Job: Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPHT) (United States)

I have graduated from an ASHP accredited Pharmacy Technology program. I work in the hospital setting and am SC State Certified. If I had not gone to school I would not be SC Certified. These certifications (SC and PTCB) have improved my salary a lot. Just by moving from GA where my education wasn't valued to SC where is qualifies me for SC Cert I saw an 18% raise in my salary. Please do your research though because techs are underpaid but I love my job in the hospital. Retail jobs do not pay well, there is no over time or shift differentials. You have more expensive benefits in retail payroll deductions also. I believe for a career you need to get into a good hospital position. I get higher pay, cheaper benefits, shift differentials, lots of overtime, and guaranteed raises each year. Plus in the hospital there is no cash register, drive thru, or customers to deal with. I worked retail part time from 2003 to 2006 and full time from 2008 to 2010. I worked hospital part time from Sept 09 to Jan 2010 then went full time in Jan 2010. I am much happier now.

I have an Associates degree in pharmacy technology, it is worthless! It has no bearing on how much I make or open any doors to better pharmacy jobs at all. You can get hired into a pharmacy with no experience and be trained on the job and have your certification paid for by the company instead of paying for it yourself. Don't get scammed into the chain "colleges" that claim you need a degree or will need a degree, they are wrong!

I don't know if this will get posted or not but don't pay thousands of dollars to become a pharmacy technician!!!! It is so on the job. I wanted to go to school and the pharmacist told me he'd teach me all I needed to know. He did and I'm now certified (I got study guides and studied on my own), working for the federal gov't. I started in retail. It's cool, but not much money in it. More money in radiation therapy or being a sonographer. God bless.

My only advice is to look into another career! The pay is low, low, low. The hours are not 9-5. A cashier at COSTCO starts out making at least $15.00 an hour. It will take you at least 3 years to get up to that wage. Not worth it!

When excepting a pay rate research on the internet what the pay rate is in the city you will be working so you don't except to low a pay rate. Don't let a pharmacist treat you with disrespect you are a very important part of the pharmacy team.