Pathways ForwardCurricula · Hands-On Healthcare · Butte & Silver Bow County
Pharmacy & the Lab: the Butte Path
Pharmacy and the medical laboratory both start with a paying job while young. At the top of the pharmacy ladder, the pharmacist clears every income bar. The rest of both ladders falls short of a family income, and parts of this work are among the most exposed to automation on the list.
Why this field is on the list · as of September 2026
The pharmacist clears the three-child bar; everyone else falls short. Pharmacy technicians ($49,400), lab technologists ($65,190) and phlebotomists ($45,470) are short of the one-child bar ($81,200).
Treat the short rungs as jobs, not careers. A pharmacy tech or phlebotomy job pays for college, and lab work is a good second income for a careful worker.
AI and automation exposure is mixed. Counting pills and running routine tests are largely done by machines. Catching a dangerous drug interaction or drawing blood from a frightened child is not.
Watch for: retail pharmacy has been closing stores nationwide, while hospital and clinic pharmacy has held up better. Ask where the jobs are before starting a PharmD.
01 · The ladderTwo ladders that start young
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Pharmacy technician
The Montana Board of Pharmacy registers pharmacy technicians. Ask the board about the minimum age and training rules before planning on a high-school job.
Montana median $49,400 · 25th percentile $45,920 · a job, not a family income
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Phlebotomist
Montana does not license phlebotomists; training is a short course and a national certification exam.
Montana median $45,470 · 25th percentile $38,920 · stepping stone
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Medical laboratory technician or scientist
A two-year MLT degree or a four-year medical laboratory science degree.
Where: Montana Tech in Butte (bachelor’s in medical laboratory science).
Montana median $65,190 · 25th percentile $48,140 · short of the bar
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Pharmacist
Pre-pharmacy courses, then a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy.
Where: the University of Montana’s Skaggs School of Pharmacy in Missoula.
Montana median $142,080 · 25th percentile $130,000 · clears the three-child bar
02 · BranchesWhere the work leads
Hospital and clinic pharmacy
Hospital pharmacists work with doctors on dosing and drug choices at St. James Healthcare in Butte and similar hospitals.
Schedule: Around the clock in hospitals; daytime in clinics.
Community pharmacy
Chain and independent drugstores. An independent pharmacy is a small business.
Schedule: Retail hours, including evenings and weekends.
The hospital lab
Lab staff run the blood counts, cultures and blood bank that every diagnosis depends on.
Schedule: Day, evening and night shifts.
03 · For the familyThe schedule, for a father and for a mother
- For the one who carries the income. Only the pharmacist carries a family here. Weigh the years and loans against the retail closures.
- For a mother at home. Part-time pharmacist shifts pay well by the hour. Tech, phlebotomy and lab work are easy to find part-time.
- Keep the license current. Pharmacists and technicians renew with the state board of pharmacy. Keep national certifications active while working part-time.
04 · The home-school yearsWhat to add to the core path
Grades 9–10
- Everything in the shared core, with full-year chemistry and biology with labs
- Careful math: ratios, unit conversions and dosage problems
Grades 11–12
- A pharmacy-tech job once the age rules allow
- Chemistry, biology and math through One-Two-Free dual enrollment
After high school
- Pre-pharmacy courses or a lab-science degree
Tie to the Verification Track
A pharmacist checks the prescription against the patient: the dose, the other drugs, the kidneys, the allergy list. A lab technician reruns a result that makes no sense before it reaches the doctor. The Verification Track trains that habit.
05 · SourcesWhere these facts come from
Checked 2026-09-26
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, the state of Montana (BLS publishes no Butte metro area). bls.gov/oes
- Income bars: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Silver Bow County. livingwage.mit.edu/counties/30093
- Laboratory programs: NAACLS program finder
- Montana Tech and Highlands College: mtech.edu; Montana State University nursing: montana.edu/nursing; Great Falls College MSU: gfcmsu.edu
- University of Montana (Skaggs School of Pharmacy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology): umt.edu; Rocky Mountain College: rocky.edu; Rocky Vista University: rvu.edu; WICHE: wiche.edu
- Montana licensing boards (nursing, medical examiners, pharmacy, alternative health care): boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov