Importance of Getting Pharmacy Technician Continuing Education
In order to maintain your national certification with the PTCB or NHA as a pharmacy technician, you will need to re-certify once every two years by taking at least 20 hours of continuing education (CE) from an approved education provider.
Satisfying the requirements of pharmacy technician continuing education helps you to keep current and maintain your skills and knowledge in the pharmacy industry.
These classes must be completed before your pharmacy technician certification expires.
Pharmacy Technician Continuing Education Courses
Examples of continuing education courses that are valid for recertification or reinstatement include:
- Mathematics
- Interpersonal skills
- Pharmaceutical science
- Medication distribution
- Drug therapy
- Roles of pharmacy technicians
- Inventory control in the pharmacy
Each class generally provides 1 hour of continuing education credits.
Keeping CE Records
As a certified pharmacy technician, it is important that you keep good records of your continuing education hours. Maintain these records for a minimum period of one year following recertification.
Records of transcripts, college courses, and grades are acceptable documentation of continuing education.
Continuing Education Providers
Many online providers now provide continuing education monitoring as part of their offering, in collaboration with the NABP. Try to find a program that will allow you to track credits online, to reducing the amount of paperwork you need to track at home.
The CPE Monitor is the most commonly used system, commonly used by pharmacists as well to track continuing education credits.
Well known continuing education providers include:
- California Pharmacy Technician Association – Provides continuing education credits in various formats including on-demand webinars. You can access many types of classes including information on new technology, pharmacology, and compounding education.
- Michigan Pharmacists Association – Offering continuing education credit online and in traditional s
etting. Programs designated by the PTCB in medication distribution, pharmacy administration and management, calculations, interpersonal skills and related subjects. Programs are segregated according to the subject matter, including pain, law, and fraud or waste material. Passing score of 70 percent or better required. Works with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to provide online continuing education credit monitoring.
- U.S. Pharmacist – A comprehensive list of continuing education courses on pain management, addictive disease in pharmacists, drug rescheduling, controlled substances, women’s health and more.
- American Society of Health System Pharmacists – One of the largest providers of continuing education for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Engage in webinars, online learning, and a wide-selection of free learning tools. Courses include complex case studies on nursing home care, respiratory care, and immunology.
- American Association of Pharmacy Technicians – Much like the APA provides education and training and a monitoring system so that you can track your progress toward continuing education.
- American Pharmacists Association – Provides an education library dedicated to pharmacy education, as well as home study CE and certificate training programs. Have the APA monitor your CE credits by signing up for their CPE monitor.
- Power-Pak C.E. – Offers postgraduate healthcare education including continuing education courses for pharmacy technician professionals as well as other healthcare professionals. Sign up to receive notifications of the latest CE classes by mail.
Remember to get your application, or your continuing application in early. A passing grade for the certification exam is considered a grade of “C” or higher.
In-service projects, including projects assigned by a licensed pharmacist, may also be considered as credit hours for recertification as a pharmacy certification examination.
Hours taken prior to receiving your certification will not count toward recertification.