Pharmacy Technician Career Guide

The pharmacy technician continuing education requirements aren’t very strenuous, which is as it should be, because working professionals are busy people. All it requires is 20 credit hours of schooling to be taken within 2 year time frame.

There is no requirement to take the certification exam over again, ever, all that’s required is that you pass an examination covering the 20 hours of continuing education that you’re required to learn by law. The courses tend to be fairly simple, but remember this is your chance to learn something new, so take it seriously, this is your chosen career.

There are various pharmacy technician continuing education classes that one can take ranging in subject from diabetes treatment, to pediatric care, to geriatric health issues, to nutrition, to various courses on specific medications and so on. The only requirement is that you pass the final exam within the two year period.

And yes, everyone must take 20 hours of continuing education every 2 years in order to stay licensed. This type of continuing education is common in many professions in many different areas, especially where governmental licenses are required. The real estate industry is very similar.

The course work must be offered by an ACPE-accredited provider, which is overseen by the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board). When your two year period is coming to a close, you’ll most likely be bombarded by schools reminding you that your pharmacy tech continuing education requirements are almost due. It’s best to double check, but the overwhelming majority of these schools will be ACPE-accredited, so the course work will be accepted.

In order to make it easier for everybody, you will be allowed to study your course work online and never have to set foot in a classroom. The boards understand that pharmacy technicians are working professions with families and it’s difficult to set aside time for classroom study.

However, the final examination must be proctored. Which, of course, makes sense, otherwise people would just give themselves a passing grade without having even studied, defeating the purpose of continuing education all together. There will be testing centers within almost every area, often at the local community college, making it very convenient. But remember, don’t miss the deadline or your license could be at risk.

What type of salary does a pharmacy technician pay new hires? Well, as is typical in any job market, that is going to depend on your local job market and your particular qualifications – what you bring to the table.

If you have a degree, have passed your pharmacy technician certification exam, have high marks in school, and have gone through a good internship then chances are the pay that you’re offered by an employer is going to be higher than if you do not have these qualifications on your resume. (In many states, a certification is mandated by law, check with your state laws to be sure.)

The average starting pay for a pharmacy technician in the United States will generally vary from around $28,500 on the low end to perhaps as high as $38,000 at the top. Again, this number will vary by location and your particular qualifications. In some areas of the country, a lower salary will be more than adequate because the cost of living is much lower, if you live in a large urban area then you might expect a higher starting salary because living costs are higher.

As you progress in your career as as pharmacy technician your pay will increase year over year. It’s estimated that after about your third year in the business you will be qualified to make around $31,000 to $43,000. Your salary will depend on where your starting salary began and on your employer. A good employer, with deeper pockets, will be able to afford a higher salary, so it’s important to secure employment with a good company as you progress in your career.

The top salary for pharmacy technicians across the country may go as high as $60,000 per year, which is a healthy salary considering an individual can get started with just a two year degree. Remember the average salary in the United States is somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000 per year so a top pharmacy technician is beating that salary by 50%. Not bad, not bad at all.

Pharmacy technician jobs are in demand right now with the amount of jobs increasing year by year. Get your certification, build your resume and top pharmacy technician pay is closer than you think.

The pharmacy technician exam is one that must be passed in order to become a licensed pharmacy technician (in a state which requires such a certification). There are many states that require such a certification, and even if you reside in a state that does not, it’s a very good idea to enter a program and get certified.

The best way to prepare yourself for the exam is to work hard throughout your course studies, for one.

It’s much easier to remember and retain information if your brain takes it in slowly over a period of time. If you try to cram it all in at the end, you will retain much less information. So take your course work seriously and you’ll be way ahead of the game.

Next, take a practice exam, in fact take a few practice exams in order to get a feel for the test and prepare for the all important day. The pharmacy technician examination is a test that consists of 140 (15 of the questions are pre-test questions that don’t count) multiple choice questions with 4 possible answers. The duration is 3 hours.

Remember, there is no penalty for guessing, so answer all of the questions. Narrow down the answers, excluding answers that you know are incorrect and you’ll have a much better chance at answering correctly, even if you’re not one hundred percent certain of the correct answer.

There are three sections to the exam – assisting pharmacists in serving patients, maintaining medication and inventory control systems, and participating in administration and management of pharmacy practice. So study accordingly. The first section accounts, for 2/3 of your score, so it is the most important do to well in that section.

Exam dates will be given throughout the year by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or PTCB. If, by chance you do not pass the exam on the first try, you must wait a full 90 days to take the test again, which is a good idea because you’ll need some time to brush up on the material anyway.

You will receive the exam results shortly after taking the exam; it’s frustrating, but remain patient even though you’re dying to know if you passed or not. The pharmacy technician exam is the culmination of your studying, but if you’ve prepared yourself well throughout your program you’ll do just fine.