National Pharmacy Technician Day 2024 is on Wednesday, October 23, 2024: Has anyone taken the PTCE ( National Pharmacy Technician Exam lately and remember any questions

Wednesday, October 23, 2024 is National Pharmacy Technician Day 2024. National Pharmacy Technician Day 2012 - NPTA To celebrate National Pharmacy

To pass the National Pharmacy Technician Exam, it's important to remember how to convert from English measurements to Metric and vice versa. Here is an example of a question you might see:

Dr. Jones prescribed Joe saline solution to be injected 0.1ml/kg twice daily. Joe weighs 150 pounds. How much saline solution is required to fill a 30 day supply prescription?

Obviously, you would have to know that 1 kilogram is equal to approximately 2.2 pounds to solve this equation.

This is an example of what kind of questions are on the exam.

Pharmacy Technician Wages?

You do not make much money. I worked for CVS. I started out at 8 dollars and hour and the highest I got to (did not get nationally certified just state) was 9.50 per hour. The techs making 12 have usually been there for years and/or are nationally certified. If it is a part time job for you (like it was for me) don't expect over 9.50 an hour. If you are going to work there full time I wouldn't ask higher than 10.50 dollars an hour ( if you become nationally certified) or wait and see what they offer you starting out.

The dress code is pretty lax at CVS or any pharmacy. You can wear medical scrubs or just wear a pair of khakis and a nice shirt (button down or not). Basically the dress is business casual. Even though you wear a lab coat they want you to wear khakis or a skirt/dress if you are a woman. You get wear dress pants and be super dressy if you want. But the dress code is simple business casual or scrubs. Look at what the other techs are wearing who work there full time and dress similar to them.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician?

From what I know (and here in Florida) you do not need a certification to become a Pharmacy Tech, however taking the PTCB or the ExCPT national exams greatly increases your chances of getting hired and will ensure you better pay. The only thing that is required usually is to become licensed, which is very simple but varies state by state. You must not hold any felonies and any misdemeanors must be reported on your application.

The way I am trying to become a tech is by getting hired at CVS or Walgreens and having them train me and then taking the national exam. However, you can take a course offered in community or private colleges for 6-9 months which will also increase your like-ability of being hired. A good warning woud be that pharmacy techs only get paid an average of $37,000 annually and the cost ofthe private training is usually costly (ex. $10,000). I also hear the job is a big pain in the ass and is a thankless career.

The benefit of becoming a pharmacy tech before becoming a Pharmacist is obviously the experience, which increases your chances of getting selected into a university program, which are highly competitive these days. In Florida, you must get a Doctorate degree to become a Pharmacist.