PTCB announces 300,000 certified pharmacy techs

WASHINGTON The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board recently announced that over 300,000 pharmacy technicians have been certified by completing the national Pharmacy Technician Certification examination or transfer process since the program began in 1995.

“Certifying pharmacy technicians is critical to patient safety. We know that in a recent survey of American consumers, 91 percent support strong regulations across the country to protect patient safety by requiring that pharmacy technicians be trained and certified,” said Melissa Murer Corrigan, executive director and chief executive officer of PTCB. “With more than 300,000 trained and tested PTCB certified pharmacy technicians and new regulations for pharmacy technicians in states such as Florida, significant progress is being made to meet this expectation.”

“Pharmacists need the support of their techs, and the confidence that the technicians are trained and tested. Walgreens was the first to get behind certification, and close to 65 percent of our techs are PTCB certified,” said Mark Wagner, executive vice president of store operations at Walgreens. “The 300,000 milestone is important as qualified pharmacy technicians are essential to a pharmacy’s smooth operations.”