With all the options available in pharmacy technician training, it can be hard to decide exactly which school to choose and which schools are the best. To help you narrow down your options, follow these simple and very informative steps.

The first step is to determine your state's pharmacy technician requirements. Every state has a board of pharmacy that determines the requirements for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Since each state makes its own rules, each state's requirements will be different. Some states may require training from a board-approved school, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certification, or possibly nothing at all. You can look up your state's requirements on our State Requirements page. This will help you figure out if training is required and if you need to get PTCB certification.

Step two is narrowing down to the training courses that will prepare you for PTCB certification. Regardless of your state requirements, you should strongly consider getting your PTCB certification. There are many benefits of becoming certified; most importantly is the fact that you may have greater marketability. You will want to take a training course that was designed to help prepare for the PTCE (Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam).

Finally, if you are still having trouble, you can narrow down your options even further by looking at courses that also offer a pharmacy technician externship. Externships allow students to get real hands-on experience and training in a pharmacy. Externships are unpaid but are a great way to get real-world experience as well as make local connections with people in the industry.

Following these three easy steps should help you narrow down your pharmacy technician training options. Keep it simple and make sure your training meets your state's requirements. Congratulations on deciding on pharmacy technician as your new career and good luck!