Jobs are getting harder and harder to find. But one job market that is booming is the healthcare market. But maybe you don’t want to be a nurse or a nursing assistant. Maybe you don’t have the money or the desire to go to college to become a doctor. Don’t worry, you can get a good job in twelve months or less if you become a certified pharmacy technician. Read on to discover more information about this exciting and stable career choice.
The reasons to become a certified pharmacy technician are many. We will touch on just a few of them here. The first reason is the work environment. You will be working in a clean, well ventilated, comfortable environment. The work is not really physical, but you occasionally may need to lift a few heavy boxes. You will be on your feet a lot. Depending on the setting that you choose to work in, you may be dealing with customers all the time or working more behind the scenes if you choose a hospital pharmacy.
As mentioned before, the job outlook for certified pharmacy technicians is excellent. One study predicts that the employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to increase by thirty-two percent through the year 2016. This is a much faster increase than all other occupations.
It takes only twelve months or less to become a certified pharmacy technician and the pay is quite good. The average pharmacy technician annual salary is between $26,000 to $38,000 per year. This will depend on where you live and what setting you choose to work in. In general, hospitals and healthcare settings tend to pay a little more.
So what type of requirements must you have to become a certified pharmacy technician? There are very few state requirement and no federal requirements at this time. You must have a high school diploma or GED. You cannot have any felony convictions within five years of applying for certification. But keep in mind, drug or pharmacy felony convictions will keep you from ever getting a certification, no matter how long ago the conviction was.
The first step to becoming certified is to find a good pharmacy technician program. You can choose to take classes at your local college or you may want to check into online classes. Just make sure that the school you choose is accredited and that it will fully prepare you for the certification exam.
There are two organizations that administer the national certification exam for pharmacy technicians. They are the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians. You may choose to get certified through either of these organizations.
To prepare for the certification exam, you can study your workbooks and take online prep tests. You must travel to a testing site to sit for the exam. You can check online to see which certification organization offers a testing site closest to you.
There will be a fee to take the certification test. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam (or PTCB exam) will cost $129 to apply for and take the exam. The exam is administered via computer at a monitored test site. You will be given two hours to answer ninety multiple choice questions. The PTCB does not immediately tell you if you passed or failed but it does give you the instructions of when results will be available and where to check online to find them.
The Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technician exam ( or ExCPT for short) charges only $95 to apply and take the exam. It too is administered via computer at a monitored test facility. You will have two hours to take 110 multiple choice questions. The exam is graded by the computer and you are given results immediately.
If for any reason you fail the certification exam the first time you can retake the exam. There is a waiting period before you can re-test and this waiting period is different for each testing organization.
Once you have become certified, you must take 20 hours of continuing education every two years to re-certify. This will allow you to stay up date on any new policies and laws that affect the pharmaceutical industry.
So if you are looking for a stable job in these turbulent times, consider becoming a pharmacy technician. You won’t have to spend a lot of time in school and you will have rewarding, exciting career in pharmaceuticals.
Pharmacy technicians work closely with pharmacists to provide medication and healthcare products to patients. Online training from Penn Foster Career School will prepare you for a career as a pharmacy technician. Learn more about Penn Foster | Request free info
With a diploma from Penn Foster Career School you can become a pharmacy technician and begin a rewarding career in healthcare. With online classes at Penn Foster Career School, you can learn at your own pace and on your own schedule.
