Based on your specific requirements, you’ll want to understand what duties a certified or registered technician is capable of, or even allowed to perform in your state.
Education Differences
To be eligible to practice professionally as a registered pharmacy technician, the majority of states require at least a high school diploma or GED. Several others require formal training or the completion of a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Some states have no education requirement at all, and simply impose an 18-year-old minimum age requirement.
To earn certification, a technician needs to pass a qualifying exam given by either the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). A vast body of knowledge is typically required to pass these tests, so many certified technicians have acquired some sort of educational background or prior pharmacy work experience to achieve success.
You can visit the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board website to find additional information regarding certification requirements.
Skill Sets
Do you want your technician to be able to accept verbal orders for non-controlled drugs from a prescriber? Is it important that you have someone who can compound sterile products? Based on your specific requirements, you’ll want to understand what duties a certified or registered technician is capable of, or even allowed to perform in your state.
A PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician is often responsible for receiving prescription requests, checking medications, labeling bottles, maintaining patient profiles, preparing insurance claims, operating dispensing systems, stocking shelves, and much more.
As a general rule of thumb, certified technicians typically have more advanced skill sets than their non-certified counterparts. The certification allows them to perform certain tasks in a pharmacy that, depending on state regulations, a solely registered technician would not be allowed to do.
If the help your pharmacy needs is more administrative, such as running cash registers, answering phones, and providing basic customer service to patients, then a registered technician may be the best fit for you. If you’re seeking more advanced assistance (and depending on your state’s requirements) a certified technician may better suit your needs.
