What does a pharmacy tech do?

Pharmacy technicians aid pharmacists in dispensing medicine. The work environment can vary from working at a local pharmacy to working in a hospital.

Do you want a career instead of a job?

Fast food and retail jobs only take you so far. Before long it’s boring, there is no opportunity to advance, the pay is bad, and you just don’t want to do it any longer! How about a fast-paced job in the ever-expanding medical field? Pharmacy technicians are in demand. Due to the growing number of elderly in our population, medical jobs will be in demand well into the future. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the demand for pharmacy technicians to grow by 9% in the next ten years. That is faster than average growth! 34,700 jobs are expected to be added in that time period. That’s great news! If you are a motivated, self-starter, you can be employed and earning a nice salary in as long as it takes you to study for the examination. No need to spend years and many thousands of dollars to acquire a degree for a career that will yield the same income.

How much will I make?

According to U.S Bureau Of Labor Statistics the median annual salary for pharmacy technician is $ 36,740 with a range between $28,740 and $47,580. An associate's degree as a medical assistant will earn approximately between $29,070 – $48,170 (May 2021).

What are the training requirements?

We are recognized by PTCB™. Some states only require that you pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam while others require a little more education. We have included the requirements for each state in the pharmacy technician State Requirements section below. Get online CPR certification if you require that from your employer.

What is the exam like?

Our end of course exam is designed to ensure you have learned the information covered in each section of the course. The end of course exam contains 50 questions. Should you fail the exam, you will have two more attempts to pass it and you will be provided with remediation to help you study the areas in which you need to improve. We are PTCB™ approved and our end of course exam is also designed to prepare you for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB™) exam, which is required in some states. The PTCB™ has written a 90 question multiple-choice examination. You will be given 120 minutes to complete the examination. The scores are scaled ranges from 1000–1600 and you must obtain a score of 1400 or higher to pass. The test is completed at computer testing centers. You are permitted to utilize a simple calculator during the exam. The PTCB™ publishes an examination blueprint (www.ptcb.org) that provides the prospective technician with the subject matter that is covered on the exam. Our course will cover all of the areas contained in the blueprint so that you can feel confident that you have the information that you need to be successful. You will notice areas of our course place bold numbers at the beginning or end of some sections. These correspond to areas of the blueprint that need to be emphasized during your preparation.

What if I don't pass?

Not to worry. If you do not pass your exam on the first attempt you will have our study material available to you free of charge to study for another attempt. We have put together a comprehensive study course that will prepare you to be successful.

This course is not currently available for sale to Pennsylvania residents.

SMS or call Terry, or email us at support@PacificMedicalTraining.comEmail for more details.

Your fast-track to pharmacy tech certification

Get certified online and start working in as little as three weeks. Our PTCB-approved program prepares you for real pharmacy tech jobs. No degree required.

Enroll Now For $400

What you'll learn
in this course

Controlled substances
Regulations
Pharmacology
Sterile and non-sterile compounding
Drug forms and drug classifications
Pharmacy quality assurance
Inventory management
Pharmacy billing and reimbursement
Click here for the full syllabus

Our pharmacy technician program is a PTCB-recognized education/training program. Participants who have completed our pharmacy technician program will be eligible to apply for the pharmacy technician certification exam.

Course format

This course is offered in in-person group format and online. All our instructors are experienced medical providers.

Use our pharmacy technician course for required job training.

Course overview

Our course front matter includes the syllabus, complete accreditation statements and statements from all instructors and contributors.

SECTION 1: History and scope of the pharmacy technician
SECTION 2: Manufacturing pharmaceuticals
SECTION 3: Rules and regulations
SECTION 4: Controlled substances
SECTION 5: Pharmacy safety
SECTION 6: Drug classifications
SECTION 7: Sterile and non-sterile compounding
SECTION 8: Pharmacy quality assurance
SECTION 9: Mathematics in pharmacy
SECTION 10: Inventory management
SECTION 11: Pharmacy billing and reimbursement
SECTION 12: Information systems

Scientific basis

This course is written based on scientific evidence. Our main works cited for this course are:

Association, A. P. (2010). The Pharmacy Technician Workbook and Certification Review (4 ed.). Englewood, CO: Morton Publishing Company.
DA, B. (2006). Pharmacy practice for technicians (Vol. 3). St Paul, MN, USA: EMC/Paradigm.
Elsevier. (2015). Nursing Drug Reference (25th ed.). (A. Purdue, Ed.) St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby.
International Business Machines Corporation. (n.d.). Salary.com. (IBM, Producer) Retrieved January 21, 2016, from https://www1.salary.com/Pharmacy-Technician-1-Salary.html
Payscale, Inc. (2016). Retrieved January 21, 2016, from www.payscale.com
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. (n.d.). PTCB. Retrieved January 21, 2016, from PTCB: www.ptcb.org
Physician Desk Reference (PDR) (70th ed.). (2016). Invanz.
Sandra Tschritter, B. C. (2011). LWW's Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam Review. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Teresa Hopper, B. C. (2012). Pharmacy Technician Principles and Practice (Third ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby.
Trivium. (2015-2016). PTCB Exam Study Guide. Middletown, De: Trivium

Additional review information

Additional information is available for organizations that are reviewing our course, just ask us.

Complete printout of study materials
Complete testing instruments with answer keys — This is only available to accreditation organizations and government regulators that review our course.
Complimentary online course access
Resumes, CVs and all credentialing information for our instructors

Completion eCard

Sample of our course completion eCard (click to enlarge):

Please verify the authenticity of our certificates by emailing us with the name and issue date of the student.

Quickly land a great job

Entry-level job seekers:

This three-week course puts you to work faster
Certified pharmacy techs may go on to management or other pharmaceutical specialties.
Take this course for required job training!

Pharmacy technician employment process

Each state and province has different rules for persons to work as a pharmacy technician.

We are very familiar with the laws for each state, please give us a call to review the details. But in general, this is the process:

You must be over 17 or 18 years of age, depending on the state
You must have a high school diploma or GED in most states
You must pass a state-level exam (which this course prepares you for)
You must pass a background check and have a clean record, rules vary by state

We have documented the specific rules at our state laws page but you can just as easily call us on the phone and we can clarify any questions you have about these items.

All resources

Frequently asked questions

What does a pharmacy tech do?

Pharmacy technicians aid pharmacists in dispensing medicine. The work environment can vary from working at a local pharmacy to working in a hospital.
Do you want a career instead of a job?

Fast food and retail jobs only take you so far. Before long it’s boring, there is no opportunity to advance, the pay is bad, and you just don’t want to do it any longer! How about a fast-paced job in the ever-expanding medical field? Pharmacy technicians are in demand. Due to the growing number of elderly in our population, medical jobs will be in demand well into the future. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the demand for pharmacy technicians to grow by 9% in the next ten years. That is faster than average growth! 34,700 jobs are expected to be added in that time period. That’s great news!

If you are a motivated, self-starter, you can be employed and earning a nice salary in as long as it takes you to study for the examination. No need to spend years and many thousands of dollars to acquire a degree for a career that will yield the same income.
How much will I make?

According to U.S Bureau Of Labor Statistics the median annual salary for pharmacy technician is $ 36,740 with a range between $28,740 and $47,580. An associate's degree as a medical assistant will earn approximately between $29,070 – $48,170 (May 2021).
What are the training requirements?

We are recognized by PTCB^™. Some states only require that you pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam while others require a little more education. We have included the requirements for each state in the pharmacy technician State Requirements section below. Get online CPR certification if you require that from your employer.
What is the exam like?

Our end of course exam is designed to ensure you have learned the information covered in each section of the course. The end of course exam contains 50 questions. Should you fail the exam, you will have two more attempts to pass it and you will be provided with remediation to help you study the areas in which you need to improve.

We are PTCB^™ approved and our end of course exam is also designed to prepare you for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB™) exam, which is required in some states. The PTCB™ has written a 90 question multiple-choice examination. You will be given 120 minutes to complete the examination. The scores are scaled ranges from 1000–1600 and you must obtain a score of 1400 or higher to pass. The test is completed at computer testing centers. You are permitted to utilize a simple calculator during the exam. The PTCB™ publishes an examination blueprint (www.ptcb.org) that provides the prospective technician with the subject matter that is covered on the exam. Our course will cover all of the areas contained in the blueprint so that you can feel confident that you have the information that you need to be successful. You will notice areas of our course place bold numbers at the beginning or end of some sections. These correspond to areas of the blueprint that need to be emphasized during your preparation.
What if I don't pass?

Not to worry. If you do not pass your exam on the first attempt you will have our study material available to you free of charge to study for another attempt. We have put together a comprehensive study course that will prepare you to be successful.

*All illustrations courtesy of freepik