What is a lead pharmacist technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Expert
Stephanie Gernant
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a lead pharmacist technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $39.05 an hour? That's $81,230 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 7,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Lead Pharmacist Technician?

S

Stephanie GernantStephanie Gernant LinkedIn Profile

Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut

Don't confuse What You Do with Who You Are. Our society, unfortunately, highly correlates profession with identity (go to any party and eventually someone will ask 'and what do you do for a living?'), but your value as a human being is so, so much more than just your capacity 'to do work.'
There is no such thing as a 'Forever Job.' Quite the contrary, the average worker remains in their entry-level job only a few years. Even if by some remarkable felicity a new graduate landed what they believed their 'perfect job,' (yet another myth)-- that job will never remain the 'same job' because healthcare, people, and industries are volatile. We all start somewhere, and you, too, will move and grow throughout your career.
ScoreLead Pharmacist TechnicianUS Average
Salary
6.3

Avg. Salary $81,230

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
10.0

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 19.90%

Black or African American 7.09%

Hispanic or Latino 5.60%

Unknown 3.97%

White 63.27%

Gender

female 73.97%

male 26.03%

Age - 40
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40
Stress Level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Lead Pharmacist Technician career paths

Key steps to become a lead pharmacist technician

  1. Explore lead pharmacist technician education requirements

    Most common lead pharmacist technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    41.2 %

    Associate

    21.4 %

    High School Diploma

    14.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific lead pharmacist technician skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Patients20.45%
    Customer Service17.81%
    Data Entry8.06%
    Field Training4.33%
    IV4.23%
  3. Complete relevant lead pharmacist technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead pharmacist technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead pharmacist technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead pharmacist technician resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed lead pharmacist technician usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed lead pharmacist technician in most of states. 38 states require lead pharmacist technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    State
    ascdesc
    Education
    ascdesc
    Exam
    ascdesc
    License Url
    ascdesc
    Alabama--Licensed Pharmacist Technician
    AlaskaDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredPharmacist
    ArkansasDegree requiredBoth state and third-party exams requiredPharmacist
    CaliforniaDegree requiredBoth state and third-party exams requiredPharmacist, Registered
    ConnecticutDegree requiredState exam requiredPharmacist
  5. Research lead pharmacist technician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage several pharmacy technicians by ensuring drug preparation and distribution accuracy to provide safe and efficient care for patients.
    • Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
    • Verify and fill prescriptions and effectively communicate with physicians and patients to ensure optimal patient care and prevent negative medication interactions.
    • Compound large volume of TPN and chemotherapy.
  6. Get lead pharmacist technician experience

  7. Prepare your lead pharmacist technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead pharmacist technician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead pharmacist technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Lead Pharmacist Technician Resume templates

    Build a professional Lead Pharmacist Technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Lead Pharmacist Technician resume.
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    Lead Pharmacist Technician Resume
  8. Apply for lead pharmacist technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a lead pharmacist technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Lead Pharmacist Technician Job

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Are you a Lead Pharmacist Technician?

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Average lead pharmacist technician salary

The average Lead Pharmacist Technician salary in the United States is $81,230 per year or $39 per hour. Lead pharmacist technician salaries range between $45,000 and $143,000 per year.

Average Lead Pharmacist Technician Salary
$81,230 Yearly
$39.05 hourly

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How do lead pharmacist technicians rate their job?

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Lead Pharmacist Technician reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

This salary range is based off a pharmacist which is a doctorate degree, not a senior pharmacist technician. They range between $15 to $25 per hour which is closer to $30k to $40k.

Cons

This article is misleading and needs to be corrected.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

Love taking something that can't be used and giving it life again...


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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Pay is fair for a starting pharmacist (CVS). The technicians are alright. 401K Helping people (and I really mean it).

Cons

Typical pharmacist complaints like tired legs, stress, etc. Terrible work-life balance. You make a good amount of money, sure, but there's a point where money doesn't bring happiness like it used to.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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