Is Training Required To Be A Technician?

[treetop02]

i've heard of all these training classes online which promise you training to become a pharmacy technician in 6 months to 1 year. Is training required ? I worked in a pharmacy as a clerk for 2 years and learn all the details of what it takes to be a technician. Can I just take the pharmacy technician test and pass it to become a tech? Or do I really have to go through some training?

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[ForcedEntry]

 

[no-see-um]

Depends on the state?

Take the certification exam for some states. Others you don't have to.

 

[piyi]

i've heard of all these training classes online which promise you training to become a pharmacy technician in 6 months to 1 year. Is training required ? I worked in a pharmacy as a clerk for 2 years and learn all the details of what it takes to be a technician. Can I just take the pharmacy technician test and pass it to become a tech? Or do I really have to go through some training?

Yes, it does depend on the state. Where I used to live in Indiana, they just hired me off the street and I was a techinician right away. I actually found it pretty scary. Some states, you need to have so many hours of actual work in a pharmacy as a clerk before you can get your technician license. That is how it is in Nevada.

After two years of working in a pharmacy, I do not see how you do not have your technician license. The license and certification are two different things. If you do not have your license by now, check with your pharmacist or state board of pharmacy to see what you need to do to get one. You should just have to send in some paper work showing that you've been working for 600 or so hours as a clerk. But then your state could be different, so maybe you do need a national certification.

Also, if you do want to become nationally certified, anyone can sit for that test; you don't even have to be working in a pharmacy. Some companys have a program that will train you and pay for you to take that test. You also can take it on your own, which is what I did. I just got some books and studied for it. It is not that difficult.