How to become a pharmacy technician in Tampa, Florida

Behind Jacksonville and Miami, Tampa is actually Florida’s third largest city with 384,959 citizens in the 2020 census count. These stats are always slightly misleading since it depends on exactly where the city limits are located. The entire Tampa-St. Pete-Clearwater area, or Tampa Bay greater metro area, has a population of over 3.2 million.

Pharmacy tech schools in Tampa

Anyone considering getting a pharmacy technician license in Tampa, Florida, is going to need training in the field. Luckily there are a few schools specializing in this and other related trades – we have listed only those with a physical campus in Tampa.

1. Brewster Technical College

Address: 2222 N Tampa St, Tampa, FL 33602

Website: https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/brewster

Brewster’s pharmacy technician program in Tampa has a program director who is a state-certified teacher and is a Registered Pharmacy Technician and PTCB certified. Program Instructors are Registered Pharmacy Technicians and are PTCB certified.

Class meets Monday – Friday, 7:30 AM – 1:30 PM. You will learn medication names and reasons for use, review and fill prescriptions and medication orders, create IV products with aseptic technique, perform dosage calculations, utilize Pyxis system, learn and use professionalism skills in clinical site externships.

Prepare for Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Exam national certification.

2. Concorde Career Institute – Tampa

Address: 4202 W Spruce St, Tampa, FL 33607

Website: https://www.concorde.edu/campus/tampa-florida

Concorde’s Tampa campus has served the community for over 40 years now. They offer career driven health care programs for pharmacy technicians and related fields. The Tampa campus is located southeast of the International airport in the Westshore and Northwest Tampa Bay area. Sitting adjacent to the International Plaza Mall, on the corner of Spruce St. and Lois Ave.

The program will help you learn how to compound medications, fill prescriptions and help patients.
Learn to help pharmacists fill prescriptions by compounding pills, ointments, IV solutions and more.
Prepare for career opportunities in retail and hospital settings. You can complete your diploma in as little as seven months of study.

3. Erwin Technical College

Address: 2010 E Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33610

Website: https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/erwin

Erwin Technical College, also known as D. G. Erwin Technical Center, is a public vocational school in Tampa, Florida. It is part of the Hillsborough County Public Schools system and was founded in 1925. Most classes and all administrative offices are located in the two-story main building on East Hillsborough Avenue.

Pharmacy technician jobs in Tampa

The largest employers of pharmacy technicians in the Tampa Bay area are the hospitals and pharmacies listed. The national chains are the most likely to offer structured and relevant on the job training.

Pharmacies employing pharmacy technicians in Tampa

The pharmacies below will be your go-to places for getting a job as a retail pharmacy technician in Tampa, Florida. This can be a great jumping off point since you can start out as a cashier or another entry-level position and work your way into a full-time job. Look out for employers that offer training on the job. These can also be called apprenticeships – try searching for variations on the term and you may find an unexpected way to a job while earning your certification at the same time.

Saint Josephs Hospital Inpatient Pharmacy

3001 W Dr Martin Luther King Jr
Tampa, FL 33607

CVS Pharmacy #3930

611 S Howard Ave
Tampa, FL 33606

Tampa General Hospital Inpatient Pharmacy

1 Tampa General Cir
Tampa, FL 33606

Walgreens Pharmacy #15129

3518 Henderson Blvd
Tampa, FL 33609

Walgreens Pharmacy #3459

2115 E Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33610

CVS Pharmacy #4701

6701 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, FL 33614

Omnicare Pharmacy

8603 Florida Mining Blvd
Tampa, FL 33634

Hospitals hiring Tampa pharmacy technicians

Tampa General Hospital

1 Tampa General Cir
Tampa, FL 33606

Memorial Hospital Of Tampa

2901 W Swann Ave
Tampa, FL 33609

Saint Joseph’s Hospital

3001 W Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Tampa, FL 33607

Kindred Hospital Central Tampa

4801 N Howard Ave
Tampa, FL 33603

Kindred Hospital Bay Area

4555 S Manhattan Ave
Tampa, FL 33611

Florida Hospital

7171 N Dale Mabry Hwy Ofc
Tampa, FL 33614

Tampa pharmacy technician salary

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts Tampa as part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL regional area. For the latest period, there are 5,720 pharmacy technicians employed in the area with a mean annual wage of $35,710. That’s right in line with the wage in the entire state of Florida, which is $36,040.

The mean hourly wage for pharmacy technicians in Tampa is $17.17.

So what can you expect to earn starting out as a pharmacy technician in Tampa, Florida?

Starting salaries are between $12 and $20 per hour for entry-level positions. The employers offering these jobs are:

  • Tampa General Hospital
  • AdventHealth Carrolwood
  • HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital
  • St. Joseph’s Hospital, BayCare
  • Publix Pharmacy, Lutz, FL

When you are more experienced, there are openings for jobs that start between $40,000 to $52,000 per year.

If you have completed a pharmacy technician program or have a nationally recognized certification you will earn more than if you do not – it’s worth it to get certified! You’ll also find it easier to advance your career, or get a new job much quicker if you move out of state.

Photo by Kody Cheyne on Unsplash.

Data sources:

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