Considerations Before Becoming A Pharmacy Technician
Sunday, January 15th, 2012If you are looking for opportunities in the field of pharmacy as a pharmacy technician, then aside from the training, you must also consider obtaining a pharmacy technician certification in order for you to avail of better career prospects, higher salary, and better work advancement opportunities.
The certification for pharmacy technicians is given by the PTCB or the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. The certification exam is used to assess the knowledge and skills of a pharmacy technician. The assessment will be based on the skills needed in performing the different tasks in the pharmacy and also ensure the safe and effective service given to the patients and customers.
The certification exam usually consists of 125 multiple choice score questions and 15 non-scored questions. The allotted time for the certification exam is 3 hours. You can enrol in training programs for the certification exam and they are available in different community colleges and trade schools. There are even online programs focused on the preparation for the certification exam. These courses may take less than a year to complete.
There are many advantages that a pharmacy technician certification can give you as a technician. You will have better job opportunities as this will serve as your proof of competence in pharmacy technician works. You will also be able to have a higher pharmacy technician salary than those who are non-certified. The certification will also help you in pursuing career advancement opportunities and have a wider knowledge regarding drugs and medications.
Certification training programs usually take less than a year to be completed. However, in order to maintain the certification, you may need to take up 20 hours of continuing education (CE) and training. This CE consists of ten hours of coursework and ten hours of externship. Opting for a certification will be able to provide you with more opportunities to better your career as a pharmacy technician. This certification is valid nationwide which you can use from one state to another.