Category: Jobs and Employment
Hi,
For the last six months, I've been doing a job which is not working for me. As a result, I'm endeavoring to switch to something else. If it were part time however, I'd keep my current job and do both. One job my mom found for me on craigslist is a pharmacy tech sort of job at a call center. I would need to accquire a temporary pharmacy tech license to do the work. Fine by me, but is being a pharmacy tech, in any capacity, doable for someone who is completely blind? I am looking at other ideas as well, but that's just one of the options. Also, how does one go about getting trained in working with databases? I was going to get training in that area, but that training came to ascreeching halt a few years ago just before I was due to start it, due to circumstances beyond my control. If I had knowledge of databeses and data entry, it would help with a lot of the jobs i'm currently looking at.
Thank you for your time,
dawnielle
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think that it is very doubtful that you could do it totally blind.... I was a tech for 12 years in Canada before I quit to get married and move out of Canada and know that sight is a requirement to do the job properly.
To get licensed in most states, you'd need to go to school to be trained and most training programs have a practical element where you have to measure out ingredients, make intravenous solutions etc. plus you would have to go on a practicing of some sort.
In Canada, there is a 2 day long exam process (hundreds of dollars in cost) to get licensed in addition to having attended an accredited program (thousands of dollars in tuition fees).. day 1 of the exam process is a theory test and day 2 is a practical test where you have to do things like weigh out ingredients and make a compounded item, read a prescription for accuracy, take patient data etc. there is a fairly high failure rate for at least part of the exam process.
Sadly, gone are the days of on the job training. I really enjoyed my work as a technician and wish that I could do it again here in the UK, but they don't recognise my training (the licensing program in Canada was being implemented when I quit, so I wasn't licensed) and the training here takes at least two years to complete... something that isn't an option for me at this time.
I'd say that was an good post Kate. Meds wouldn't be like cooking or something. If the stuff got mixed around in your place of work, you can't just taste it to see what it is.
I'm blind, but I'd not want to shop at a pharmacy like that one. It is bad enough you've got to trust the sighted tech. Another reason I don't take anything I don't have to have, not even over the counter stuff.
Ok, thanks. I didn't know how practical it would be or not. that makes sense.
If it is a pharmacy tech at a call center, I doubt you'd have anything to do with actual meds, they most likely wouldn't even be at your location.
We use a pharmacy refill call center where I work and all the techs there do is submit the requests for refills/shipping via computer and look up information.
The local pharmacy I use went to this method about six or seven years ago. They have one central call center for taking calls regarding prescriptions. They enter the info into the computer and the info is sent to the local pharmacy for physical filling.
So from the two scenarios I know of first hand, it is definitely doable. I say go for it, or at the very least, enquire as to what the job duties actually are.
Good luck.
But as Kate stated, wouldn't she have to become an actual tech first? If not and all they do is look things up, I'll not be using a call center when I need something.
I am honestly interested?
I don't know, that's why I say at least look into it.
She clearly stated that she needs to be licensed as a tech, so she'd have to go through the testing and certification first. This would entail many visual aspects as was stated before.