Pharmacy Technician

Prepare for PTCB Certification

Our comprehensive online or in-person course will prepare students to work as a pharmacy technician in a retail or other pharmacy setting and to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam.

National and State Certification

While this course qualifies students for the national certification exams, if you live or plan to work outside of California, it is your responsibility to confirm that this program meets the certification requirements for your state.

The Pharmacy Technician Profession

Pharmacy Technicians work under the direction of a pharmacist. Their main responsibility is filling prescriptions according to doctors' orders.

Pharmacy Technicians prepare medications for dispensing to patients. This generally includes retrieving drugs in the correct dosage form and strength, measuring the appropriate amount of drug and producing a prescription label. Pharmacy Technicians work with drugs to be administered orally, topically, for the eye, nose etc. Depending upon the practice setting, a Pharmacy Technician is also involved in the admixture of drugs for intravenous use.

Other duties include:

• checking inventories and ordering supplies
• receiving and checking in supplies
• assisting customers
• keeping pharmacy work areas clean
• completing insurance forms
• preparing "bingo cards" for nursing home patients

Employment

Pharmacy Technicians may work in retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, home infusion pharmacies, long term care facilities, hospitals, clinics, pharmacy benefit managers and large industrial complexes. This high demand is the result of the constant availability of new drugs, the national shortage of registered pharmacists, the establishment of certified pharmacy technicians and the aging population. Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to grow 4% by 2029.