Ways to Prepare for Pharmacy Technician Certification
- Miguel Rivera
- Apr 1, 2015
- 3 min read
According to indeed.com the average pharmacy technician wage in the United States as of July 2011 is $34,000. There is a high demand for pharmacy technicians, and employment continues to grow.
If you are thinking about becoming a pharmacy technician, you probably have a lot of questions about the career. It is important to fully understand the job so you are able to make a fully informed career move.
Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists in a variety of ways. Some of these duties include taking prescriptions and ensuring their accuracy, counting pills, printing prescription labels, rotating medications, and answering customer questions. All of these duties help to make sure that a pharmacy is running smoothly.
Required Training and Certifications
You may be wondering if you will need special education to become a pharmacy technician. While requirements vary from state to state, it is recommended that you get your Pharmacy Technician certification. By taking the time to become educated, you will be more attractive in the job market and may have more opportunities and make more money.
Pharmacy technician training can be accomplished at a recognized or accredited school or, if you prefer, you can take the courses online. All courses are not created equal and it’s important to do your research. Consider the level of information, the length of time it takes, and most important of all – whether it will qualify you to take the pharmacy technician certification exam.
Key Components of Pharmacy Technician Training Should Include
Physiology
Anatomy
Medical Terminology
Pharmacology
Pharmacy Law and Ethics
Pharmacy Mathematics
Retail Pharmacy Practice
Sterile Product Preparation
Pharmacy Compounding to name just a few
Generally, a pharmacy technician’s course will take from six months to a year to complete, depending on the course offered and its content. During that time, you learn how to run a pharmacy, proper pharmaceutical guidelines, how to mix and fill prescriptions, how to calculate the correct drug doses, while working alongside and under the supervision of the Pharmacist.
There are also many administrative tasks involved in a pharmacy. Pharmacies are working offices and you’ll be preparing drug inventories, dealing with medical suppliers, working with health insurance companies, maintaining patient records and answering the telephone.
Once you’ve completed the training, the next, critically important step is to take the pharmacy technician certification board’s examination which is expected of you if you wish to enter this profession. Currently, there are not many State and Federal laws which govern the requirements for certification but it is expected that you would take and pass either the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board) exam or the ExCPT http://www.nhanow.com/pharmacy-technician.aspx which is equally recognized.
Fast Track Your Pharmacy Technician Certification
What options do you have if you need to complete a pharmacy technician’s course more quickly and need to do it in less than a year?
Fortunately, there are several options open to you. Keep in mind that those who employ pharmacy technicians prefer to hire those who have earned their certification. It’s possible to study for just the examination by studying the test material or by taking one of the “crash” courses which are offered online and by many schools. You can look into purchasing study kits to help you prepare such as those on our website.
The secret is to be aware of what’s needed for the examination and ensure that you know it before trying out a “practice” exam, otherwise it can cost you quite a lot of money.
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