How to Become a Pharmacy Technician without Going to School

Working in healthcare means you have the knowledge, ability, and privilege to help others. Having a career in the field of pharmaceuticals is no different—your expertise includes providing patients with medications as well as educating them on how to correctly (and safely) consume them.

If this sounds like something you’d love to do, but you don’t have a degree, rest assured—it’s still possible.

Read on to find out more.

What Is a Pharmacy Technician and What Do They Do?

In short, pharmacy technicians work under pharmacists and are the liaison between pharmacists and the customer. They’re also tasked with measuring, organizing, and distributing medications; educating customers about medications and answering questions; handling correspondence with doctors’ offices and health insurers; managing the cash register and answering phone calls; recording information and/or processing paperwork and medical records; and offering any other sort of support to their team and customers as needed. They may work for a drugstore, hospital, nursing home, wholesale retailer, or a mail-order pharmacy.

Is it difficult to become a pharmacy technician?

We can’t promise that taking this job path will be without difficulties and/or challenges, but to become certified, you will need to complete the nationally recognized Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE)—administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s (PTCB).

While some folks choose to pursue a formal training program before taking the exam, it isn’t completely necessary for taking (and passing) the PTCE.

An efficient workaround, if you will, might look like working in a pharmacy in some capacity—perhaps as a cashier—and receiving on-site training by the pharmacy staff. From there, you can take online courses that would help you to pass the exam since you might not learn everything you need to know on the job. (For example, you likely won’t learn the ins and outs of human anatomy and physiology in a pharmacy, so independent study would be ideal for expanding your knowledge.)

How hard is the pharmacy technician certification exam?

This, of course, is subjective, but know that you’ll need to come prepared with knowledge beyond basic math and high school chemistry. That is, areas such as pharmacology, pharmacy law, medication safety, anatomy and physiology, and the internal workings of the healthcare system.

Further, the PTCE includes 90 multiple choice questions, and you’ll have about two hours to complete the exam.

Also, FYI: the standard PTCE fee is $129.00 and to pass you must score a 1,400 (out of 1,600).

Types of pharmacy technicians and their salaries

According to Glassdoor.com, the average salary for a pharmacy technician in the United States is $37,364. The lower end of this salary is around $29,000, while the higher end can be as much as $48,000.

Moreover, your salary might be influenced by the company you choose to work for, the state you live in, and/or your years of experience. Nurse.org reports that pharm techs earn as much as 20% more in a hospital versus a retail location (AKA, the two most popular pharm tech positions), and they make the most money in California, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia. Not surprisingly, with more experience can expect a higher salary.

But before you decide to choose the position that typically pays a higher salary, let’s first discuss the difference between a retail pharmacy technician and a hospital pharmacy technician.

Like any retail worker, retail pharmacy technicians are the first point of contact available to help customers. Typically, the customer will come into the retail store and inform the pharmacy tech about what they’re there to pick up. And then the pharm tech will ask the customer a series of questions before retrieving their prescription. Beyond just getting the customer’s name and date of birth, the pharmacy tech will need to look up the customer’s information in the system’s database, ensure that their insurance covers the medication, or even call the customer’s doctor should there be a conflict with the medication information. Given that the retail pharmacy technician role is very customer-facing, it’s imperative that you enjoy working with people.

Rather than serving the public, hospital pharm technicians usually work with registered nurses. Thus, a hospital pharmacy tech might be tasked with intravenous solution (IV) bag prep or filling Pyxis machines (where medications are stored), which is then approved by the on-site pharmacist.

So, both positions are high-stakes—you need to be precise to ensure the patient’s safety. But in a hospital setting, you may be dealing with fewer people than a retail job.

How to Become a Certified Pharmacy Technician without Going to School

As previously mentioned, start out by working in a pharmacy and/or asking to shadow pharmacy staff is a great way to start. You’ll be able to see if this is actually what you want to do with your future. What’s more is that you’ll be able to learn things like medical jargon and acronyms, reading prescriptions, and pharmacy coding.

Aside from what you might learn on-site, you’ll need to check off some more boxes before you pursue the certification exam.

Education and qualifications

Perhaps you’re unable to get a job within a pharmacy or shadow the pharmacy staff for some reason. Don’t let that discourage you from your pursuit. In this case, you might just need to skip the on-site training part and jump right into your studies.

So, let’s say you’ve been studying all the necessary materials and acquired the appropriate knowledge for the certification exam, no prior on-site training in tow. What else might you need before you sign up for the exam?

Well, depending on which state you reside in, your high school diploma could be the only prerequisite. On the other hand, some states may require you to take an entry exam in addition to your diploma to be admitted into the certificate program. (To find out more about what your state necessitates, we recommend checking PTCB.org)

Upon passing the PTCE, you’ll earn the PTCB’s CPhT certification.

However, before you get a full-time job, your first step will likely be completing an “externship,” which means working on-site at a pharmacy to gain firsthand experience. Additionally, this gives you the chance to start or continue building your network of industry contacts.

After your externship ends, you can then decide if you want to continue working in that same environment, or you can tap into your network to see if you’d be better suited elsewhere.

Qualities and skills a licensed pharmacy technician should have

If you’ve passed the certification exam, it’s basically implied that your math and reading comprehension skills are sufficient. But are you detail-oriented? Are you an effective communicator and a people person? Can you work well with a team? Will you be able to thrive under pressure and complete tasks with confidence?

This is a position that demands utmost precision and attention to detail. Since your job is ultimately to keep people safe, you hold the responsibility of providing them the correct information about their prescription and ensuring they have the correct amount of whatever they need.

How to Get a Job as a Pharmacy Technician with No Prior Experience

It appears that many states require or prefer an externship before starting a full-time pharm tech job, so you may need to make some phone calls to nearby pharmacies to see if you can fulfill that within a reasonable radius from where you live.

Before you contact a pharmacy, though, figure out who the head pharmacist is at said pharmacy and then shoot them a cold email or cold call to express your interest and share your qualifications. Another route you can take is asking around on social media, whether it be Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Perhaps your parents or friends have second- or third-degree connections that can help you land an externship gig.

After you’ve completed your externship, it’s time to find a full-time job! Again, reaching out to your network—whether it be former employers, coworkers, or friends—is fundamental in landing a job. Even if these folks don’t know of any open positions, they can give you advice on how they landed their current or past jobs, and you can use that feedback in your own search.

Of course, you can also just apply to open positions that you find on job boards. And just like your search for an externship, reaching out directly to the head pharmacist or pharmacy manager could make you stand out amongst your competition.

How to Improve Your Pharmacy Technician Skills

So, you’ve landed the job (congrats!), but you desperately want to be up to par with your pharm tech peers.

Like most jobs, there will be a learning curve to wherever you choose to work. So, it might just be a matter of time before everything becomes second nature to you. But if you’re really trying to fast track your adjustment, you could shadow pharm techs and/or pharmacists on your day(s) off.

Additionally, it’s crucial to keep up to date with any new medications that enter the market or your pharmacy. (If you’re unsure about anything, ask a fellow pharm tech or the pharmacist.) You’ll also need to renew your certification every two years, so it’s a good idea to keep any source material (online and offline) you used to study for the exam.

Conclusion

Luckily, you don’t need a two or four-year degree, or even a training program to become a pharmacy technician. In lieu of those, learning directly from pharm techs and pharmacists on the job and/or completing online courses for the certification exam will help you go the distance in becoming certified.

While the path ahead will require initiative and hard work, this job is more than attainable if you’re tenacious enough to do what it takes.

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