Earning your pharmacy tech certification is the best way to verify your credentials as a pharmacy technician, and improve your odds of getting a well-paying job.
Most entry-level careers in pharmacies start at $9/hour. However, as you gain experience, and with certification through the PTCB or National Healthcare Association (NHA), you can earn significantly more over time.
Once you pass the exam from the PTCB or NHA, you have earned the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential.
This highly regarded distinction opens doors for individuals interested in pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician.
Here are just a few of the benefits associated with getting your pharmacy tech certification:
- More job opportunities
- Better salary
- Professional designation – CPhT
- Proven clinical knowledge
- Demonstrated commitment to the field
- Opportunities for advancement
People who earn the their pharmacy tech certification are in high demand, with job growth expected to increase faster than average according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics through 2020.
With certification, you can nudge out the competition and improve your odds of landing a job in at well-respected private pharmacy or hospital, where the benefits and work environment are often better.
Pharmacy Tech Certification through the PTCB
In order to earn your CPhT title from the PTCB, you must meet the following criteria:
- Have a high school diploma, or have earned the equivalent like a GED or a diploma from a foreign institution.
- Must be 18 years of age.
- Provide a disclosure of any criminal actions against you, and any State Board of Pharmacy registration actions or licensure actions taken in the past against your license.
- Agree to comply with all PTCB Certification rules, regulations, and policies.
- Pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE).
Certain criminal actions can disqualify a candidate from the PTCB examination. These include criminal conduct in the past, or drug-related violations.
In some states, if you are not 18, you can have the supervising pharmacist at a pharmacy submit a statement that supports your application to become a certified pharmacy technician in training.
Your application will include submission for a criminal background chec
k that will reveal any history of drug-related crimes, or any other activity that may disqualify you from applying for pharmacy tech certification.
You may be required to submit court documents, or verification of completing any sentences in the event that a case was dismissed or has been completed. All cases are considered on a case-by-case basis.
You can apply for PTCB Certification online. The fee for the exam is $129.
Once your application is approved you will be allowed to schedule an appointment for an examination. Accommodations are made for applicants that require accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Want some tips on passing the PTCB exam – check out this article.
Pharmacy Tech Certification through the NHA
The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) also offers a CPhT certification. A certification offered by the NHA is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or NCAA. The fee for the test is $105.
The requirements for the CPhT certification are as follows:
- Have a high school diploma, or have earned the equivalent like a GED or a diploma from a foreign institution.
- Must be 18 years of age.
- Must have completed a pharmacy technician training program – successfully OR has at least 12 months of hands-on experience with pharmacy-related work during the previous 36 months.
To remain a CPhT you must renew your pharmacy tech certification every two years. This requires twenty hours of continuing education in pharmacy training during the two year period. One hour of the twenty hours of recertification must include pharmacy law.
A renewal fee is also required to renew your certification.
If you fail to recertify before your certification expires, you can apply for reinstatement within one year time of expiration.
This allows a former CPhT to reinstate their title. To do this, a fee of $80 is generally required by the PTCB Certification board. These applications are processed in much the same way as a recertification.
Pharmacy Technician State Certification Requirements
Requirements for pharmacy technicians will vary depending on the state in which you live in.
These requirements are specified by the board of pharmacy of your home state.
Be sure that you review and understand what those requirements are so that you successfully meet adhere to them and move on to earn your pharmacy tech certification.
hello.
I live between WV an VA allowing me to apply for job in both states. I see there are some differences about how to get the certification. can you suggest to me the best way to get a certification tat let me work in both states? Also can you suggest to me a online school to get this certification?
Thank you
Hey Jimmy – it’s best that you get your certification within the same state that you live. You can check on the possibility of working in the state your are not certified by visiting the state’s pharmacy board. You can find the pharmacy tech requirements for each state using the map located here: https://www.howtobecomeapharmacytech.org. Good luck to you!
Question: Can one apply for a pharmacy tech if they had 1 drug charge when they turned 18 yrs. old. They are now 23 and in training. % years ago and did have treatment for the charge.
I have a felony record but have worked as a pharmacy technician after the incident. I gave someone a ride at the age in 1991 and it’s 2016 now. I am 44 years old and I enjoyed being a tech but I wanted to know if I could get certification.
please advise me if i can do the pharmacy technician course online im based in south africa