Texas Pharmacy Technician Requirements and Training Programs

Texas is one of many states that require pharmacy technician candidates to obtain certification before registering with the state Board of Pharmacy. Employers must provide initial on-the-job training to new trainees and technicians before assigning duties on the job. While the Board does not require formal training at community colleges and other training providers, students can benefit from the didactic and hands-on education available at these institutes. Graduates learn how to work under a licensed pharmacist, helping with patient consultations, dispensing medications, managing inventory, maintaining patient records, repackaging medications, and calculating dosages.

Pharmacy Tech Schools in TX

Texas Pharmacy Technician Requirements

License Requirement

Only board-registered pharmacy technicians and pharmacy technician trainees can provide pharmacy-related services at licensed facilities. The candidate can only begin work after notification of active status from the Texas Board of Pharmacy (TBSP). Every pharmacy employer must provide initial on-the-job training for technicians and trainees. The training must cover very specific areas as outlined by the Board. The in-house, on-the-job training is the only training mandated by the Board. For this reason, Texas pharmacy technicians can opt out of formal training required by some other states. While the Board does not require formal training, it acknowledges the presence of training programs across the state and recommends prospective pharmacy technicians attend training programs accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Training programs prepare students for national certification, including the PTCB or ExCPT exam, which the TSBP recognizes. Nationally certified pharmacy technicians increase their job opportunities.

Age Requirement

Applicants must be at least 18 years old to register as a pharmacy technician in Texas.

Education Requirement

To register as a pharmacy technician in Texas, you must present your PTCB license number. If you don’t currently hold PTCB certification, you must apply for registration as a pharmacy technician trainee – valid for two years only. You must possess a high school diploma or GED and complete an approved pharmacy technician program or have equivalent work experience to take the PTCE exam for the CPhT designation.

Other Requirements

All applicants for registration must be fingerprinted for a criminal background check. If you answer ‘yes’ to criminal questions related to moral turpitude, the Board will deny your license or grant one with disciplinary actions in accordance with the Texas Pharmacy Act. All other felonies or misdemeanors will be reviewed and a decision made on a case-by-case basis.

Hits on your criminal record could delay your registration by several months.

The Pharmacy Technician Program

Content

Through a combination of lecture, hands-on lab, and clinical training, pharmacy technician classes prepare graduates for careers in community and hospital pharmacies. The TSBP recommends ASHP accredited programs, which ensure students receive adequate training for their complex roles providing support to licensed pharmacists. ASHP accredited program include a pharmacy technician externship at a community and institutional pharmacy. The accredited programs at colleges and vocational schools provide a combination of lecture, on-campus laboratory and clinical training that prepares graduates for a variety of employment opportunities in community and hospital pharmacies. The course content covers inventory packaging, sterile and non-sterile compounding, pharmacy calculations, medical abbreviations, dispensing medication and patient profiling.

Duration and Cost

Tuition at accredited training providers cost upwards of $8,500 for 900-hour long programs. Apart from tuition, students face additional expenses, such as textbooks, course materials, uniform, medical equipment, exam fee, registration, and traveling to and from the clinical rotation. The duration of the training program ranges from 6 weeks to 45 weeks.

National Exams

All pharmacy technicians in Texas must be certified. Non-certified technicians carry the title of “technician in training.” To upgrade the status to pharmacy technician, the candidate must successfully obtain certification from the PTCB within one year and apply to upgrade the registration with the Board of Pharmacy.

To take the test, without delays, you can apply at an on-demand testing center where you can choose your preferred date. The PTCB exam consists of 90 multiple-choice questions covering nine knowledge domains. Only 80 of the multiple-choice questions are scored. You must earn at least 650 points to pass the exam and meet all the other requirements (high school diploma, complete a formal training program or have equivalent work experience, and a criminal-free background) to obtain certification. The fee for the PTCB exam is $129.

Pharmacy Tech Schools in TX

Texas Pharmacy Technician Requirements

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