What We Do
About PTCB Certified
Pharmacy Technicians
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s mission is to advance
medication safety by certifying technicians who are qualified to support
pharmacists and patient care teams in all practice settings. PTCB’s
certification process includes passing PTCB’s Pharmacy Technician
Certification Exam (PTCE), a nationally accredited certification
examination that tests knowledge areas in all pharmacy practice
settings. PTCE scores are used to determine whether an individual has
demonstrated the knowledge necessary to practice as a pharmacy
technician. Certified pharmacy technicians (CPhTs) play a vital role in
providing care to patients in community pharmacies, hospitals, long-term
care facilities, and other health care settings.
PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs)
play integral roles supporting pharmacists in
all practice settings and carry out a variety
of tasks that include entering prescription
orders, operating automated dispensing
systems, preparing IV admixtures, maintaining
inventories, and processing insurance claims.
As pharmacists become responsible for more
direct patient care in such venues as pharmacybased immunization programs and community
pharmacy clinics, CPhTs are assuming new
and expanded roles in medication safety,
immunization and clinical testing support,
medication therapy management, supply
chain management, medication reconciliation,
financial assistance, transitions of care,
inventory control, leadership, and supervision.
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American Pharmacists Association
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American Society of Health-System
Pharmacists
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Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists
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Michigan Pharmacists Association
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National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
PTCB is an independent 501 (c)(6) nonprofit organization.
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION BOARD
WHO
WE ARE
www.ptcb.org
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Setting the Standard. Advancing Patient Care.
November 2016
PTCB by the Numbers
Founded in 1995, PTCB celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015
More than 587,536 pharmacy technician certifications have
been granted by PTCB since 1995
More than 275,000 PTCB CPhTs are actively certified in the US
PTCB Certification is accepted in all 50 states and DC
Of the 45 states and DC that regulate pharmacy technicians,
24 and DC include national certification in their regulations
PTCB delivered 56,253 Pharmacy Technician Certification
Examinations (PTCEs) in 2015
The PTCE is given at more than 260 high security Pearson VUE
testing centers located in all 50 states and DC
More than 1,100 educational institutions participate in PTCB’s
Educator Program
More than 700 pharmacy technician employers have joined
PTCB’s Employer Program
Total PTCB Certifications Granted
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
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2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
The PTCB Board of Governors is comprised of
PTCB’s Executive Director and CEO Everett B.
McAllister, MPA, RPh, and one representative from
each of the following five governing organizations:
Recertification is required every 2 years to maintain active PTCB Certification. Continuing Education (CE) requirements are meant to
ensure that CPhTs are continually educated through programs specific to the knowledge required of them in today’s pharmacy settings.
As the nation’s healthcare system evolves, pharmacy technician roles are shifting and expanding to better support pharmacists, and
it is essential that CPhTs be continually educated on a variety of relevant topics. PTCB’s Certification and Recertification Program has
been accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) since 2006.
How We Work
Who We Serve
What is Changing
Experts Working Together. PTCB relies on the volunteer
efforts of experienced pharmacy technicians and
pharmacists to assist staff in a variety of activities,
including exam content development, policy creation,
and special projects. Volunteering is a rewarding way
to support PTCB’s mission and contribute to the field of
pharmacy.
Collaborating with Stakeholders. PTCB collaborates with
stakeholders, including CPhTs, employers, educators, state
boards of pharmacy, state pharmacy associations, and
professional organizations to encourage dialogue across
the US to advance standardized certification, and promote
patient safety and optimal care through state legislative
and regulatory processes.
PTCB announced a series of Certification Program
changes in early 2013 to advance pharmacy
technician qualifications by elevating PTCB’s
standards for certification and recertification.
These changes include the following:
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Pharmacy Technicians. PTCB Certification positions
CPhTs for career advancement, provides them with
a sense of achievement that benefits the entire
pharmacy team, and requires them to keep up with
the latest advances in the field through CE.
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State Boards of Pharmacy. PTCB’s Certification
Program assists state boards of pharmacy in their
mission to develop, implement, and enforce quality
standards to advance patient care and protect public
safety. PTCB’s benefits and resources for state boards
include:
PTCB’s Certification Council. Appointed by the Board
of Governors, the Certification Council directs the
development of the PTCE and policies and procedures
related to the Certification Program. The council
is comprised of volunteer expert pharmacists and
CPhTs who represent a range of practice settings and
geographic areas.
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Exam Item Writers. PTCB enlists volunteer
pharmacists and CPhTs to assist in writing exam
items.
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PTCB Staff. PTCB’s staff comprises a team of experts
in certification, psychometrics, test development,
program management, customer service,
communications, and technology working together to
administer the PTCB Program and support and inform
the more than 275,000 active PTCB CPhTs, as well as
PTCB’s stakeholders.
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PTCB on the Road
PTCB often exhibits and gives presentations
at pharmacy association and state board of
pharmacy meetings across the US, and enjoys
in-person interaction with pharmacy technicians,
employers, educators, and State Board leaders.
PTCB representatives take part in more than 35
conventions and gatherings each year across the
US, traveling more than 100,000 miles.
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blast e-communication to CPhTs and
stakeholders in the board’s state, and
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state-specific reports on PTCE pass rates.
State Pharmacy Associations. PTCB works
collaboratively with state health-system and
community pharmacy associations to inform
pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, educators,
legislators, and the public of the value of the PTCB
Program. Across the nation, PTCB partners with 70
organizations in 45 states and works closely with
them on legislative and regulatory issues affecting
pharmacy technicians. PTCB encourages CPhTs to
take an active role in their states on behalf of their
fellow technicians.
Employers and Educators. PTCB works with
employers and educators to advance a national
standard of certification to protect patient safety by
encouraging employees and students to become PTCB
certified. PTCB’s complimentary Advocate Employer
and Educator Programs provide program participants
with news and updates from PTCB, bulk discounts on
PTCB’s Practice Test, and, for sponsors, regular reports
on their programs’ PTCE results.
SETTING THE
STANDARD
ADVANCING
PATIENT CARE
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By 2020, PTCB will require new candidates
seeking initial certification to successfully
complete an American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists (ASHP)/Accreditation
Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)accredited education program. This
requirement will not apply to already certified
CPhTs.
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Changes in recertification requirements
include: decreasing allowable CE hours earned
from college courses from 15 to 10 in 2016;
and completely phasing out allowable inservice CE hours by 2018.
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Since 2015, candidates eligible for
recertification or reinstatement are required
to complete pharmacy technician-specific
(T-specific) continuing education (CE) hours
to renew their certification.
Advanced Certification
PTCB’s Sterile Compounding Advanced
Certification Task Force is working to develop a
new sterile compounding advanced certification
program. This group of specialists, PTCB staff,
and other experts has conducted a Job Analysis
Study of the roles of individuals engaged in sterile
compounding to inform development of a new
advanced assessment.