Securing your pharmacy technician certification is a stringent process that not all are able to complete or achieve. Although all you need to pass the certification exam is to be of right age, which is 18 years old, have a high school diploma or its equivalent, and not to have any felony convictions, including drug or pharmacy related convictions, passing the pharmacy technician certification exam is not an easy thing to do.

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT), two of the nationally-recognized certifying private organizations, develop their own separate examinations that are of the highest quality and reliability to ensure that only those that have the necessary knowledge and skills can pass this examination and be awarded a pharmacy technician certification.

One way of making sure you pass this certification exam is to enroll yourself in an accredited training program for pharmacy technicians. You can sign up for campus-based training programs or you can take one of those online programs that are offered on the internet. There are advantages and disadvantages for both types of program provider and it's up to the technician's individual situation to determine which is appropriate for her need.

If the technician wants schedule flexibility or to control the phase of her learning, for example, she can opt to take the online training program. Or if the technician wants the discipline of going to a campus for her training, there are many institutions, community and junior colleges, and vocational schools that offer training programs for pharmacy technicians. They just have to make sure the program is accredited to make sure they're getting the necessary training that will help them pass the pharmacy technician certification exam and in their actual pharmacy work.

The career advancements for pharmacy technicians though are generally limited, especially in small-scale retail pharmacies. In large pharmacies and health systems, pharmacy technicians with extensive experience and certification may be promoted to supervisory positions or the technician may advance into specialty positions such as chemotherapy technician or nuclear pharmacy technician. There are those that undergo further extensive training and become licensed pharmacists themselves. Whatever career path they may choose to traverse, their pharmacy technician certification will definitely help them pave the way better. Before they are able to secure their pharmacy technician certification, they would have developed the skills and knowledge needed to help them succeed in this healthcare field.