Complete Your Pharmacy Technician Continuing Education Courses And Stay Up To Date On Reacent Pharmacy Practices
Pharmacy Technician Continuing Education
As a registered pharmacy technician, passing the pharmacy tech test is just one of the things you have to do to maintain a successful career. Another important factor is the Pharmacy Technician CE or Continuing Education.
Certified pharmacy technicians (CPhTs) and Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technicians (CSPTs) are required to complete their CE to recertify or renew their PTCB certification. They have 2 years to maintain their respective credentials.
The completion of their CE means that they are up to date on recent pharmacy practices and that they have learned and grown more in their profession. The PTCB requires CPhts to finish their CE. It is so that they can maintain their active status and have the eligibility for pharmacy technician license renewal.
To start your PTCB Recertification, you need to have these requirements:
- During your recertification period of 2 years, you need to complete a minimum of 20 hours of CE. It must include 1 hour of Pharmacy Law and 1 hour of Patient Safety.
- For the CE hours that you have obtained, it must be in pharmacy technician-specific subject matter as outlined by the PTCE Blueprint. It can also be those offered by ACPE-accredited providers that have a target audience designation “T.”
To track your PTCB CE hours, you can use the CPE Monitor. It is a service of the NABP or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. You can apply for recertification or renewal of your pharmacy technician certification without manually entering your CE hours on your PTCB Account by using the service.
Take note that you also need to start your renewal application 60 days before the expiration date of your certificate. If you are not able to do this, then you are no longer certified. You should instead apply for reinstatement within 1 year of the expiration of your certification to reclaim your active status.
CE Programs and Courses
There are many programs to choose from. Some even offer free CE for pharmacy technicians. If you have a difficult time looking for programs for your PTCB continuing education, you can check out some of the sample CE providers below as resourced by PTCB.
American Association of Pharmacy Technicians
American College of Apothecaries
American Pharmacists Association
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
Michigan Pharmacists Association Online CE
Michigan Pharmacists Association Technician Membership
National Pharmacy Technician Association
Now you can implement all the necessary things like a real exam that we described by practicing our sample PTCB Practice Test
Pharmacy Technician Practice Test (PTCB)- 1
Pharmacy Technician Practice Test (PTCB)- 2
Pharmacy Technician Practice Test (PTCB)- 3
Pharmacy Technician Practice Test (PTCB)- 4
Pharmacy Technician Practice Test (PTCB)- 5
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to renew your PTCB certification?
According to PTCB’s official website, the renewal fees are broken down into the following amount:
- For CPhT recertification, you are required every two years to pay an application fee of $49.
- For CPhT reinstatement, you are required every two years to pay an application fee of $49 plus a reinstatement fee of $40, which means that you’ll have to pay a total of $89.
If you also want to consider other fees, then for the late application processing fee, you’ll have to pay $25. For the reprocessing fee, it is $10.
How long to be a pharmacy tech?
It all depends on the pharmacy technician program that you’ll choose. You can either take the pharmacy technician training or the pharmacy technician post-secondary education program. The former requires you to have on-the-job training at retail or hospital pharmacies that usually lasts for weeks. The latter is when you want to pursue formal education. It might take 9 months to 24 months, depending on which program you’ll choose, be it a certificate, diploma, or associate degree.
How to get nationally certified to be a pharmacy technician?
You’ll have to take the CPhT exam to get your PTCB license. If you complete the required education and training, then you’ll have to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination or PTCE for short. You need to review and prepare properly. You can use our pharmacy tech practice test. We at Practice Test Geeks offer free online practice tests that can help you get that certification in no time.
What are the topics covered in a pharmacy technician school?
There are many topics included in the coursework for pharmacy technicians. It often involves the 9 knowledge domains that are the focus of the PTCE. These are Pharmacology, Pharmacy Law and Regulations, Sterile and Non-sterile Compounding, Medication Safety, Pharmacy Quality Assurance, Medication Order Entry and Fill Process, Pharmacy Inventory Management, Pharmacy Billing and Reimbursement, and Pharmacy Information Systems Usage and Application.