On January 1st, millions of insurance plans as part of the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace came into effect. (According to USA Today’s Kelly Kennedy, in a December 31, 2013 piece, over 2.1 million Americans have enrolled in private health insurance and over 4 million in Medicaid). This combined with recent career projection reports outlining promising growth for the healthcare industry means a positive outlook for pharmacy professionals, including pharmacy technicians.
Projected Job Growth for Pharmacy Technicians
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has developed Employment Projections for 2012 to 2022. The table, last updated on December 19, 2013, can be found at: https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_102.htm
The BLS projects jobs specifically for pharmacy technicians will increase by 19.9% from 2012 to 2022. (This is higher than the projection of 10.8% for all occupations overall). Additionally, the BLS estimates that there will be 105,900 job openings for pharmacy technicians due to “growth and replacement needs” during this timeframe. (Furthermore, the table indicates that employment for pharmacists will increase by 14.5% and for pharmacy aides by 11.1%).
Based on CareerCast.com’s findings, on December 3, 2013, Forbes’ Susan Adams included pharmacists in her list of best healthcare jobs for 2014.Carrington College’s Robin Blunck also brings up a good point on the implication this has for pharmacy technicians while discussing pharmacists in her article “Health care jobs outlook for 2014”. She states that jobs associated with the pharmaceutical industry, just like others in the healthcare sector, are experiencing rapid growth, and that becoming a pharmacy technician is a “great way to get your foot in the door of this burgeoning industry.”
Obamacare & Pharmacy Tech Jobs
With the implementation of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act), the demand for pharmaceutical services is expected to continuously increase since more people are and will be able to fill prescriptions at lower costs.
In a HealthCallings.com article from November 14, 2013 (“Job Growth Expected for Pharmacy Techs”), the American Association of Pharmacy Technicians vice president, Kristy Malacos, is quoted as saying “One of the biggest parts of Obamacare is more people will have coverage, which means more prescriptions will be filled, so more pharmacy technicians will be needed.”
Not only does the demand for pharmacy technicians look favorable, but those who previously had to go without medications (or miss regular doses due to financial restrictions) can now feasibly fill their prescriptions in a healthy manner. Whether you are just considering becoming a pharmacy technician, have already begun or are working your way up the pharmaceutical career ladder, here’s to the fulfilling and fruitful experiences that are in store for you and the people you help!
If you’re interested in becoming a pharmacy technician, look for schools in your area to get started today!
