Certification for Pharm Techs

[Elisaveth]

I have a college degree, and am applying to pharmacy school ED. I currently volunteer at a hospital pharmacy, and I've been told that all I need to do is get certified to find part-time/full-time work as a pharm tech.

So I have my study guide, but while registering online for the exam, I got all these questions about where I was trained and what pharm tech course I took or that I should have either been trained by a chain drugstore or have done a course through a community college or some online school.

Is this the case? Or can I just take the PTCE and get on with it without taking any training courses?

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[jtwl1231]

I was in the same place you are a few months ago. Just read the study guide, take the test, and go inquire to a bunch of pharmacies about a job.

Tips: study calculations, drug laws, and some generic/brand equivalents. Sell yourself while talking to the pharmacists. Drop off resumes and collect business cards. Touch base with them a week later to further express your interest.

This is what did just after getting certified and was offered a job within 2 weeks after starting the job search.

Best of luck!!!

 

[tvn273]

The PTCB is super easy... Really all you need to do is know what an NDC is and how to do the math. Don't bother studying generic name of drugs... don't waste your time.

 

[diepsteven]

IIRC, the pass rate is only a 70% for the PTCE. Calculating what the test comprises of, just know your math inside and out (dont miss any in this portion). The math is very basic, what you really need to learn is your conversion between metric/household. I also suggest learning the major laws in pharmacy. I used the mosby's PTCE guide and they had about 30 major laws (a few actually popped on my test). Other than that...just make educated guesses on the rest

 

[LoratadineGuy]

Well, how long have you been volunteering? It will be no problem for you to find a job after getting certified IF you have at least one year of experience. I graduated with a B.S. and got my pharm tech certificate, but after 2-3 months of volunterring at VA, still no one will hire me But then again, maybe it's just me.