Pharmacy Technician Schools

How to Become a Pharmacy Technician?

To become a Pharmacy Technician, one should complete a post-secondary education program (Optional).

The authorized body to obtain pharmacy technician programs is The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). At many colleges and vocational schools, the certified programs can be obtained.

Most of the certificate programs are one-year duration or less than that. Associate Degree program can be completed in two years.

The syllabus consists of both technical and practical training in the following courses:
Pharmacy law, Pharmacology, Pharmacy ethics Anatomy, Healthcare Systems, Physiology, Medical Terminology, and Pharmaceutical calculations.

• How to Become a Pharmacy Technician?
• How Long does it take to Become Pharmacy Technician?
• Pharmacy Technician Schools & Education

• Pharmacy Technician Programs & Certification
• Pharmacy Technician Salary
• Pharmacy Technician Job Description
• Pharmacy Technician Requirements

How Long does it take to Become Pharmacy Technician?

Certificate and associate degree courses to become pharmacy technician are of one to two years duration. But in some states, it is not mandatory to obtain certificate course or associate degree. Pharmacy technicians start working in pharmaceutical companies as soon as the candidates fulfill the requirements.

Pharmacy Technician Schools & Education in United States

Click on the states name below to view the list of pharmacy technician schools information.

Pharmacy Technician Programs & Certification

In some states, it is mandatory to become certified pharmacy technicians, where in some other states certification is not at all required. Employers will hire the technicians only those who are certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Health Career Association (NHA).

Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) asks candidates to clear the exam, whereas National Health Career Association needs candidates who have completed the training program or the candidates having an experience of at least one year as a technician. But both the organizations look for the applicants who are the diploma holders from high school.

Job Training:
Students can gain clinical experience during their training in most of the programs. Based on the state laws, without enrolling in a post secondary program also students can have on-the-job training. Clinical experience is a structured training program, which students can get from a retail drugstore which is a partner of the school.

Approved medical and pharmacy centers provide hands-on training to students. They may also learn about antiseptic techniques, pharmacy law and ethics, medical vocabulary, and records management as part of the job training.

Pharmacy Technician Salary

How much does a Pharmacy Technician make?

In the year 2012, the average annual earnings of a pharmacy technician in the United States was $29,320. In the same year, the top ten percent of technicians earned more than $42,400 whereas the lowest ten percent of pharmacy technicians earned an average income of less than $20,580.

The pharmacy technicians earned highest average salaries at $35,470 and $33,550 per year working in ambulatory care centres and hospital services.

Pharmacy Technician Job Description

Under the supervision of pharmacists, the pharmacy technicians work in pharmacies. The duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician include anything such as measuring, packaging and labelling medication, which does not require any professional judgment of the pharmacist.

Pharmacy technicians work in retail pharmacies by collecting insurance information and taking prescriptions from the patients and customers, collect payments from the customers and engage consultations who require pharmacist’s guidance and help.

In addition to their regular duties and responsibilities, most of the Pharmacy Technicians will deliver medications to patients throughout the hospital and formulate medications to be delivered to the patients through veins.

Pharmacy Technician Requirements

The license requirements vary from state to state for Pharmacy Technicians. It is mandatory in some states that pharmacy technicians have to complete the college education or qualify an examination to secure a required license, whereas others require technicians to register with the state by paying the required fee.

Some states grant licenses to the pharmacy technicians certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Some states set high standards and insist on the certificate or associate degree in the respective field to obtain the statutory licenses by the pharmacy technicians.

The minimum eligibility to obtain the certification from the PTCB, pharmacy technicians must have a high school diploma or GED, past criminal history to be disclosed, and also qualify for the certification exam. And the pharmacy technicians who qualified certification, have to renew it periodically as per the state rules by completing the continuing education.

As per the projections made by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the employment of pharmacy technicians in the U.S will increase by 20% between 2012 and 2020. People need more medication to live longer. Increase demand for pharmacy technicians is expected as the access to the health insurance and health care is increased.