Pharmacy Technician Testing

[burbuja0512]

I know that this isn't the goal of most people on this site, but for anyone that's interested, I thought I'd share...

I paid 800+ dollars a while back to take an online pharmacy tech course. I'm in medical software sales and I just wanted something to help me "speak the language" a little better and didn't want to attend a B&M school, especially for something I never really planned on using.

Anyhow, I don't want to disparage the school, so I won't mention the name, but the course consisted of sending me a book and a workbook and having to complete online tests. WOW... 800 bucks for that!!!! I felt soooo ripped off.

Each state is different, but after I went through the course, I found out that in Colorado, you don't have to take a pharmacy tech course to sit for the exam. You just show up, sit for the exam, and pass or fail. You have some continuing ed if you want to maintain your certification for longer than two years, but it's all easy stuff. To find out more for your own state, go to PTCB.org or just google your state + PTCB

Anyhow... since we're all testing out of subjects here, I thought I'd mention it. I really wouldn't recommend it as a long term career as there isn't a lot of room for growth. However if you're interested in pharmacy, or a student that wants to get an in-demand job while you're studying, it's a pretty good option.

My DS wants to be a pharmacist. His plan is to get his AA through TESC or EC, study for the pharmacy tech course, and then enter a B&M school. His pharmacy tech certification will enable him to gain valuable experience in the pharmacy and also have a part time job that pays 12-16 bucks an hour.

If anyone's intersted, I can list the books i've used. They're all on Amazon and I could have saved a pretty penny had I just bought the book and taken the test.

[P00057870]

Sure - please list those books. You never know when someone needs to get a job in a reasonable amount of time.

[cookderosa]

I know that this isn't the goal of most people on this site, but for anyone that's interested, I thought I'd share...

I paid 800+ dollars a while back to take an online pharmacy tech course. I'm in medical software sales and I just wanted something to help me "speak the language" a little better and didn't want to attend a B&M school, especially for something I never really planned on using.

Anyhow, I don't want to disparage the school, so I won't mention the name, but the course consisted of sending me a book and a workbook and having to complete online tests. WOW... 800 bucks for that!!!! I felt soooo ripped off.

Each state is different, but after I went through the course, I found out that in Colorado, you don't have to take a pharmacy tech course to sit for the exam. You just show up, sit for the exam, and pass or fail. You have some continuing ed if you want to maintain your certification for longer than two years, but it's all easy stuff. To find out more for your own state, go to PTCB.org or just google your state + PTCB

Anyhow... since we're all testing out of subjects here, I thought I'd mention it. I really wouldn't recommend it as a long term career as there isn't a lot of room for growth. However if you're interested in pharmacy, or a student that wants to get an in-demand job while you're studying, it's a pretty good option.

My DS wants to be a pharmacist. His plan is to get his AA through TESC or EC, study for the pharmacy tech course, and then enter a B&M school. His pharmacy tech certification will enable him to gain valuable experience in the pharmacy and also have a part time job that pays 12-16 bucks an hour.

If anyone's intersted, I can list the books i've used. They're all on Amazon and I could have saved a pretty penny had I just bought the book and taken the test.

This is EXCELLENT information! Thanks for sharing! I wish your DS loads of luck too

[burbuja0512]

Mosby's Pharmacy Technician, Principles and Practices. You'll need to buy the text and the accompanying working book.

The Mosby's one isn't the one that my school sent me, it's one I found after the fact that looked a lot better... though it is a bit more complex than the one my school gave me.

The one from my school is The Pharmacy Technician by Mary F. Powers & Janet Wakelin. On this one the accompanying workbook is called Pharmacy Calculations by the same authors.

Don't be afraid of the pharmacy tech math. It's pretty basic stuff and involves simple metric conversions.

[ryoder]

I know someone who's wife took the exam without a class. He mentioned that there was some change in the requirements that went into effect Jan 1 but i don't know what it was. The math was challenging for her but he said it was simple conversions and once she got the hang of it she was fine.

[burbuja0512]

I know someone who's wife took the exam without a class. He mentioned that there was some change in the requirements that went into effect Jan 1 but i don't know what it was. The math was challenging for her but he said it was simple conversions and once she got the hang of it she was fine.

A lot of people are able to sit for the exam without a class, usually those who have been working in the pharmacy. In many states, a certification isn't required to work as a pharm tech, though it's hard to get a job without one.

I know someone who became a pharm tech because she was working at Albertson's in college. The pharmacy was short technicians and for whatever reason wasn't having luck finding one. They asked her to move to the pharmacy and paid her a couple bucks less an hour than the other techs. Once she knew enough to pass the test, she sat for it and then got a pay raise.

Regarding a change in requirement, this varies by state. As far as I know, there are no national standards. Some states allow you to be 16 and with no certification to work in the pharmacy and others require 18+ with certification. It's pretty much across the board that they don't let you in with any sort of drug convictions on your records.

I volunteered in a hospital pharmacy for almost a year after I took my certification. Once a week on Friday evenings... just to have some "clinical" experience on my resume. I can tell you that the tech jobs are all over the place, from mindless re-stocking to the IV tech in a sterile room that needs to exercise the utmost care with IV bag preparation.

I still really would not recommend it as a permanent career choice. It worked perfectly for me though - easy way to make my resume 100% better than my peers. You would be surprised how many medical software sales people have no medical background. I'll see 100 resumes and maybe one (usually none) where the applicant has ever been inside a hospital. So, if you're in business and want to make a switch to a medical company, it's a great way to do it. There are TONS of non-hospital healthcare jobs out there, and it doesn't take a highly skilled medical background to do it.