Overview of Online Pharmacy Technician Certification Programs
Students wishing to become a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) can pursue certification from several organizations, such as the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or the National Healthcareer Association (NHA). While these certifications require students to take in-person exams at an approved testing site, students can study for the exam with online resources. To qualify for the exam students must also complete a pharmacy technician/technology program, and these are available in online or hybrid formats. These diploma or associate's programs take between 1-2 years (associate degrees are the longer of the two) to complete and are designed to prepare students to take a national certification exam in the field. Most of these programs require students to have a high school diploma or GED.
Pharmacy technician certification exams usually allow students up to around 2 hours to complete the required questions. Students can also qualify for the PTCB's Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) by having at least 500 hours of work experience as a pharmacy technician.
Requirements for Online Pharmacy Technician Certification
Pharmacy technician certifications are designed to test students' skills and knowledge in various areas of pharmacy technology and providing support to a pharmacy team. The computer-based certification exams must be taken in-person at a testing site, but students can qualify and prepare for the certification exam with online training programs, study guides, and practice tests.
General Requirements
Typically, once students have met the eligibility requirements with education or work experience, they can apply to take the pharmacy technician certification exam. After their eligibility is reviewed and students are approved, they can schedule their exam at an approved testing site. There is a wide range of online study materials and resources available to students to help them prepare for the exam at home. The PTCB's PTCE consists of 90 multiple choice questions, 10 of which are unscored. Students receive their unofficial scores immediately after the exam. The NHA's ExCPT exam has 100 questions, with 20 pretest questions. Students receive their certification results within 2 days of their exam being scored.
Additional Requirements
Both the PTCB and NHA require a renewal process for students to maintain their credentials. This renewal process occurs every 2 years. Students with certification through either organization must obtain 20 hours of continuing education and pay the required renewal fees to maintain their certification.
List of Online Programs for Pharmacy Technology in North Carolina
Although pharmacy technician certification can be completed anywhere in the country, individual states, including North Carolina, may offer online or hybrid education programs that help qualify students to take the national certification exams. Several community colleges and other institutions in the Tarheel State provide students with pharmacy technician or pharmacy technology training programs to help prepare students to assist pharmacists in a variety of tasks. Below, we explore a few examples of online or hybrid training programs for aspiring pharmacy technicians in the state.
Coastal Carolina Community College
Students at Coastal Carolina Community College can pursue the pharmacy technician course that can be completed fully online. Prior to the course, students are encouraged to take a free math and reading placement test to ensure they are academically prepared to succeed. Students are taught by pharmacists and certified pharmacy technicians. Course topics include pharmacy operations, drug classification, rules and regulations, and math calculations used in the field.
Central Piedmont Community College
Central Piedmont Community College provides a pharmacy technology program designed specifically to prepare students for the PTCB's certification exam. Students can choose between earning a diploma or associate's degree in the field, with the diploma taking 3 semesters to complete and the associate's degree taking 5 semesters to complete. Offered as a hybrid program, some courses can be taken online, but students also participate in in-person clinical experiences and labs.
South Piedmont Community College
South Piedmont Community College provides an online pharmacy technician program that also specifically prepares students for the PTCB's certification exam. The program is broken into 2 parts that are 4 months long each. Students must complete a total of 600 hours for the program, which concludes with an externship experience at a student's local Walgreens or CVS.
National certification exams for pharmacy technicians must be taken in-person, but students in North Carolina can choose from several online or hybrid training programs to meet eligibility requirements for certification. Some of these programs can be completed in less than 1 year.
