NPTA’s Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program™ is comprised of nine online courses and practical hands-on experience obtained through local pharmacy externships. The program, which is self-paced, is equivalent to roughly 750 contact hours and can be completed in six to twelve months, depending upon the student’s schedule.

In particular, students will learn the principles of pharmaceutical care, pharmacy law, community pharmacy practice, institutional pharmacy practice, pharmacy calculations and pharmacology. Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to work in retail pharmacy environments, such as CVS®, Walgreens® and Rite-Aid®, hospital pharmacies, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and numerous other facilities.

“The pharmacy technician career path is quickly evolving and is in great demand across the United States,” said Mike Johnston, CPhT, Chairman and CEO of NPTA. “This program makes perfect sense for individuals who are looking to get into the healthcare industry and experience greater job opportunity and security, especially in the current economic climate.”

Affordability was a primary goal for NPTA, who wants to ensure that any qualified candidate interested in becoming a pharmacy technician has the opportunity to do so. The tuition for NPTA’s Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program™ is a fraction of the fees charged by career colleges and other online programs. Additionally, NPTA offers an interest-free payment plan for students and provides all textbooks and training materials in the tuition fee.

Since 1999, the National Pharmacy Technician Association has been the leader in pharmacy technician education and training since 1999 and NPTA’s Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program™ will make a huge difference for individuals with limited budgets, time constraints and provides unmatched credibility for entering the profession.

For more information on becoming a pharmacy technician through NPTA’s online training program, go to www.pharmacytechnician.org/institute or call 1-888-247-8700.

“PTCB certification provides the core skills and nationally recognized credentials necessary for pharmacy technicians to deliver optimal pharmacist support and patient care,” said Kermit Crawford, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy at Walgreens. “Walgreens was the first to get behind PTCB certification and strongly supports the new continuous testing format because it creates daily access to the highest quality exam offered.”

The transition to on-demand, year round exam availability is designed to meet increasing demand from employers, state boards of pharmacy, educators, and pharmacy technicians for greater access to the highest quality exam. PTCB candidate demographics and numbers have expanded steadily over PTCB’s 14 years as the industry leader in certifying pharmacy technicians. In 2008, PTCB tested over 50,000 pharmacy technicians and has certified more than 339,000 CPhTs since inception in 1995, through the examination and transfer process. The PTCB certification program utilizes Pearson Professional Centers for testing, the same centers used by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy for its North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX).

“More and more, state boards of pharmacy are requiring pharmacy technicians to be PTCB certified, and we recognize the need to adjust our format to meet the demand for qualified technicians,” said Melissa Murer Corrigan, RPh, Executive Director and CEO of PTCB. “In the first month of the new format, 6,800 pharmacy technicians have applied for testing. Clearly this is an idea whose time has come, and we are excited to once again break new ground for pharmacy technicians, employers, and patients.”

PTCB’s certification program is widely recognized and trusted throughout the industry for ensuring that pharmacy technicians across the country adhere to the highest standards. The PTCB certification program is the only certification endorsed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and other professional pharmacy organizations. PTCB’s examination is available in all 50 states at over 200 Pearson Professional Centers, internationally at DANTES testing centers, and in Guam and Puerto Rico.