Pharmacy Technician (ASHP/ACPE) Online Training Course - MedCerts

Is Short-Term Online Career Training Right for You?

RX 3000

Pharmacy Technician Professional

Online Certification Training

Gain the practical skills to work in a pharmacy, process prescriptions and assist customers through this ASHP/ACPE Accredited program. Watch our program sneak peek below!

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25  Weeks
Program Length
CPhT 
Certification
$31,000
Avg. Starting Salary*
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Issuing Authorities

This program is NOT available to residents of the following states: AR, ND, NV, PA, RI, WI


This program is NOT available for long-term licensing in the state of WA. If a student is living in WA short-term, (less than 2 years) they can obtain a temporary license.

Please review our State Restriction page to view what restrictions there may be in your state/region of residence or employment and ensure you are eligible for enrollment. These restrictions may not apply to students taking programs through an employer, academic or government-sponsored model - including MyCAA and Army, Air Force or Coast Guard Credentialing Assistance. To determine eligibility, please confirm with your sponsor or review our military spouse MyCAA-approved or Military Credentialing Assistance-approved programs.

Watch our Pharmacy Technician Professional Program Sneak Peek!

MedCerts programs are developed with collaboration from our in-house production team, industry-recognized subject matter experts and our education technology design team. From interactive simulations, interviews with real world experts, game based learning and more, our Instructional Design education model is created to meet the needs of every type of learner.

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Is Pharmacy Technician Training Right For You?

This fun, online quiz takes just 3 minutes to complete and provides you with a personalized report to find out if short-term online career training is right for you. The report identifies your strengths and social style, plus the training and positions you’re best suited for.

Pharmacy Technician Professional Online Training

MedCerts Tuition Advantage

We believe everyone should have access to higher education. With the option to pay in full, break down payments or utilize government grant funding, we help expand that access.

Monthly Payment Options as low as $346 Payment Plans for Every Student

Talk with an Education Consultant to pick the perfect payment plan, from paying in full to installments with interest rates from 0-12%.

Total Tuition $4,000 Pay in Full

The total tuition can be paid immediately or through a number of grant-funded or monthly payment plan options

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No Credit Check

Discover your eligibility without a credit check.

The pricing listed above for a monthly payment plan is an estimate for the cost of an 12-month payment plan including down payment. Final pricing is given at time of purchase and may vary from both pricing examples above.

MyCAA, Department of Defense Credentialing Assistance/COOL and Workforce Grants

MedCerts offers financial aid options through these government grant-funded programs – MyCAA, Workforce Funding (including WIOA), and Department of Defense Credentialing Assistance or COOL funding for the Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. Those eligible include Military Spouses; active duty Army, Reserves, and National Guard members; active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air Force National Guard, and US Space Force; active duty Coast Guard and SELRES members (enlisted and officers); or workforce-funded qualifying job seekers. Speak to an Education Consultant to see if you qualify.

What does a Pharmacy Technician Professional do?

Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and private practices depend on the expertise of certified pharmacy technicians for the preparation & distribution of accurate prescription medication and the delivery of exceptional customer care. You’ll act as the pharmacist’s right hand and assist with everything from processing prescription requests from patients and doctors, handling insurance claim forms, properly labeling medications and more.

126,783
Entry Level Jobs in the US
Pharmacy Technician Professionals will see available jobs grow 11.8% over the next ten years.
All available job and salary information is from Burning Glass Labor Insights and is updated annually to reflect industry changes.

What You’ll Learn
RX 3000
Pharmacy Technician Professional (ASHP/ACPE)

MedCerts Pharmacy Technician program provides the highest level of training as defined by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The ASHP/ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education) recognizes pharmacy technician training programs that meet their quality and compliance standards through formal accreditation.

To earn the ASHP/ACPE certification for Pharmacy Technician Professional, you’ll complete three online courses: Professionalism in Allied Health, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Medical Terminology, and Pharmacy Technician Principles and Practices. Additionally, you will participate in a 160-hour Externship at a pharmacy, furthering your skills by applying what you’ve learned through the online pharmacy technician training program in a real-world environment.

The combination of MedCerts online courses and the 160-hour externship will prepare you to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE), administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), and earn national recognition as a CPhT (Certified Pharmacy Technician). With your Certified Pharmacy Technician Professional training, you’ll be qualified for career opportunities like Pharmacy Technician, Oncology Technician, Infusion Technician, Pharmacy Technology Specialist, Compliance Specialist, Inpatient Technician, Pharmaceutical Sales and others.

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  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the soft skill expectations of an allied healthcare professional
  2. Comply with pharmacy laws, HIPAA/HITECH, CMS and other healthcare regulations
  3. Demonstrate correct processing of medication orders; preparation, storage, and distribution of medications
  4. Apply patient-safety and medication-safety practices, and identify, handle, and safely dispose of hazardous materials
  5. Prepare medications requiring sterile, non-sterile and chemotherapy compounding
  6. Apply knowledge of pharmacology, Medication Therapy Management, and inventory management in the pharmacy
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Enrollment Requirements

  1. High School Diploma or GED
  2. Web browser with internet connection
  3. Course registration & payment
  4. Pass a background check
  5. Pass general education/math assessment

MedCerts-Covered Materials*

  1. Expert-led video based training
  2. Textbooks: RX-3000 Student Workbook and Simulation Manual
  3. Simulation Kit
  4. eBook: The Pharmacy Technician
  5. Competency assessments
  6. National Certification exam fee

Student Services

  1. Dedicated Student Success Advisors
  2. Tailored support based on performance & behavior
  3. Exam preparation process
  4. 1 yr. post-program access to Career Center & Career Coaches

*The cost of all materials needed for this program are covered by MedCerts. They are not included in the tuition costs and the student is not liable for any costs or fees related to the above materials.

Required Courses
PS 1011

Professionalism in Allied Health

32 hours
Length
2 Weeks
Duration

This course will benefit anyone considering a career in allied health, as well as those already working in the field. Allied Health Professionals must be committed to the key attributes of professionalism and strive to reflect this within the delivery of patient-centered safe and effective care. “Professionalism” is a broad term that reflects many different skills and abilities. For an individual to exhibit professionalism, he/she must be armed with specific skills and abilities that do not always show up within certification requirements, or even within a career training curriculum. Soft skills are hard to measure and are typically less well-defined than hard skills. However, soft skills are what set many job candidates apart. Professionalism is not just what one knows, it is how one does their job, how one behaves and how one comes across as they interact with others.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with soft skills training that will provide the tools needed to demonstrate a higher level of professionalism on the job. Key components of the course focus on patient interaction, proper office behavior, medical ethics, diversity and cultural bias, emotional strength, professional appearance and communication. The course maintains a focus on the key attributes that are true markers of professionalism.

This course was created with input from healthcare professionals working in the field, healthcare employers that hire our graduates, professional educators and even former MedCerts students. The end result is a collection of modules that touch on the soft skills that are TRULY important in the real world of allied healthcare. In this course, students are engaged through scenario-based learning that allows for real interaction with virtual co-workers and patients. Additionally, game-based activities keep students engaged and entertained throughout their learning journey.

    • Gain an understanding of the expectations of an allied healthcare professional in the workplace
    • Develop and exercise emotional intelligence, self-management and interpersonal skills
    • Build and improve internal and external communication skills with all exchanges
    • Enhance the patient care experience with successful interactions and patient satisfaction
    • Maintain solution-oriented conversations, manage conflict and build self-confidence
HI 1014

Introduction to Human Anatomy and Medical Terminology

96 hours
Length
6 Weeks
Duration

This course is designed to familiarize the student with the language of medicine, through the study of prefixes, suffixes, root words, abbreviation, and pronunciation of words. The curriculum also includes an anatomy and physiology app that enables students to explore, visualize, interact, and experience the anatomy of the human body in 3D and augmented reality (AR). Students will examine the organization of the integumentary, musculoskeletal, hematic, lymphatic and immune, and cardiovascular systems in the human body. They will become familiar with the medical terms that relate to the respiratory, digestive, nervous, endocrine, reproductive, and excretory systems. Students will also examine terms related to the sensory organs, with a concentration on the organs for hearing, sight, and smell. This immersive experience will trigger thought processes and enhance learning outcomes in their Anatomy and Physiology program. The app has about 50 simulations across different topics.

    • Recognize the structure and function of the 11 body systems and their organs
    • Understand the medical language that is used to describe those systems
    • Analyze and understand medical terms by breaking down their word components
    • Appreciate the major diseases and conditions related to the human body
    • Apply your knowledge within the healthcare setting
HI 2017

Pharmacy Technician Principles and Practices ASHP

176 hours
Length
11 Weeks
Duration

This Pharmacy Technician course is designed to education and train the student in the diverse field of Pharmacy Technology. The student will be provided didactic coursework in the areas of prescription processing, pharmacy nomenclature, biopharmaceutics and drug activity, dosage calculations, and common mathematical formulas and conversions. Consideration of drug routes and formulations includes tablets and capsules, liquid prescriptions, parenteral and enteral, and insulin and syringes. To better understand the business side of the pharmacy world, students will learn about HIPAA, drug regulation and control, inventory management, financial considerations, legal and ethical issues, sterile and non-sterile compounding, and units of measurement. Throughout the course, the student will perform realistic pharmacy simulations that duplicate tasks performed in the work environment.

The Didactic Component of the RX 3000 Program is designed to provide instruction, theory, and knowledge of the pharmacy profession to the student as they progress through their courses. The different knowledge based areas that the student will be exposed to consist of: Origins of medicine, pharmacy law, HIV and AIDS, pharmacy terminology, reference and research tools, medication order processing, dosage forms, routes of administration, medical coding, billing, and reimbursement, Medication Therapy Management, Rick Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, basic biopharmaceutics and drug activities, inventory management, sterile and non-sterile compounding regulations, pre-packaging, HIPAA and HI-TECH Privacy Act, drug regulation and control, pharmacy equipment, medication formulation, emergency preparedness, safety and aseptic technique, patient empathy and effective communication, units of measurement, pharmaceutical terminology, dosage calculations, the metric system, and common mathematical formulas and conversions.

Th Simulation Component of the RX 3000 is designed to provide hands on experience for the student with different scenarios that will be performed by the pharmacy technician in various practice settings. In this portion of the course, students will watch demonstrations of their instructor performing various activities in which they will have to perform for evaluation and grading of accuracy, as well as being able to explain the steps properly with detailed explanations. Some of the simulations the student will be performing are hazardous waste disposal, prescription processing, sterile and non-sterile compounding, laminar flow hood cleaning and aseptic technique, proper gowning procedures, hand washing and gloving, prepackaging and unit dose preparations, reconstitution of antibiotics and injectable medications, oral liquids, parenteral preperations, chemotherapy preparations, narcotic preparations, large and small volume preparations, ampule preparations, and total parenteral nutrition preparations.

    Upon completing this course you will be able to:

    • Comply with pharmacy laws, HIPAA/HITECH, CMS and other healthcare regulations
    • Verify medication orders, calculate and measure dosage, and prepare and package medications
    • Apply knowledge of pharmacology, documentation and inventory management in the pharmacy
    • Adhere to patient-safety, medication-safety and effective infection control practices
    • Demonstrate procedures required sterile, non-sterile and chemotherapy compounding
EX 2017

Pharmacy Technician Externship

160 hours
Length
6 Weeks
Duration

The Experiential Component of the RX 3000 Program is designed to allow the student to complete their training in an approved pharmacy setting under the instruction of a licensed pharmacist. Here, the student will be evaluated by putting in to practice the skills and knowledge acquired in the Didactic and Simulation portions of the RX 3000 course. To facilitate in this process, we offer assistance to the student to ensure their experiential training is a success. We provide guidance and instruction for the student for state board of pharmacy registration and licensing, as well as securing their externship site. This ensures that the student will have proper credentials while on their site. During their rotation of 160 hours, the students will be evaluated as they reach certain benchmarks of their externship. At the completion of their externship, the pharmacy preceptor will meet with the student to discuss their strengths, weaknesses, and areas that need refinement. In addition, the student will have an opportunity to evaluate their experience at the experiential site, as well as the preceptor who evaluated their training.

    • Understand the importance of maintaining HIPAA and HI-Tech policies
    • Demonstrate effective communication and patient empathy
    • Maintain pharmacy inventory and understand different replenishment systems
    • Understand the difference between prescription, behind the counter, and over the counter medications
    • Understand the difference between discretional and non-discretional duties in the pharmacy setting
    • Demonstrate computer systems and software used for prescription processing
Code Course Duration
PS 1011 2 Weeks
HI 1014 6 Weeks
HI 2017 11 Weeks
EX 2017 6 Weeks
Total Program Duration 25 Weeks

Pharmacy Technician Professional (ASHP/ACPE)

Job Opportunities

Compounding Specialist (Compounding Pharmacy Tech)

$24,000 – $55,000*
Estimated Salary
Entry-Level

Pharmacy Technician

$19,000 – $49,000*
Estimated Salary
Career Potential

Pharmacy Assistant

$21,000 – $95,000*
Estimated Salary

Disclaimers

  1. This program is NOT available to residents of the following states: Arkansas, North Dakota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin
  2. This program is NOT approved for the long-term licensing of Pharmacy Technicians in the state of Washington. The WA Board of Pharmacy has additional requirements if the student plans to permanently reside in Washington. If a student is living in WA short-term (less than 2-years) they can obtain a temporary license.
  3. In compliance with ASHP accreditation requirements, the average PTCB/PTCE exam pass rate for MedCerts' Pharmacy Technician program was 45% from 1/1/2022 - 12/31/2022. In 2023 (01/2023 - 4/23/2023), our average exam pass rate was 59%.
  4. While MedCerts training and related target certifications may be accepted and/or approved by your state of residency, employers reserve the right to dictate prerequisite education, experience, or certification/licensure requirements for their positions. We strongly advise students to research target job posts from area employers and relevant state requirements, barriers, or restrictions prior to enrollment to ensure eligibility upon graduation.

Pharmacy Technician Professional