# Pharmacy Technician VS Phlebotomist



## Loki Grim

Well I have about three months to decide which of these two jobs I'm going to go to school for. What I was wondering is if any one know which is better for moving up in the medical field, More specifically Clinical Pharmacology or Toxicology? I did research about which was the best chose if you are going after a career for one of those two and I keep reading that phlebotomy would be the best chose?? It just doesn't make sense to me for some reason.


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## Siggy

Loki,

check this out. It seems that indeed pharmacy tech may be your best bet. I took a Pharm tech class and loved it. I also made it through 3 weeks of phleb. I left cause I had a nasty case of the flu and was bored. 


Society of Toxicology


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## Loki Grim

That's for the link to that site, It looks like the only thing that you could gain from phlebotomy is learning some safety procedures. Pharm tech sounds like a lot more fun to, Just need to move my grammar from the 3rd grade level to high school level in three months, I have dysgraphia.


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## strawberryLola

Phlebotomy is a bit riskier imo, because you are exposed to getting pricked by someone else's blood as well. I met one lady who was one, and got pricked twice, and luckily, both were not patients with AIDs or HIV. That can happen.

Depends on what you want to get into as well?

Pharm tech experience is nice, especially if you are preparing for pharmacy school. Pharmacy technician jobs pay well too, sufficiently, at least. The study is easy. Phlebotomy, you'll mostly be working at a hospital, and depends on whether or not you tend to like the hospital environment or prefer retail as it's popular with pharm tech. You can also find pharmacy tech jobs at hospitals or factories that dispense meds via mail. Phelbotomy requires extra precision, and pharm tech, you may have to deal with insurance companies as well as doctors offices on refills. Other than that, it's a piece of cake!


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## Siggy

Loki,

With pharmacy tech there isnt much writing. You just need to know the shorthand for things, and some simple conversions. There is plenty of material online so you can start working on it now.

The class is fun. you will learn so much, and alot of the knowledge you can use everyday.

Best to you and keep us posted!


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## Loki Grim

> With pharmacy tech there isnt much writing.


That's good to know, But there is still a screening from grammar before they even let you in. I guess if I fail that I'll go for a job in phlebotomy.



> The class is fun. you will learn so much, and alot of the knowledge you can use everyday.


I think I all ready have a head start on a lot of stuff. I was told that I have been on every anti-depressant that they can prescribe in the United States (Refused to take MAOI's tho) , Have tried thirty or more meds for insomnia, So when it comes to psychopharmacology type meds I think I know my stuff. And this has become something that I have started to learn for fun so retaining information should be very easy.



> Best to you and keep us posted!


Thank you, And I'll try to update this thread if any thing new comes up.

@strawberryLola

Napa State Hospital all ways seems to be looking for pharmacy technicians, I'm worried about how much they pay compared to other places tho, Have been told that all most every job in there dose not make much money. I'm not really after the big pay check at the moment but want enough for a apartment. I view the who thing as temporary, Just until I can work out a system to work and go to college at the same time and pick up as much experience as I can along the way.


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## strawberryLola

A great link to check out below for comparisons:
29-2052.00 - Pharmacy Technicians (pharmacy tech)

-You can also do a wage comparison within each state and local community as to what wage on average the occupation the salary starts at. 

-Check out the median range, and you can use that as your negotiation for when they do hire (specifically at Napa State Hospital).

-Do a cross comparison with phlebotomy on that website

Honestly, the only way you will know (from personal experience and others') is to get your feet wet and try it.

P.S.- Go with your gut. Pharm tech jobs pay a little higher than minimum wage starting salary. If you're looking to room by yourself or live in an apartment alone, you may ask for financial aid (which mostly might be loans- may not be a good idea right now). From my experience, I've seen pharm tech guys who were able to feed their kid and themselves with that license, and I've seen ESL students make a decent living off of it, and were happy and able to go to school on that income.. Give it a try? Best of luck!


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