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| | | Pharmacy Technicians help pharmacists provide medication to patients by counting tablets, labeling bottles, and through administrative duties including answering phones and operating the cash register. In hospitals and nursing homes, technicians will prepare medications based on a patient's chart. The medications are checked by a pharmacist before delivery. While there are no formal federal training guidelines, school generally includes about 240 hours of combined classroom and clinical work that may be implemented at a community college or vocational school. | | |
| Typical costs: | - Community colleges often offer degree or certificates for pharmacy technicians. Because funding for community colleges varies by state, the cost for the same program can run about $460 -$4,260 for residents. Austin Community College District in Texas offers the program for $1,750 for residents or $3,930 for students from out of the district, while North Seattle Community College charges local students $2,880 for the nine-month course.
- Prices vary widely for pharmacist technician programs at vocational or technical schools. Tuition at the High Tech Institute in Memphis, Tennessee for the pharmacy technician program runs $11,650, while Bryman School in Phoenix costs about $21,900. At the other end of the spectrum Penn Foster Career School is under $600.
What should be included: | - An unpaid three-month externship at a pharmacy is a required portion of the certification program.
Additional costs: | - There is no state exam, however pharmacy technicians apply for a state license through the individual state's Board of Pharmacy. While training on the job is also a possibility, employers tend to favor technicians who have completed a training program and have received certification, according to the US Department of Labor.
- The National Pharmacy Technician Certification exam is recommended, but not required, and costs $129. Recertification is required every two years, with 15-20 hours of mandatory continuing education.
- Books run $50 -$100.
- IV certification is an option for pharmacy technicians planning to work in hospital settings. Cost for the additional program is $500 -$600.
- Learning to make medication from scratch following a recipe created by a pharmacist leads to a Compounding Certification for about $500 -$600.
Discounts: | - Many employers will reimburse the cost of the national exam for current employees.
Shopping for pharmacy technician school: | |
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Article updated January 2009 |
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