Texas Pharmacy Tech Schools & Certification

Texas is a state with a large number of healthcare providers and others who work in the medical field. Large cities like Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin employ many pharmacy technicians in the Lone Star State. Texas, like many other states, has heavily invested in higher education. This has helped create a strong biomedical science industry, leading many people to pursue careers in fields related to medicine and healthcare.

Texas is full of medical centers, medical schools, laboratories, and pharmacies. It also offers a number of educational institutions that prepare students to work as pharmacy technicians. For those who want to pursue a career in a pharmacy setting, understanding the requirements for state certification is important.

Texas Pharmacy Technician Certification Requirements

In order to fulfill the duties of a pharmacy technician in Texas, individuals must be registered with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP). The tasks included in this work include receiving pharmacy requests, entering prescription data into the system, preparing and packaging orders, and completing other duties requested by the pharmacist on staff. As a result, pharmacy technicians work under the guidance of licensed pharmacists.

Pharmacy technicians must submit a Registered Pharmacy Technician application online through the Texas State Board of Pharmacy website. In order to do this, applicants must:

• Hold a current Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) Certificate Number
• Understand the continuing education requirements
• Understand they are subject to random audit

No formal educational requirements exist for Texas pharmacy technicians, but many people prefer to obtain education so they can perform the tasks associated with the job and complete necessary exams.

Once pharmacy technicians are registered with the board, they may begin training in a licensed pharmacy. Pharmacies are required to provide on-the-job training, but it is always wise to consider a formal pharmacy technician education program as well.

As noted above, pharmacy technicians are subject to continuing education requirements. This means they must take additional coursework in the future to ensure they can continue to perform the tasks required of them. State-approved courses are available to assist technicians with certification renewal.

Texas Pharmacy Technician Careers & Employment Outlook

About 29 million people call Texas home. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 38,550 people work as pharmacy technicians in the state. In fact, Texas is one of the top states employing people who work in this position. The metropolitans in Texas with the highest level of employment in this field include the Dallas-Forth Worth area and the Houston area.

Pharmacy technicians in Texas make about $17.13 hourly on average, and the annual mean wage for these employees is $35,620. Texans can expect the employment of pharmacy technicians to grow by about four percent between 2019 and 2029, which is considered on par with most other careers.

With a large portion of the population aging and relying on medications, pharmacy technicians can continue to see their careers grow. Many pharmacy technicians may see their responsibilities develop as the responsibilities of pharmacists develop as well. Pharmacists rely on technicians to help them fulfill growing caseloads.

Texas Schools That Offer Pharmacy Technician Training Programs