Advances in technology are moving your local pharmacy into the digital age. Today’s pharmacy technicians require state-of-the-art training in order to keep up with the fast-paced industry. Many professionals are turning to their mobile devices for support, in the form of specialized apps.
If you choose to become a pharmacy technician, some mobile apps can support your studies and help make you a better and more valuable employee. Taking advantage of resources like apps can give your training a boost, and ensure that the valuable knowledge you learn in pharmacy school really sinks in.
Read on for the top 5 apps that will contribute to your success as a pharmacy technician.
1. Epocrates: Promoting Pharmaceutical Safety
Once you have earned your diploma, you’ll begin working side-by-side with pharmacists, physicians, and other health care professionals. Your common goal will always be to ensure the health and safety of each client.
Statistically, the most trusted safety app in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry is ‘Epocrates.’ More than a million active members subscribe to it each year for quick access to safety information for thousands of drugs and medications. This app allows pharmacy techs to identify pills by imprint code and physical characteristics, perform price calculations, identify harmful drug interactions, and more.
For the price of a hefty medical textbook ($175/year), Epocrates lets you access even more disease information, lab guides, and clinical tools. But with your training, it’s easy to make the most of the free essential version.
2. Drug Pronunciation Tips for Pharmacy Technicians
A well-trained pharmacy technician ensures the highest standards of quality and accuracy in the compounding and dispensing of drugs and medications. If you join their ranks, you won’t want to undercut your expertise by mispronouncing a complicated drug name.
Drug Pronunciations is an app that offers just what it claims to, with audible breakdowns of pronunciations of complicated drug names like lisdexamfetamine and hydrochlorothiazide. As an added bonus, it also has quick links to information about each medication you’re learning to pronounce.
3. iGeneric: Research Help for Generic Drug Options
Professionals working in the drug-dispensing field know that pharmaceutical labels tell you more than just the drug’s brand name. There are plenty of generic drugs and medications that share properties with pricier, brand name options. Sometimes as a pharmacy technician, you may be asked by a client to look for a brand name drug’s generic equivalent.
iGeneric will help you do this. It offers generic comparisons by FDA-approved labels, ingredients, strength, dosage form, and other drug details. It even offers quality control advice that will align with your training.
4. PTC: Preparing You for Pharmacy College Certification
Comprehensive pharmacy training offers weeks of online instruction, hands-on labs, and practicums in both hospital and community pharmacy settings. This will fully prepare you to become a pharmacy technician—and even go on to pursue further provincial and national certification—but the Pharmacy Tech Certification (PTC) app can give you some extra tips.
It includes thousands of multiple-choice questions, digital flashcards, and a glossary of common terms and definitions. Resources like these offer you extra preparedness for the tests you may encounter.
5. Pharmacy Times AR: Keeping Tabs on the Fast-Paced Industry
The Pharmacy Times AR app is a digital version of the longstanding Pharmacy Times magazine, a trusted resource for news, updates, and developments in the pharmaceutical field. It also offers practical information and tips for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, educational tools, and fun features.
Pharmacy Times AR is a great way to stay up-to-date on this fast-paced industry, and it’s free to download.
With resources like these and the right pharmacy technician training, earning the career success you deserve is just a click away.
Are you interested in enrolling in a pharmacy college? Visit Stenberg for more information or to speak with an advisor.
