If you’re like me and most other people, you’d love to just step out of your current job and jump right into a much more rewarding career with a higher salary that you actually enjoy!
While you could pretty much do that by becoming a Pharmacy Technician, it would be in your best interest to hold fire and get a Pharmacy Technician Certification first.
Why? Because you’ll be more likely to get a job afterwards and you’ll command a much higher salary, too.
If you want to be taken seriously in your job application, there is no better way than to show them that you have taken the initiative and got yourself a certification first. Because pharmacists are busy people, they are much more likely to hire someone who already has the skills and training needed.
So How Do You Get a Pharmacy Technician Certification?
The best way to get Pharmacy Technician certified is to take the assessment exam through a private testing organization. The best two of which are the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Committee for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
These exams will cover everything you need to know and be able to demonstrate as a Pharmacy Technician — whether you want to work in a retail pharmacy or a hospital one. The exam will include questions on topics like:
- Technical duties
- Protocol for controlled substances
- Pharmacy laws and regulations
- Dosage calculations
- Prescription information
- And much more…
Exam fees can vary by board so it’s a good idea to shop around if you want to get the best price possible.
Pharmacy Technician Certification Prep
To prepare for the certification, most people choose to take a Pharmacy Technician course. Whether you do it online or in a classroom is up to, but going through this training first gives you a much better chance of passing the certification. It’s not required, so if you already have above average knowledge of the subject, you can try to pass the assessment online right away without graduating from any Pharmacy Tech school.
Once you complete the Pharmacy Technician Certification you will be given the earned title of Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). You’ll need to complete recertification once every two years to maintain your title.
This recertification requires a minimum of 20 hours of continued education over the two years.
If you are interested in becoming a certified Pharmacy Tech (and if you’re serious, you will be) then you can get practice and example questions directly from the Certification Boards. Be warned though that these alone will not be enough to enable you to pass the test. The knowledge needed to pass will require home learning of some kind or a classroom setting.
You can find a local testing facility for the Pharmacy Technician Certification by visiting the PTCB website for more information.