Prepare To Become A Pharmacy Technician

Enter the exciting growing market for pharmacy technicians today!

Job Duties

Pharmacy technician job duties include dispensing prescription drugs or over the counter (OTC) drugs, and other medical equipment/devices to patients and providing instruction on their use, under the direction of a licensed pharmacist.

Pharmacy technicians will carry out a variety of job duties, depending on where you work.

• Measure, mix, count, label, and record amounts of dosages of medications
• Receive written prescriptions or refill requests and verify that information is complete and accurate
• Maintain proper storage and security conditions for drugs
• Answer phones, respond to questions or requests when appropriate
• Fill bottles with prescribed medications and type and affix labels to bottles
• Assist customers by answering questions, locating items, or referring them to the pharmacist for consultation
• Price and file prescriptions that have been filled
• Clean and help maintain equipment and work areas
• Establish and maintain patient profiles
• Order, label, and count stock of medication and supplies
• Enter and maintain inventory into the pharmacy computer system
• Process medical insurance claim forms and records
• Compound pharmaceutical preparations according to written prescriptions, as needed
• Operate cash registers to accept payment from customers
• Compute charges for medication and equipment dispensed to health system patients
• Deliver medications and pharmaceutical supplies to patients, nursing stations, or satellite locations
• Price stock and mark items for sale
• Maintain OTC medications, products, and supplies.

Pharmacy technicians that work in a retail pharmacy will interact with customers more, handle cash register operations, assist customers with any issues/concerns, be familiar with OTC areas, and also become familiar with third party insurance billing processes. On the other hand, a pharmacy technician that works in a hospital pharmacy, inpatient setting, will typically not interact with customers/patients as much and focus more on packing and dispensing medications for various nursing units, compounding medications, and inventory procedures, generally a behind the scenes type of operation.

The choices available to pharmacy technicians allow them to choose their working hours. Some have set schedules, while others may be very flexible.  

Work Locations

A pharmacy technician is a healthcare professional who carries out pharmacy related functions, generally working under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians work in a variety locations, including

• Retail pharmacies
• Hospital pharmacies
• Mail-order pharmacy
• Long-term care facilities
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Veterinary pharmacies
• Education & training
• Government &  military
• Pharmacy auditing companies
• Third-party insurance companies

Salary

Pharmacy technicians work in a variety of pharmacies, including retail, hospital, mail order, and long term care facilities. Job duties will vary across the different pharmacy settings. Pharmacy technician pay will also vary, depending on experience, education, and pharmacy. Depending on where you work, pharmacy technician pay may increase, as pharmacy technician hourly pay is more in a hospital than in a retail pharmacy.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the pharmacy technician median pay for 2018 was $32,700 per year or $15.72 per hour. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,740 per year or $10.93 per hour, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $48,010 per year or $23.08 per hour. The pharmacy technician job outlook, from 2016-2026, is growing faster than average, with an anticipated 12% increase in the coming years. There are approximately 420,000 pharmacy technicians employed in the United States. Right now is a great opportunity to become a pharmacy technician and enter the fast growing market.

Below are the median annual wages for pharmacy technicians in the top industries in which they work.

There are approximately 420,000 pharmacy technicians employed in the United States and below are the largest employers of pharmacy technicians.

A full-time pharmacy technician will typically be offered a competitive benefits package, including health insurance, vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, and company matching 401k retirement plan. The typical pharmacy technician pay rate is expected to grow faster than average for the next several years.

In comparison, after spending two (2) full years in college to obtain an Associates Degree in Information Technology, you can expect to earn $29,741 per year. An Associate’s Degree as a Medical Assistant will earn approximately between $23,602 – $38,992 per year.

Out of the 100 Fastest Growing Jobs, pharmacy technician ranked…

# 60 Overall

# 10 for Workers Age 16-24

# 22 for Women

Out of the 500 Best Jobs, pharmacy technicians ranked…

# 224 Overall

# 12 for Workers Age 16-24

# 43 for Women

Current Job Growth: 28.8%

Annual Job Openings: 39,000+

Training and Certification

In the United States, there is no mandated regulatory agency governing the training of pharmacy technicians. Each state has a Board of Pharmacy which regulates the licensure of pharmacy technicians in their state. Requirements will vary widely by state with some states requiring training from board approved schools, obtaining certification, on the job training, or no requirements at all. Check your state’s Board of Pharmacy requirements to see what type of training or certification may be necessary to become a pharmacy technician in your state.

There are two organizations that can provide pharmacy technician certification in order to become a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT); The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board PTCB) and National Healthcareer Association (NHA). The main difference between the certification from PTCB and the NHA is that PTCB certification only requires a high school diploma and a passing score on the exam. A certificate and wallet size card are sent to newly certified pharmacy technicians approximately six to eight weeks after passing the exam. Once you are certified, your certification is valid for two years.

PTCE Eligibility Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent educational diploma (eg. GED)
• Full disclosure of all criminal and State Board of Pharmacy registration or licensure actions
• Compliance with all applicable PTCB certification policies
• Passing score on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)

NHA Eligibility Requirements

• Be within 60 days of obtaining a high school diploma or equivalent education diploma (eg. GED)
• Successfully complete a training program or military training or have relevant work experience, as described below.

Training Program

Candidates must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:

1. Successfully complete a pharmacy technician training program offered by an accredited or state recognized institution or training provider; or
2. Successfully complete an employer based training program that:

• Is recognized by the Board of Pharmacy of the state where the candidate completes the training program; or

• Has been verified by the candidate’s employer to provide academic preparation, including technical skills and knowledge, sufficient to prepare the candidate to adequately perform the duties of an entry level pharmacy technician.

Military Training

Formal medical services pharmacy-related training offered by any branch of the US Military fulfills the training program.

Candidates whose date of graduation or completion from their training program or military training is five (5) years or more prior to the date of application, must also have relevant work experience as described below.

Work Experience

Candidates must have completed at least 1,200 hours of supervised pharmacy related work experience within any one (1) year of the past three (3) years.

Preparing For The Exam

There are typically two (2) ways people can prepare for an exam to become a pharmacy technician. Either attend a course, whether in-person or online, or purchase a study guide and sample test.

Depending on the person, a course could be the better route but will cost money to attend. On the other hand, a good study guide and sample test will be all you need to succeed, and typically cost a lot less. Even if your state requires certification to work in a pharmacy, most of the time, it is not necessary to spend large amounts of money and dedicate weeks or months to a pharmacy training program, in order to prepare for the exam. The PTCB offers the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) and the NHA offers the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT).

Exam Composition

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)

The PTCE is a computerized exam consisting of 90 multiple choice questions. Ten of the 90 questions are not graded, therefore do not count towards your final score, and are randomly placed throughout the exam. The remaining 80 questions will test knowledge and skill base under three function areas:

1. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients (66% of exam) –This area covers materials such as assisting the pharmacist, receiving and processing a prescription, compounding, data collection, communication with patients and third party insurance, performing drug administration functions, etc.
2. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems (22% of exam) –This area covers materials such as pharmaceuticals and medical supply identification, pharmaceutical and medical supply inventory, record keeping, quality control, etc.
3. Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice (12% of exam) –This area covers materials such as compliance with federal regulations and professional standards, safety practices within the pharmacy, quality assurance activities and reporting, use and maintenance of automated and point-of-care dispensing technology, billing and accounting, etc.

Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT)

The ExCPT is a computerized exam consisting of 120 multiple choice questions. Twenty of the 120 questions are not graded, therefore do not count towards your final score. The remaining 100 questions will test knowledge and skill base under three function areas.

1. Regulations and Technician Duties (approximately 35 percent) –Candidates may expect questions on general technician duties; federal and state law; federal, state and agency rules and regulations, etc.
2. Drugs and Drug Products (approximately 11 percent) –Candidates may expect questions on drug classification, dosage forms, brand and generic drug names, etc.
3. The Dispensing Process (approximately 54 percent) –Candidates may expect questions on prescription information including preparing and dispensing prescriptions, pharmacy calculations, sterile products, repackaging, etc.

Testing Locations and Information

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)

The PTCE is offered at Pearson VUE Professional Centers located across the United States. United States military personnel overseas may also take the exam at DANTES site locations. The exam is offered continuously throughout the year. Once a candidate’s application to take the exam is approved, they will have 90 days to schedule an appointment and take the exam.

The exam lasts for two hours and includes a short tutorial at the beginning and an exit survey following the exam. The final score of the exam will be based on the total number of questions answered correctly. It is to your advantage to answer every question on the exam.

Upon completion of the exam, test takers can view their results immediately. Test takers will receive a pass or fail notice on the computer and a print out of their exam results. Successful candidates will receive their certificates in the mail within a few weeks of the test date.

Candidates who fail the exam can retake the exam up to three times.

More information on retaking the exam is available on the PTCB web site: click here

To apply to take the PTCE, click here

To schedule an exam, click here

Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT)

The ExCPT is offered at PSI site locations across the United States, and overseas. Candidates must complete the NHA application process and then contact PSI to arrange an exam date, time and location. The exam is offered continuously throughout the year. Exams usually can be scheduled for a date within one to two days following registration.  

The exam lasts for two hours and ten minutes. The final score of the exam will be based on the total number of questions answered correctly. It is to your advantage to answer every question on the exam.

Upon completion of the exam, test takers can view their results immediately. Test takers will receive a report indicating whether they passed or failed following the exam. Candidates may use this report to provide evidence to employers or regulatory agencies that they passed. The results from the exams will be available in the candidates certification portal, accessed through the NHA website within two (2) business days from completion of scoring.

Candidates who do not pass the exam are eligible to retake the exam four weeks after their initial test date. Additionally, NHA offers a diagnostic report, which indicates a candidate’s performance in each section of the exam, in order to help guide preparation for retaking the exam.

To apply & schedule your ExCPT exam, click here

What to Bring to the Exam

Exam candidates must bring valid, government issued photo ID. Valid forms of ID include: driver’s license or passport, government issued driving learner’s permit, non-driver’s identification issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, or U.S. Armed Forces identification, which should include a current photograph, candidate’s signature, and address. All other personal belongings will be stored in lockers provided at the testing site until completion of the exam. Upon checking in, candidates will be provided with an erasable board to serve as scratch paper or two blank sheets of paper and a pencil to assist in the completion of the exam. The test site will supply a calculator to assist test takers.

Exam Costs

The fee to apply for and take the PTCB exam is $129.

The fee to apply for and take the NHA exam is $117

Additional Information

For more information on the PTCE, click the link below

www.ptcb.org

For more information on the ExCPT, click the link below

www.nhanow.com