Do Pharmacy Technicians Need Certification?

Posted by Fergus

Pharmacy Technician Certification

After graduating from a formal pharmacy technician training program, pharmacy techs may wish to pursue certification. Certification is a way of demonstrating that you meet a national standard for pharmacy technician knowledge.

Pharmacy technician certification is voluntary in some states, but most require it for employment. Whether or not it is required in your state, certification is a good step to ensure the highest level of employability.

Two organizations handle pharmacy technician certification in the US:

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) offers the designation of Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) to techs who meet certain background requirements and who pass the PTCE exam.
The Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) offers certification through the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT). To be eligible, candidates must be 18 or older with a high school degree or GED, and must not be guilty of a felony.

To become certified, a pharmacy technician simply contacts one of the certification boards via the links above, and requests to take the certification exam. The exam is offered four times per year in most states, and consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam may be taken as many times as necessary in order to pass.

Once certified, you will be given the designation of CPhT, and your certification must be renewed every two years. Renewal for both certification boards requires 20 hours of continuing education, and the ICPT requires that one of the hours be in pharmacy law.

Does Your State Require Certification?

Below is a list of the 50 US states and whether or not they require certification from either the PTCB or ICPT.

PTCB	State	ICPT
yes	AL	no
yes	AK	no
yes	AZ	yes
yes	AR	no
yes	CA	no
no	CO	no
yes	CT	yes
no	DE	no
yes	FL	no
no	GA	no
no	HI	no
yes	ID	no
yes	IL	no
yes	IN	no
yes	IA	no
yes	KS	no
yes	KY	no
yes	LA	no
yes	ME	no
yes	MD	yes
yes	MA	yes
no	MI	no
yes	MN	yes
yes	MS	no
yes	MO	no
yes	MT	yes
yes	NE	no
yes	NV	no
yes	NH	no
yes	NJ	yes
yes	NM	yes
no	NY	no
yes	NC	no
yes	ND	no
no	OH	no
yes	OK	no
yes	OR	yes
no	PA	no
yes	RI	yes
yes	SC	no
yes	SD	no
yes	TN	no
yes	TX	no
yes	UT	yes
yes	VT	no
yes	VA	yes
yes	WA	yes
yes	WV	no
no	WI	no
yes	WY	no

This table is informational only. Here you can find more information on state requirements regarding PTCB and ICPT.