PTCB recognizes education and training programs that meet the requirements outlined in the CPhT Knowledge Reference Document. PTCB recognition of education/training programs is only available in the United States and its territories unless the CPhT credential is required by or officially recognized by the government regulator for pharmacy practice in the jurisdiction. International programs are not eligible to become a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program.
In order for a student to be eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®), completion of a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program is required, or 500 hours of equivalent work experience.
The following resources are available for you to create your program or prepare to become recognized.
Accreditation
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), in a joint effort with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), accredits pharmacy technician education programs. This accreditation is not required but may be an option for your program. The accreditation standards are made available on the Pharmacy Technician Accreditation website.
Please also check with your state board of pharmacy for any additional requirements that may be in place in your state for training/educating pharmacy technicians.
External Resources
Many external resources are available that may be useful to individuals preparing for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam that are often used as textbooks in pharmacy technician curricula. PTCB does not recommend or endorse specific educational materials for pharmacy technicians, but shares the following examples for informational purposes only:
- Manual for Pharmacy Technicians, 5th Edition
- The Pharmacy Technician, 6th Edition
- Pharmaceutical Calculations, 16th Edition
- The Pharmacy Technician's Pocket Drug Reference, 12th Edition
Once you have developed your program, create your PTCB Educator Account, log in and submit your attestation to become recognized.
The attestation survey may take significant time to complete, as it requires program directors to review and attest that their program curriculum includes specific areas of knowledge required by PTCB.
The Recognized Education/Training Program Attestation must be completed by the program director of a pharmacy technician education/training program.
When should I expect a reply?
Please allow 10 business days for PTCB to review your attestation. Once your attestation is approved you will receive a welcome email and your program will be listed in our directory of PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Programs.
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