Pharmacy Technician Certification

Working as a pharmacy technician can be a rewarding career for someone who is passionate about both health care and customer service. In most states, you are eligible to work in this field by having earned a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Earning pharmacy technician certification can open up job options for you; in many cases, it can also increase your base pay.

Certified pharmacy technicians generally work alongside licensed pharmacists in retail settings, such as drugstores or supermarkets, hospitals and nursing homes. Tasks generally include the following:

managing and dispensing prescriptions
preparing insurance claims
managing inventory
interacting with patients and prescribing physicians

You can earn your national certification by passing one of two standardized exams, administered by the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians, now part of the National Healthcareers Association, and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. In order to be eligible to take these exams, you must meet the following requirements:

Have earned at least a high school diploma (or GED equivalent)
No felony convictions
No drug-related convictions

The PTCB requires that you complete 20 hours of continuing education within two years of passing the exam in order to be eligible for subsequent re-certification.

Why earn your certification? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified technicians can earn more money than technicians who aren't certified. The mean hourly wage for this profession was $14.10 as of May 2010 with the middle 50 percent of technicians earning $28,400.