when qualified as a PHARMACY TECH nvq3 npa exam passed. is it better to stay in retail wage wise or better off in hospital.why are retail not recognising this role now?is this the same for all mutiples and private chemists?
From what I've seen you would get more money in hospital rather than community. As to why retail aren't recognising it - well they always choose the cheapest option!
Actually thinking about it from a retail point of view it doesn't really matter if you are a pharm tech as you would be doing basically the same role as any other dispenser. The only way that you would be able to extend your role would be either to be supervisor to a number of dispensers or to train as an ACT and even then you would need to be employed as an ACT rather than just a generic tech.
Some independents recognise the value of techmicians and pay them accordingly. Some look at the laws of supply and demand. Hospital has a better career structure for technicians but are there opportunities available at the moment?
After I passed my NVQ 3 (which I did in hospital), I went to NZ for a few months to see what Pharmacy was like out there. It wasn't what i'd hoped, so when I came back to the UK, I could only get a job in Community Pharmacy (Lloyds) and since then, i've been stuck in a badly paid job with no prospects and nothing but rude customers and an unrealistic workload (moved over to Boots for a year). I think, that my four years post qual experience in the community sector has been a very negative one and every time I tried to get back into Hospital pharmacy, they always said either in the adverts or at the job interviews that they wanted experienced hospital techs. I just couldn't win really. So, my advice to you is, think very carefully what you do after you qualify. Community is badly paid in relation to hospital. The prospects for Techs tend to end at ACT if you are lucky enough to get a company that will train you whereas in hospital there is so much progression available for techs. The hours can be similar as you do have to work a Saturday/Sunday/Late night rota in most hospitals these days. There are pros and cons for both. It depends on what you wish to do with your career.......the best of luck to ya.....
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