PTCB relies on data gathered through research on pharmacy practice to inform our programs and guide updates to our credentials. PTCB conducts independent research to gather data and feedback on topics related to pharmacy technicians, their work, and public perceptions. We analyze and share research findings relevant to pharmacy technicians. 

2020 Updates: To guide our regular Certification Program updates, we periodically conduct a Job Task Analysis to study the tasks that technicians perform on the job and the knowledge and skills they need to perform those tasks in current pharmacy practice. To determine our 2020 updates, we applied data from our most recent Job Task Analysis in 2016, which generated responses from more than 40,000 technicians. The 2020 changes reflect findings on critical job tasks, and important knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs). We further conducted a 90-day comment period in January 2018 to collect essential input on implementation of our 2020 education/training requirement and received comments from more than 600 stakeholders (educators, employers, regulators and pharmacy organizations). Read more.

2019: A study published in June 2019 shows nationally certified pharmacy technicians are more committed to a pharmacy career and have a greater desire to take on new and expanded responsibilities than noncertified. The study*, “Assessing Pharmacy Technician Certification,” published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA), compared the viewpoints of certified and noncertified technicians, and explored the perceived value of certification in the areas of medication safety, skills and abilities, experience, career engagement and satisfaction, and productivity. Based on the findings, certified technicians have a stronger organizational commitment and view themselves as making fewer medication errors. They are more likely than noncertified to complete a pharmacy technician training program at a community college or vocational school, work 40 hours or more per week, and have an expectation for higher wages. The majority of respondents have confidence in performing the final check on another technician’s preparation of a new or refilled medication, a process known as Technician Product Verification (TPV). Read more.

2016: Public Perceptions Related to Pharmacy Technicians and Certification

In October 2016, PTCB released the results of a public perception survey conducted by KRC Research on behalf of PTCB. The findings reveal that 85% of the public believes it is very important for pharmacy technicians to be certified. Consumers feel so strongly about certification that 76% say that they would seek out a different pharmacy if they knew technicians working in their current pharmacy were not certified. The survey results and key findings show that among consumers, frequent pharmacy visitors are even more likely (79%) to seek a pharmacy where technicians are certified, and adults with children at home are most likely (82%) to look elsewhere. Read more.

2010: Pharmacists' Perception of the Value of Technician Certification

Results from a PTCB-sponsored survey found that lead pharmacists perceive pharmacy technician certification as an essential component in reducing medication errors, ensuring patient safety, and increasing positive health outcomes. The results, unveiled at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting in March 2010 by researcher Shane Desselle, R.Ph, PhD, FAPhA, Associate Dean for Tulsa Programs, Chair, and Professor of the Department of Pharmacy: Clinical and Administrative Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, reflect information from 609 usable responses to a survey of more than 3,200 pharmacists serving in a variety of practice settings across the United States. The study is published in the Journal of Pharmacy Technology.