The job market in the healthcare industry is very competitive even if the industry is continually creating more jobs. There are many people who are pursuing a career in this field and there will be a lot of people who will be your competition for a particular job position. If you’re a pharmacy technician who is just starting a career, you may find it hard to get hired for a job because of lack of experience. Not many employers hire an unknown applicant with no work experience. The solution for this is to prove to the employer that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform the job excellently. How?
You can prove it by showing your pharmacy technician certification from a reputable certifying organization. A pharmacy technician certification is your proof that you are more than capable in doing your job and you have the necessary knowledge to succeed in this field. Two private organizations that hand out pharmacy technician certification to those who will qualify are the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians. You need to pass the certification exam given by either of these two organizations.
Before you’re allowed to take the pharmacy technician certification exam of either of these two organizations, you need to satisfy the requirements first. Although these two certifying organizations are independent of each other, they have more or less the same requirements before you can sit for the pharmacy technician certification exam. You should be at least 18 years old, with at least a high school diploma or GED equivalent. You also shouldn’t have any felony convictions. An added requirement by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board is that you shouldn’t have any drug or pharmacy related convictions.
Currently, not all States require pharmacy technician certification but that should soon change as the trend is for all States to require certification. Washington, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, and Indiana are just some of the States that require pharmacy technician certification. The latest State to join this group is Florida who required certification only this year. California, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Kentucky haven’t required any certification from pharmacy technicians in those States yet.
A pharmacy technician certification will also ensure that all pharmacy technicians are qualified to handle the various tasks and responsibilities that are given to them. This will be advantageous for both the employer and the pharmacy technicians.
