Which Pharm Tech school is credible?

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rosan

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  1. Pre-Pharmacy
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I want to get some good experience by becoming a pharm tech before I apply to pharm schools. As I was looking for places that offer the program, I was getting a little confused on which place was credible. I found some that offer it on line. Which credentials should I be looking for when I choice the program?
 
I think the first question you should ask myself is whether or not you really *need* to do a pharmacy technician training course. It is completely possible to study for the certification exam on your own and pass it without going through an official training (which I think can be quite costly). I personally purchased a couple of review books from Amazon and also studied the top 200 drugs. I would also recommend brushing up on some math skills because it seemed a lot of the exam was calculations.

State to state laws vary, but my state does not actually require certification. They require technicians to be licensed - a painless process involving $10 and a background check, regardless of training. You should consult your own state's laws regarding their requirements.

Finally, one benefit of training programs I have seen mentioned is that many of them do offer job placement assistance after you complete their programs. If you are concerned about finding a pharmacy job, that might be one upside of a training program.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the great advice. I will check if my state requires the training. 🙂
 
agh88, how did you find out if your state requires training or not? I live in NJ
 
agh88, how did you find out if your state requires training or not? I live in NJ

yeah, where can you find out if your state requires training?

paying 1500 for training is waste of money. I already know 90 percent just from working as a clerk at a pharmacy.
 
Just take the PTCE for $129 and check your state's requirements for licensure, I don't see the need for a formal training course.
 
Just take the PTCE for $129 and check your state's requirements for licensure, I don't see the need for a formal training course.

do you know where we can get all these info on states and their requirements for pharmacy technician licenses?
 
no idea, i'd imagine a search on google of your state name plus pharmacy license should do the trick
 
Ditto to what confettiflyer suggested - google board of pharmacy for your state. The board of pharmacy website should have all of the information necessary regarding licensure/certification requirements. I do think that New Jersey is a little different from other states - I don't think they require interns to be licensed - I'm not sure about technicians though.
 
yeah, where can you find out if your state requires training?

paying 1500 for training is waste of money. I already know 90 percent just from working as a clerk at a pharmacy.

California Board of Pharmacy website has all the info you need to know for what is required to become a pharmacy tech. The quickest way is to get PTCB certified. Self-study is normally sufficient. Especially if you have clerk experience, behind you getting a job will be a lot easier for you than most newly certified techs. For instance, I have 0 experience, so I'd normally be required to clerk for a while before they let me actually do any tech work anyway.
 
Do not waste money on a program to become a pharm tech. I applied at a CVS pharmacy, not sure if they have one where you reside but if you do they have a great training program. You start off just doing register/monetary stuff and counting pills etc... They train you during those time and when your ready you just take the state test or national if you want which I don't recommend. You can take the test usually within 6-9 months.
 
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