Pharmacy technicians assist licensed pharmacists in preparing prescriptions and may require certification through a recognized agency. Requirements include a high school diploma and no drug-related convictions. Certification exams vary by location and require continuing education to maintain certification.
A pharmacy technician is a person who can assist a licensed pharmacist in many ways, such as taking orders from healthcare providers and preparing prescriptions for the consumer. In some places, these people are required to have a pharmacy technician certification through a recognized certification agency. This may be the case even if it is not legally required, and many pharmacies prefer candidates who are certified over those who are not. In order to obtain a pharmacy technician certification, there are certain requirements that a person needs to meet before even applying for the certification exam. In addition, many applicants choose to attend pharmacy technician classes or undertake study programs to prepare. Official certification is usually awarded only after completing a pharmacy technician certification exam.
There are two major organizations for certifying pharmacy technicians in the US. Both have similar requirements candidates must meet before qualifying to take the certification exam. This includes having a high school diploma or equivalent and not having any drug-related crimes or convictions, or any disciplinary record with a pharmacy licensing body. Organizations offering certification in other parts of the world, such as Canada, have more pre-requisites, such as having a certain amount of related work experience and classroom training.
While not all pharmacy technician certification organizations require official test prep to be eligible for the certification exam, many candidates still choose to participate in some form of formal training. This can include courses taken at a hospital or college program, or study preparation programs, sometimes offered by the certification agencies themselves. Preparation generally focuses on the mathematical, scientific, and pharmacological principles that are the cornerstones of the work done in a pharmacy.
The format of the pharmacy technician certification exams can vary from place to place. In the US, for example, the two main exams you can choose from are multiple-choice exams. Canada’s leading pharmacy technician certification organization, however, has a more involved exam that consists of a multiple-choice component and an observation component, where candidates’ skills are assessed in person.
Successful completion of all exam components is required to earn a pharmacy technician certification. In order to maintain certification, most organizations require pharmacy technicians to complete a set amount of continuing education classes and/or retake the exam at regular intervals. In the US, for example, certification organizations require technicians to complete 20 hours of continuous training every two years and retake the certification exam at the end of that two-year period.
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