Presented by CTE Administrators, CTE Specialists and CTE
Teachers from the Gulf Coast CTE Area 6 Group.
Contact Information: Jennifer Chiles, jchiles@ccisd.net
281-084-0073
PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board) is
implementing changes in the PTCB Certification
Program.
The new changes will advance pharmacy technician
qualifications by elevating PTCB’s standards for
national certification and recertification.
These changes are being phased in with the year
2020 as the deadline for all training sites to comply.
! ASHP (American Society of Health System
Pharmacists) worked with NPTA (National Pharmacy
Technician Association) to develop new
accreditation standards. These standards are to be
in place by 2020.
! All training sites must be accredited by ASHP.
! The new training site standards can be found at:
http://www.ashp.org/DocLibrary/Accreditation/
Regulations-Standards/Pharmacy-TechnicianEducation-and-Training-Programs.pdf
! By 2020 all students sitting for the PTCE (Pharmacy
Technician Certification Exam)must have completed their
training from an ASHP accredited pharmacy technician
training program.
! The revised exam was administered starting in 2014 using
the newly accredited education requirements.
! 844 students in Texas passed the revised exam.
! The Texas State Board of Pharmacy requires PTCB
certification before being registered as a Pharmacy
Technician.
! There is another national certification exam given
by NHA (National Healthcareer Association) but it is
not recognized by the Texas State Board of
Pharmacy.
! Program Director with 5 or more years of experience
working in a pharmacy. This person can oversee several
sites.
! Faculty/Instructors at each site (under the direction of the
Program Director) must have 3 or more years of experience
working in a pharmacy.
! Experiential Coordinators at each site (under the
direction of the Program Director) must have 3 or more
years of experience working in a pharmacy.
! The training schedule must consist of 600 clock hours of health-
related education and training, extending over a period of 15 weeks
or longer.
! The period of training must include:
! Didactic – 160 hours – Classroom hours – Curriculum that does not
require a separate simulated or experiential setting. It must
progress from basic to complex information.
! Simulated – 80 hours – Skills practiced in the classroom without
impact on real patients, must be done before Experiential hours.
! Experiential – 160 hours – working in 2 different types of
pharmacies. (Hospital and Traditional)
! Staffing
! Utilizing current staff
! Hiring new staff with Pharmacy Tech certification
! Site Upgrades (Curriculum and Equipment)
Questions to consider:
1. How many campuses have Pharmacy Tech programs?
2. Do you have a teacher with Pharmacy Tech experience?
3. What can current teachers do to become eligible?
4. Will your programs be able to comply with the new training schedules?
5. How is your district planning to comply with the changes (curriculum, teacher
qualifications, site upgrades)?
! Current teachers without Pharmacy Tech experience can
work or volunteer at a pharmacy for 3 or more years
(before 2020) in order comply. These teachers would need
to pass the PTCE.
! CTE Administrators could recommend that PTCB create a 2
week intensive summer training course for districts unable
to find candidates with Pharmacy Tech experience. This
training would give districts the flexibility to hire
candidates with health related bachelor degrees in order
to teach other Health Science courses.