Pharmaceutical Technologist (Specialty, Salaries and Responsibilities)

Pharmaceutical technologists are healthcare professionals who dispense prescription medications, manage pharmacy inventory, and ensure regulatory compliance.

They work directly with patients, providing guidance on medication use and supporting overall patient care in collaboration with other healthcare providers.

Now that we understand the definition of a pharmaceutical technologist, let’s dive deeper into their responsibilities by covering the following areas.

1. Career Settings
2. Roles of a pharmaceutical technologist
3. How to become a pharmaceutical technologist
4. How to get pharmaceutical jobs
5. Salary

Career Settings

A pharmaceutical technologist can work in the following areas in Kenya:

• Hospital pharmacy – Pharmaceutical Technologists can work in a government hospital under a pharmacist or in the private sector mostly to fill patient’s prescriptions and ensure all departments in a hospital get the medicines they need and are running smoothly.
• Community pharmacy – This is mostly pharmacies doing retail, a pharmaceutical technologist has more to offer here since they are involved in taking the patient history and advising according and not limited to only filling prescriptions.
• Wholesale pharmacy – These are pharmacies that take bulk orders from retail pharmacies, the orders can be taken by a pharmaceutical technologist who will ensure the orders reach the clients on times.
• Pharmaceutical industry – There are few positions for pharmaceutical technologists in the industry sector since Kenya has few pharmaceutical manufactures however there is possibilities to work in this sector for anyone interested.
• Pharmaceutical sales representative – This job involves visiting doctors, clinics and pharmacies to market a specific product or products which are either new or existing in the market,
• Inspector of drugs – Probably the most competitive position because it is the minimum requirement by the board. The roll involves cracking down illegal pharmacies which are not registered with the PPB or unregistered personnel carrying duties of a pharmaceutical technologist. 

Roles of a pharmaceutical technologist

The following are duties and responsibilities of a pharmaceutical technologist in Kenya;

1. Sale of Specific categories of medicines, i.e. OTC (Over the Counter) medicines and prescription only medicines (POM)
2. Preparing dosages and compounding
3. Dispensing prescriptions from doctors
4. Drug supply management
5. Patient counseling
6. Connecting patients to doctors and other healthcare providers
7. Satisfy customers through face-to-face interactions or over the phone transactions
8. Record keeping/Organizing pharmacy inventory

How to become a pharmaceutical technologist

Becoming a pharmaceutical technologist requires you to have completed your high school or secondary education first.

Afterward, you can apply to a Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB)-accredited college or institution of your choice that offers a diploma in pharmacy. This can be done by applying directly or through the KUCCPS placement portal.

Entry requirement is KCSE minimum aggregate of C plain with C in English or Kiswahili, Chemistry or Physical Science and Biology or Biological Sciences.

Diploma in pharmacy course takes duration of three years. The final year primarily consists of fieldwork, attachments, and internships in areas such as community pharmacy, county hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry.

Upon graduating with diploma in pharmacy you will be required to sit for a PPB exam and pass before getting enrolled which means your name will appear on the board’s roll. There is Level I and Level II exams; you may only sit for Level II or both depending with your institution.

Before practicing, a pharmaceutical technologist needs to have a certificate of enrolment upon payment of a prescribed fee and/or a practicing license if operating a pharmacy business which is valid for one year i.e. 1^st January to 31^st December.

How to get pharmaceutical jobs

There are numerous pharmaceutical job opportunities in Kenya. All you need to do is prepare your CV and apply to one of the areas mentioned above. Utilize platforms like LinkedIn, join pharmacy communities, or explore online job listings. You never know, you might secure a great position with a leading company or NGO.

Salary

The average salary for a pharmaceutical technologist in Kenya ranges between Ksh 25,000 and 65,000 per month, depending on factors such as working conditions and the number of hours worked.