How To Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician
Pharmacy technicians are a crucial part of the healthcare industry. Each day, they work hard to ensure that patients receive the correct medication in the right amounts to maintain their health and wellness.
If you’d like to start down the path toward this rewarding career, it will be important to meet your state’s requirements for education, training, and certification. Discover how to become a certified pharmacy technician and what you need to thrive in this unique profession.
Requirements to Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician
The requirements to become a certified pharmacy technician vary by state. While some states have no formal guidelines at all, others have a more extensive set of criteria that you must meet to work as a pharmacy technician.
In many states, pharmacy technicians must be at least 18 and hold either a GED or high school diploma. Beyond the basic education standards, you may need to register with a specific government department or the State Board of Pharmacy.
Additionally, you may be required to complete some coursework and an on-the-job training program that spans anywhere from 120 to 1,500 hours, depending on the state you’re in.
Finally, you may need to pass an exam to become nationally certified. Some states have a national exam as one of several options for licensure or certification, while others require it in addition to the other aforementioned criteria.
Requirements:
- Be at least 18 yrs old
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Complete a training program
- Pass a national certification exam
Choosing the Right Certification
Whether your state requires or encourages you to get certified as a pharmacy technician, certification may offer a few significant benefits, such as increased earning potential, an enhanced knowledge base, and more professional credibility.
When considering how to become a certified pharmacy technician, pharmacy technicians generally have two major options. The first is to earn a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). This certification program has two pathways:
- Complete an education or training program recognized by the PTCB
- Obtain 500 hours of work experience as a pharmacy technician
Once you meet these criteria, you’ll become eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE).
This computer-based exam consists of 90 questions, 10 of which are unscored. You may take the exam at a testing center or at home with an online proctor. It covers four domains, including medications, federal requirements, patient safety and quality assurance, and order entry and processing.
The second option is to take the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT), which is administered by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). This also leads to a CPhT credential. Like the PTCB, the NHA has two pathways to certification:
- Earn a high school diploma and complete a training or education program in the five years preceding your examination
- Earn a high school diploma and obtain one year (1,200 hours) of supervised pharmacy-related work in the three years preceding your examination
The exam consists of 100 questions, 20 of which are pretest questions, and has a time limit of two hours. It covers a wide array of topics, including laws and regulations, drugs and drug therapy, the dispensing process, and medication safety and quality assurance.
With over 813,500 pharmacy technicians certified through the exam, the PTCE is the most popular and widely recognized exam of the two. However, both tests cover similar topics and are accepted in all states requiring pharmacy technician certification.
The pass rate for the PTCE is slightly higher at 69%, compared to the ExCPT’s 63.3% rate. The exams also have different costs. The PTCE has an application and exam fee of $129, while the ExCPT comes with a $117 fee.
Steps to Get Certified
If you’re wondering how to become a certified pharmacy technician, there are several steps you’ll need to take to achieve your goal.
Enroll in a Pharmacy Technician Training Program
First, you must enroll in a pharmacy technician training program. You likely have several options for this, including obtaining an associate’s degree from a community college and attending courses at a technical training institution.
Complete Necessary Coursework and Externships
Many training programs have two components: coursework and externships (sometimes referred to as clinicals). You’ll need to complete all of your coursework and training to graduate from the program, as this ensures that you have the requisite knowledge and training to keep patients safe and work to a high standard.
Register for and Pass the Certification Exam
Your last step is to obtain permission to sit for and pass a pharmacy technician certification exam. Note that some training programs will pay for your exam, so you’ll need to take the specific exam the school requires once your coursework and clinical training are complete.
Whether you’re taking the PTCE or the ExCPT, in-depth exam preparation is key to getting a passing score. This includes knowing how many questions are on the exam and what topics you should expect to encounter.
Maintaining Your Certification
Once you know how to become a certified pharmacy technician, it’s important to understand the necessary steps to maintain your credentials. Both the PTCB and the NHA require active pharmacy technicians to obtain continuing education credits.
For both the PTCE and the ExCPT, you’ll need 20 hours of continuing education. You’ll also need at least one hour of credits covering pharmacy law and one hour covering patient safety. You must complete the recertification process every two years and pay a $55 fee each time.
All pharmacy technicians should check individual state requirements for certification maintenance. Some states may have additional continuing education requirements or require you to take state-approved courses to maintain your eligibility to work in the field.
How Can RxCe Help You Maintain Your Certification?
RxCe has been providing continuing education for pharmacy technicians for nearly two decades. With a vast selection of CE course options, we make it simple for you to meet the requirements set out by your state and certification organization. Our courses allow you to develop your professional knowledge to better serve your patients.
We offer individual and group memberships with unlimited access to all courses and live memberships for a year. Browse our course list and sign up for a free CE course today.
