A pharmacy technician refers to a member of the pharmacy staff who is working under the guidance of a registered pharmacist, and is in-charge of doing pharmacy-related tasks like giving medication and providing patients with health care products and services. To be qualified to work in this industry, one must have the necessary qualities, and must undergo proper pharmacy technician training in a duly licensed pharmacy tech school. The principal responsibility of a pharmacy technician is to help licensed pharmacists in preparing medications for patients, as well as furnishing them with necessary health care products. They are also typically in-charge of medicine inventory and placing labels on them. Customer support can also be included in their work, as well as other clerical and pharmacy-related duties and responsibilities. In a typical retail or mail-order pharmacy, technicians can have distinct duties and responsibilities. This will usually depend on the state they are working in and the laws that apply in them. Doctors can send prescriptions to a pharmacy technician, and he is responsible for analyzing them and making certain that they are complete and concise before the actual preparation of the medication. Once the prescription is verified, the technician will now acquire the medicine and extract the right proportions and dosages before giving them to the patient. When working in hospital or nursing home environment, pharmacy technicians may be required to perform additional work like analysis of patient records and preparing of medication. Upon verification of a prescription by the pharmacist, it will now be up to the technician to bring it to the patient, after which he will take down a log of the important details in administering the medicine. They also make sure that patients have a 24-hour supply of their needed medication. One of the advantages of being a pharmacy technician is its work environment; clean, well-organized, has excellent ventilation and lighting. An individual must be physically and mentally fit to efficiently perform their tasks and responsibilities. Working hours can have graveyard shifts, and working days can include weekends or holidays, especially on hospitals and other similar establishments that are open 24-hours a day. A great number of pharmacy technicians usually partake in an on-the-job training, and some prefer getting an official pharmacy technician training from a competent pharmacy tech school. Those getting formal training are much more preferred by employers who have insufficient resources to give training. In the United States, there is currently just a minor or no Federal laws governing certification of pharmacy technicians prior to getting work.