Illinois Pharmacy Tech Schools & Certification

Opting to become a pharmacy technician in Illinois provides you with a range of advantages. You’ll be able to work in the fast-growing healthcare field while choosing either a patient-facing role or one that is more in the background. In addition to significant advancement opportunities, you’ll also be able to choose from many different workplace environment options.

Illinois Pharmacy Technician Certification Requirements

In Illinois, there are a number of requirements you must meet in order to become a pharmacy technician. These include the following:

• Be at least 16 years of age
• Must hold a high school diploma or the equivalent, or you must be completing such a degree
• Request registration as a pharmacy technician by submitting a written application to the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy
• Pay the non-refundable registration fee
• Be a graduate of a pharmacy technician training program or provide documents from the state-licensed pharmacist who is in charge of training you
• Provide satisfactory results from either the ExCPT or PTCE certification exam

The Illinois State Board of Pharmacy has approved two certification exams: the PTCE and the ExCPT. The ICPT offers the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) while the PTCB offers the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE).

• PTCE is comprised of 90 questions with multiple choice answers. Test takers are allowed 1 hour and 50 minutes in order to complete the exam.
• ExCPT consists of 100 questions along with 20 pretest questions. The exam must be completed within 2 hours and 10 minutes in one continuous session at an approved testing center.

Illinois Pharmacy Technician Careers & Employment Outlook

Illinois pharmacy technician careers provide diverse opportunities for motivated employees. From retail pharmacies with a national presence and private hospitals to government agencies and community-based organizations, pharmacy technicians will also discover that they have room for advancement.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that pharmacy technicians will experience a job outlook that increases about four percent from 2019 through 2029. With more than 422,000 jobs in 2019, the agency expects the industry to add an additional 15,200 jobs during that decade.

For 2019, the median pay for pharmacy technicians was nearly $34,000 yearly. For those positions that pay an hourly wage instead, the median was $16.32 per hour.

According to the BLS, Illinois is the state with the fourth-highest level of employment when it comes to pharmacy technicians. About 21,090 people were employed within the industry with a mean annual wage of $33,590. More specifically regarding the Illinois region, the metro area comprised of Chicago, Naperville, IN and Elgin, WI has the second-highest level of employment for pharmacy technicians.

Obtaining certification as an Illinois pharmacy technician provides innumerable advantages for students. Not only will you have many employment opportunities, but you’ll also be well-compensated for your efforts as you perform a valuable service. In addition, you’ll discover that advancement potential and financial stability is built into this career.

Illinois Schools That Offer Pharmacy Technician Training Programs