Your Guide to Becoming a Certified Pharmacy Technician

The people who typically greet you at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens are pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy technicians help fill prescriptions, interact with customers, and fulfill other tasks in a pharmaceutical setting.

This profession can be a rewarding one because you are helping patients access the medicine they need for an illness or condition.

What does it take to become a certified pharmacy technician? Learn more about pharmacy technician school, salary, and certification. 

What is a certified pharmacy technician?

A certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) is a health care professional who works with pharmacists to give patients their medication with the correct dosage when needed. They can work in a variety of pharmaceutical settings such as retail pharmacies, hospitals, and nursing homes. Unlike other pharmacy technicians, CPhTs go through a certification process that requires education or experience and passing an exam.

Generally, a certified pharmacy technician has passed an examination administered by either the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA).

The job typically involves a mix of basic health care, administrative, and organizational work, such as keeping shelves stocked. Depending on the setting (and the laws in each state), pharmacy technicians may receive prescription requests, maintain patient profiles, manage insurance claims, or operate dispensing systems.

Licensed vs. certified pharmacy technicians: What’s the difference?‎

Many states will require pharmacy technicians to have a license before they can start work. Certifications, on the other hand, aren’t usually required to start work but can boost your income and show employers that you have met industry standards.

Certified pharmacy technician salary

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a pharmacy technician's salary in the United States averages $40,300 as of 2024 [1]. Your salary can vary depending on where you’re located and your level of experience. Typically, you can expect to earn more once you’re certified. 

The job outlook for a pharmacy technician is 7 percent growth in jobs between 2023 and 2033, which is faster than the average for all jobs (5.3 percent) [1].

What does a pharmacy technician do?

Certified pharmacy technicians generally work in retail pharmacies, hospitals, or other health care facilities, and a pharmacy technician’s tasks can include:

• Counting pills or taking other measurements to fill prescriptions

• Labeling, packaging, and preparing prescriptions to ensure patient safety

• Interacting with customers by phone or in person

• Accepting payments from customers

• Organizing and maintaining a work area

• Using a computer to confirm patient information or process insurance claims

Depending on the state, pharmacy technicians may also take care of basic medical tasks, like vaccinations. 

Certified pharmacy technicians work behind the scenes to support patients and other members of the health care team. The job can be a gateway to other medical fields as well.

Medical terms to know

As a pharmacy technician, you’ll need to be familiar with all types of medical terminology, from types of diseases, illnesses, and conditions to active ingredients in prescription medicine. Enroll in Rice University’s Medical Terminology Specialization to learn all this and more.

How to become a certified pharmacy technician

If you’d like to start working as a pharmacy technician and become certified, you can follow these steps.

1. Get your license.

Some retail pharmacies may provide on-the-job training that can lead to your getting a technician license. Others will require that you have it before you can start working. Check your state’s pharmacy technician licensing requirements to find out.

2. Gain customer service experience.

Having professional experience interacting with customers can appeal to hiring managers looking for pharmacy technicians. Working as a retail associate or volunteering at an organization can help you build experience working with other people.

Read more: 10 Customer Service Skills for Success in Any Job

Look for similar job titles

Titles like “pharmacy assistant” can imply job roles similar to pharmacy technicians. Though working as a pharmacy assistant or associate might mean you won’t be able to complete certain tasks reserved for technicians, you’ll gain experience working in a pharmacy.

3. Complete an associate degree.

Some community colleges offer pharmacy technician degree programs that help you train to become job-ready. Though many pharmacy technician positions only require you to have a high school diploma, an associate degree can make you a more competitive job candidate.

4. Get certified.

To become a certified pharmacy technician, candidates must pass a certification exam. Common national certification exams include:

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE): The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) administers the PTCE. You can take the exam after completing an education program recognized by the PTCB or a minimum of 500 hours of work as a pharmacy technician. 

• Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT): The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) administers the ExCPT. To take the exam, you’ll need to have completed an approved pharmacy technician training program or have completed at least 1,200 hours of supervised pharmacy-related work.

Career paths for certified pharmacy technicians

You can take your experience as a pharmacy technician into other careers. Pharmacy technicians can go on to do office-based jobs such as insurance claims processing; they may also opt to become pharmacists, laboratory technicians, or physician assistants. Some pharmacy technicians can also choose to specialize in a field of medicine, such as oncology (cancer treatment).

Learn certified pharmacy technician skills on Coursera

Working as a pharmacy technician can expose you to an important part of the health care system and allow you to build practical experience in the industry. If you’re ready to learn more about the health care industry in the United States, enroll for free in Introduction to Healthcare from Stanford University, the first course in the AI in Healthcare Specialization.