More and more industries are imposing stricter regulations and requirements around training facilities to ensure consistency and a higher level of confidence among the public and certainly among potential employers. The medical profession is certainly one of the ones that is looking closer at upping the certification requirements, even for the more entry level positions such as a pharmacy technician.
The organization that oversees the pharmaceutical industry within the US is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). It was established over fifteen years ago and is overseen by five pharmacy organizations – the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP), the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).
This certification body has been responsible for certifying over 300,000 pharmacy technicians since its inception and this program is also recognized and is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
Checking to ensure that both the pharmacy technician training program and the pharmacy technician certification are both accredited properly is a very important step in your educational process. Wasting your time and money on schooling that would be recognized by the industry is extremely frustrating and certainly something that is very preventable.
The overall arching goal of the PTCB national certification program is to help the graduating pharmacy techs do their jobs more efficiently and ensure that everyone who successfully passes the exam is really qualified to hit the road running and get started working right away with confidence.
The PTCB is located in Washington, D.C., and they provide not only the initial pharmacy technician certification to recent pharmacy technician graduates, but also the necessary re-certification that is required in order to maintain your certification status.
There are national standards that have been set out specifically for pharmacy technicians, and the PTCB responsibility really lies in ensuring that the employers are hiring competent, fully trained staff rather than just relying on a resume. Once they see that you have successful written and passed the pharmacy technician certification exam, they know that you really understand the basics of your new position and all the skills that will be required to be successful.
As a pharmacy technician you need to be qualified and prepared to work very closely with the pharmacist and other members of the pharmacy team. As a fully trained and certified pharmacy technician you will be able to handle the stress and attention to detail that is required in this role.
Keeping patients safe is really at the basis of providing proper training and the PTCB is committed to ensuring that this is a focus of the training and certification process. High standards are set for pharmacy technicians and this is critical when we are talking about preparing and providing medical prescriptions that can very easily be prepared incorrectly and cause irrefutable damage.
So if you are considering becoming a pharmacy technician, then also considering taking the pharmacy technician certification through the PTCB is something you need to include within your decision making process. More and more states are requiring certification, so you need to do your homework and find out what are the requirements where you live. If you are not sure, then contact the PTCB directly and they will be happy to provide you with more information.