Why Get Certified as a Pharmacy Technician
Posted:
Monday, January 16th, 2012
Category:
Medical Transcription Training, Pharmacy Technician Training
Here’s one compelling reason to get certified if you want a career as a pharmacy technician: When hiring a pharmacy technician most pharmacists look for a certified pharmacy technician, also known as a CPhT. That title means the possessor has earned a national certification from either of two certifying bodies: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT).
To get a pharmacy technician national certification, the candidate must pass a certification exam. This exam can either be the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE), which is offered by the PTCB, or the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT), which is offered by the ICPT. Although not required by the certifying bodies, the de facto best preparation for either exam is of course a good pharmacy technician course.
Most states now require certification before a pharmacy technician can even practice his profession. Today, only eight states still don’t require national certification. However, the holdouts—Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—may soon adopt the policy, following long-time holdout Florida’s conversion.
In January 2011, Florida began requiring its pharmacy technicians to have either completed an approved training program (much like meditec.com’s pharmacy technician courses) that includes 1500+ hours of OJT under the guidance of a Florida-licensed pharmacist, or have acquired a PTCB or ICPT national certification.
At any rate, all states may have to mandate national certification by 2014 anyway if speculations prove true that the federal government will require it to complement the new Federal Healthcare Act.
In the meantime, Meditec.com, a premier provider of many online courses, including pharmacy technician classes, medical billing and coding training, and medical office assistant training, gives the best preparation for a career that will be in high demand in the next few years.
