Discover 3 New Ways to Expand Your Career as a Pharmacy Technician

Importance of Certification:

Certification in any field shows credibility, and an individual who holds a certificate displays motivation to work hard, willingness to stay abreast of current trends, and initiative to grow in their field.

As a result, employers will take note of potential candidates and employees who seek and maintain career related certifications.

In the Pharmacy Technician field, there are a few different organizations that offer certification. One in particular is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). This board recently came out with their advanced certification (PhT-Adv), which targets and supports additional roles within the field.

How to Earn this Advanced Certification:

There are some prerequisites and criteria that must be met in order to obtain a PhT-Adv certificate including the following:

1. Complete, at minimum, 4 PTCB specialty assessment–based certificate programs OR 3 certificate programs PLUS PTCB compounded sterile preparation technician certification
2. Three years of work experience in a pharmacy within the past 8 years
3. A valid and active PTCB CPhT Certification

 

What Certificates are Offered?

The specialty certificates offered are Technician Product Verification (TPV), Medication History, Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention, Billing and Reimbursement, Hazardous Drug Management, and Immunization Administration.

These certifications help distinguish those who have knowledge and skills in specialty areas and their commitment to advancing patient care and medicine.

However, if you already hold a certification and are looking to recertify, there a various options for completing those requirements.

Pharmacy Recertification Updates:

It is acceptable to have 5 CE hours with the specific targeted audience from ACPE-accredited facilities, which will count towards the necessary 20 CE hours.

In order to show recertification, you must upload the documents and create an NABP e-profile ID and set up an account.

If you are taking CE hours from a non-accredited CE provider, you need to upload the hours manually for documentation purposes and for approval.

Catch a Glimpse at a CPhT-Adv Pharmacy Technician:

There are already several individuals who have taken the step to getting CPhT-Adv certified including Bannout. Read how she is advocating for technicians to obtain these credentials and how it is benefiting her.

Bannout’s pharmacy tasks include verifying final products, reconciling medications, and compounding sterile and non-sterile items. Her credentials help her maintain the proper knowledge needed to ensure the safety of patients and the medical community.

Be sure to follow PTCB on Instagram to stay up-to-date on information in the field, information on certification, and create a networking environment.

In addition to certification, individuals can also earn badges to showcase their work and areas of expertise. PTCB offers digital badges!

 

What are the Benefits of Having Digital Badges?

 

By showcasing a digital badge, employers can easily see your accomplishments. And because they are digital, the method for sharing these credentials online is smoother. They can be shared on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. and can be embedded into a website or even an email signature!

What Digital Badges Have Launched?

 

There are nine badges that have been released, which include…

1. Certified Pharmacy Technician
2. Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician
3. Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician
4. Billing and Reimbursement
5. Hazardous Drug Management
6. Medication History
7. Technician Product Verification
8. Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention
9. Immunization Administration

 

Claim Your Badge

Current credential holders will receive an email inviting them to accept their badge.

1. Click the link in the email
2. Create an account on the badge site
3. Accept your badge and start sharing

*If you didn’t receive the email, go directly to credly.com and create an account using the same email you use for your PTCB Account. Once logged in, you can accept your badge(s).

Have more questions about digital badging? View Digital Badge FAQs.

 

Start Your Career At Blackstone Career Institute and Become Certified:

Graduates of Blackstone Career Institute’s Pharmacy Technician Training online course are qualified to sit for the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) sponsored by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).