking orders, filling prescriptions, preparing labels, interacting with patients, and processing payments.  

Job Opportunities in San Antonio

Expected job growth for pharmacists around the country is as fast as average at 14 percent and there are around 1,780 jobs in San Antonio-New Braunfels. This is not bad, but pharmacy technicians have a much greater chance of finding work, as their job outlook is 20 percent, faster than the average for all occupations, and there are as many as 2,650 jobs in San Antonio-New Braunfels alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you are looking to begin a well-paid, secure job in San Antonio, it should be obvious by now that a career as a pharmacist is definitely the wrong option. Instead, check out the range of pharmacy tech schools in San Antonio, get started as soon as possible, and gain your PTCE certification to begin working.