Contact Information
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board
2215 Constitution Avenue NW
Suite 101
Washington, DC 20037
Office: (800) 363-8012
Fax: (202) 888-1699
Website: ptcb.org
About the PTCB
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is a non-profit organization that was established in 1995 to promote medication safety by certifying pharmacy technicians who have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their job duties competently.
The PTCB is a leading certifying organization for pharmacy technicians in the United States. The organization provides certification programs for pharmacy technicians, including advanced certificate programs for technicians who want to advance their careers.
To become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), individuals must meet eligibility requirements, which include completion of a PTCB-recognized education/training program OR 500 hours of work experience. Additionally, candidates must pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE), which is administered by the PTCB.
The PTCE is a computer-based exam that tests candidates’ knowledge of pharmacy technician duties, including medication dispensing, prescription processing, medication safety, and pharmacy law and regulations. Once a candidate has passed the PTCE, they become a Certified Pharmacy Technician and can use the CPhT credential. To maintain certification, pharmacy technicians must complete a certain number of continuing education hours and submit documentation to the PTCB every two years.
Along with the CPhT certification, the PTCB offers the opportunity for pharmacy technicians to earn a Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT) certification and an Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPht-Adv) certification.
In addition to certification programs, the PTCB provides resources and support to pharmacy technicians, including a directory of certified pharmacy technicians and a job board for pharmacy technician positions.
Overall, the PTCB plays an important role in promoting medication safety and ensuring that pharmacy technicians have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their job duties competently.
Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) CE Requirements
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board requires Certified Pharmacy Technicians to complete continuing education (CE) activities to maintain their certification. The CE activities are designed to ensure that pharmacy technicians stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field and are able to perform their job duties competently.
CPhTs must complete 20 hours of CE activities every two years. At least one hour of the CE activities must be related to pharmacy law, and one hour must be related to patient safety. The remaining 18 hours can be related to any topic that is relevant to pharmacy technician practice. Please note that the other PTCB certifications have their own continuing education requirements.
CPhT CE hours must be in a pharmacy technician subject matter as listed in the PTCE Content Outline or offered by ACPE-accredited providers with the target audience designation “T” (technician specific).
Beginning with renewal applications received after September 1, 2020, PTCB accepts a maximum of five (5) CE hours from ACPE-accredited providers with the target audience designation “P” (pharmacist-specific) if the subject matter is contained within the PTCE Content Outline.
The PTCB accepts CE activities from a variety of sources, including ACPE-accredited providers like freeCE. CE activities can be completed in a variety of formats, including live online webinars and on-demand courses.
Once a CPhT completes a CE activity, they must submit documentation to the PTCB to demonstrate that they have met the CE requirements. The PTCB requires documentation of CE completion to include the activity title, date of completion, number of hours completed, and the name of the provider.
freeCE is proud to offer PTCB-recognized specialty training programs for pharmacy technicians. Check them out here!