Where Is The Best Place For Pharmacy Technicians To Get CE?
The best place for pharmacy technicians to earn Continuing Education (CE) is the one that aligns perfectly with their specific needs. This includes CE that meets all state requirements, fits within their budget, and accommodates their schedule, especially in states that mandate live CE. Additionally, meeting state-specific requirements is crucial, as some states require coverage of certain topics. It’s essential for the CE to be affordable and of high quality.
PharmCon freeCE Unlimited CE memberships meet all these criteria, offering a comprehensive and flexible solution for pharmacy technicians.
What is Continuing Pharmacy Education?
Before we discuss the best place for pharmacy technicians to get CE, and why freeCE is the best place for pharmacy techs to get their CE, let’s start with what pharmacy CE is and what it’s for.
As defined by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), “Continuing pharmacy education for the profession of pharmacy is a structured educational activity designed or intended to support the continuing development of pharmacists and/or pharmacy technicians to maintain and enhance their competence.”
Pharmacists are required to earn pharmacy CE to maintain state licensure and/or board certifications.
Pharmacy Technicians are also required to complete CE to maintain state licensure/registration or to maintain national certification. See our State Board of Pharmacy map to explore each state’s requirements.
What does it mean to be a nationally-certified pharmacy technician?
Certification demonstrates knowledge as a technician and commitment to the profession of pharmacy. Employers often value certification because it is an objective standard by which to demonstrate competence.
The official national credential is: Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
Certification may be required for licensure/registration by state law, or may be required by employers for employment or to carry out certain duties. For example, You can check the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board state regulations map to see if national certification is required in your state.
How do you become a nationally-certified pharmacy technician?
There are two bodies that certify pharmacy technicians:
Each organization has different guidelines for eligibility, although the requirements are similar.
You may be required to complete a pharmacy technician training program or demonstrate a certain amount of work experience in the pharmacy setting.
Sitting for the Pharmacy Tech certification exam
There are two pharmacy technician certification exams you can sit for—one for each of the national certifying bodies:
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)
- Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT)
Are there other national certifications pharmacy technicians can earn?
There are other advanced national certifications out there for pharmacy techs:
- Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv) – there are two sources for this credential:
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
- Board of Pharmacy Technician Specialties (BPTS), an initiative of the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA)
- Other Advanced Certifications
- PTCB – Compounded Sterile Preparations Technician (CSPT)
- Board of Pharmacy Technicians Specialties (BPTS)
- Board Certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacy Technician (BCSCPT)
- Board Certified Non-sterile Compounding Pharmacy Technician (BCNCPT)
NATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS FOR PHARMACY TECHNICIANS REQUIRE CONTINUING EDUCATION
Different organizations and credentials have different CE requirements. Here are a few examples:
- PTCB CPhT Recertification Requirements (click here to see the requirements in full):
- 20 hours of CE within the 2-year recertification period, including:
- 1 hour in the subject of pharmacy law
- 1 hour in the subject of patient safety
- CE hours must be in pharmacy technician subject matter as listed in the PTCE content outline or offered by ACPE-accredited providers with the target audience designation ‘T’ (technician specific)
- Beginning with renewal applications received after September 1, 2020, PTCB accepts a maximum of five (5) CE hours from ACPE-accredited providers with the target audience designation ‘P’ (pharmacist-specific) if the subject matter is contained within the PTCE Content Outline.
- 20 hours of CE within the 2-year recertification period, including:
- NHA CPhT Recertification Requirements (click here to see the requirements in full):
- 20 hours of continuing education (CE) including:
- 1 hour of pharmacy law
- 1 hour of patient safety
- To be approved, CE must be related to pharmacy technician practice. NHA has a non-inclusive list of acceptable topics at the link above.
- In addition to ACPE accredited CE options, NHA also accepts in-service training and college courses for recertification. Details are at the link above.
- 20 hours of continuing education (CE) including:
National certifications in specific areas may require specific types of CE. For example, CSPT recertification requires CE that is specific to sterile compounding and does not have to be specific to pharmacy technicians.
Pharmacy Technician Recertification & Online CE – State Renewal CE Requirements
States may require CE as a part of the renewal process for pharmacy technician licensure and/or registration.
It’s important to know your state’s specific requirements. You can stay on top of this by consulting PharmCon freeCE’s state requirements page or heading straight to your state’s Board of Pharmacy page.
States may have specific parameters as to the type and delivery method of continuing education.
They may require live courses, home study courses, or specific topics, such as:
- Pharmacy Law
- Patient/Medication Safety
- Implicit Bias
- Sexual Harassment
- HIV
- Controlled Substances/Opioids
- Human Trafficking
- Compounding
Here’s the good news: freeCE provides continuing education that can satisfy all state requirements. We offer all our courses online so you can satisfy your requirements from the comfort of your own home (or anywhere you want).
How does online CE work?
- Register for the class you want to take
- Attend the class as scheduled or complete the home study webcast or monograph
- Meet all attendance and participation requirements
- Complete any necessary pre and post tests and the evaluation
- Obtain confirmation of completion
- The CE provider will report credits to CPE Monitor
- Your CE transcript will be available for review and reporting to necessary sources.
freeCE online continuing education
Pharmacy technicians have busy schedules and need a way to earn CE credit whenever and wherever. If you need CE fast, freeCE’s comprehensive catalog of on-demand activities is perfect for you. When you buy a freeCE unlimited CE package, you get 24-7 access to hundreds of hours of on-demand CE, with plenty of options designed especially to meets pharmacy technicians’ needs.
freeCE’s on-demand continuing education activities come in a variety of formats including:
- Webcasts: These video activities are perfect for technicians who enjoy both auditory and visual activities. These activities have many of the benefits of live CE but are available 24-7.
- Monographs: These written activities are a great way to earn credit at whatever pace fits your needs. If you learn best by reading, freeCE’s monograph library has many activities for you.
- Express CE: These bite-sized activities are designed so you can earn 0.25 hours of CE in 15 minutes or less. Perfect for fitting into a busy schedule, these activities let you earn credit between your daily tasks.
If you want a convenient way to earn your CE fast, explore freeCE’s packages here.
What is continuing pharmacy education?
As defined by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), “Continuing pharmacy education for the profession of pharmacy is a structured educational activity designed or intended to support the continuing development of pharmacists and/or pharmacy technicians to maintain and enhance their competence.”
Here is the ACPE CE page.
Who needs to earn continuing pharmacy education?
Pharmacists are required to earn continuing pharmacy education to maintain state licensure and/or board certifications. Pharmacy Technicians are required to earn continuing pharmacy education to maintain state licensure/registration or to maintain national certification.
What does it mean to be a nationally-certified pharmacy technician?
Certification demonstrates knowledge as a technician and commitment to the profession of pharmacy. Employers often value certification because it is an objective standard by which to demonstrate competence. The credential is Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT).
Certification may be required for licensure/registration by state law, or may be required by employers for employment or to carry out certain duties.
Here is the PTCB state regulations map where you can check if your state requires national certification.
How do you become nationally certified?
There are two bodies that certify pharmacy technicians:
Each organization has different guidelines for eligibility, although the requirements are similar. You may be required to complete a pharmacy technician training program or demonstrate a certain amount of work experience in the pharmacy setting.
Are there other national certifications Pharmacy Technicians can earn?
Yes. Here are some of the other national certifications Pharmacy Technicians can earn:
- Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT-Adv) – there are two sources for this credential
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
- Board of Pharmacy Technician Specialties (BPTS), an initiative of the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA)
- Other Advanced Certifications
- PTCB – Compounded Sterile Preparations Technician (CSPT)
- BPTS/NHA
- Board Certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacy Technician (BCSCPT)
- Board Certified Non-sterile Compounding Pharmacy Technician (BCNCPT)
What are the CE requirements to maintain Pharmacy Technician national certifications?
Different organizations and credentials have different CE requirements:
- PTCB CPhT Recertification Requirements
- 20 hours of CE within the 2-year recertification period, including:
- 1 hour in the subject of pharmacy law
- 1 hour in the subject of patient safety
- CE hours must be in pharmacy technician subject matter as listed in the PTCE content outline or offered by ACPE-accredited providers with the target audience designation ‘T’ (technician specific)
- Beginning with renewal applications received after September 1, 2020, PTCB accepts a maximum of five (5) CE hours from ACPE-accredited providers with the target audience designation ‘P’ (pharmacist-specific) if the subject matter is contained within the PTCE Content Outline.
- 20 hours of CE within the 2-year recertification period, including:
- NHA CPhT Recertification Requirements
- 20 hours of continuing education (CE) including:
- 1 hour of pharmacy law
- 1 hour of patient safety
- To be approved, CE must be related to pharmacy technician practice. NHA has a non-inclusive list of acceptable topics at the link above.
- In addition to ACPE accredited CE options, NHA also accepts in-service training and college courses for recertification. Details are at the link above.
- 20 hours of continuing education (CE) including:
National certifications in specific areas may require specific types of CE.
For example, CSPT recertification requires CE that is specific to sterile compounding, and does not have to be pharmacy technician specific.
Does my state require CE for renewal of pharmacy technician licensure and/or registration?
Consult your state Board of Pharmacy page or PharmCon freeCE’s state requirements map.
States may have specific requirements as to the type and delivery method of continuing education
- Live vs. on-demand or home study
- Specific topics may be mandated (non-inclusive list):
- Pharmacy Law
- Patient/Medication Safety
- Implicit Bias
- Sexual Harassment
- HIV
- Controlled Substances/Opioids
- Human Trafficking
- Compounding
- Others?
How does completing CE work?
Register for the class you want to take
- Attend the class as scheduled or complete the home study webcast or monograph
- Meet all attendance and participation requirements
- Complete any necessary pre- and post-tests and the evaluation
- Obtain confirmation of completion
- The CE provider will report credits to CPE Monitor
- Your CE transcript will be available for review and reporting to necessary sources
