Requirements to Become a Pharmacy Technician in Georgia

As of June 1st, 2012, the state of Georgia features more than two thousand institutional and retail pharmacies.  In total, they employ more than ten thousand State Board-registered pharmacy technicians.  Of these, roughly thirty percent are unlicensed.  However, unlicensed does not necessarily mean unskilled.  A pharmacy assistant may lack certification due to a recently expired license, or due to having received licensing in another state, or due to having been “grandfathered” into the industry by way of on-the-job training.  Nonetheless, pharmacists unanimously agree that Board certified pharmacy technicians are heavily preferred to unlicensed assistants.

Georgia State Regulations for Pharmacy Technicians

Although licensing is not a legal requirement, all pharmacy technicians employed in the state of Georgia must register with the Board of Pharmacy.  Applicants must be at least seventeen years of age, in possession of a high school diploma or GED and have no felony convictions. Applicants must also submit to criminal background checks.  All associated fees are the sole responsibility of the applicant.  The only test accepted for licensing as a pharmacy technician in the state of Georgia is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam.  The onsite activities of pharmacy technicians are typically governed by the pharmacists in charge and by federal laws pertaining to the handling of controlled substances.  For instance, pharmacy technicians may NOT accept phoned in or non-written prescriptions, transfer orders to and from other pharmacies, counsel patients, provide information about a prescription order or determine refill authorization.  Other job-related tasks may be performed by licensed pharmacy technicians, but ONLY under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist.  Such tasks include reconstituting, mixing, weighing and measuring active ingredients, handing a prescription to a patient, altering a patient's profile, providing general drug information and participating in the verification of IV preparations.

Georgia Training Programs for Pharmacy Technicians Include:

One way for Georgia residents to acquire the skills needed to become pharmaceutical technicians is through enrollment at accredited local colleges.  Well-regarded schools in Georgia offering certificate programs for pharmacy technicians include Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro, Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia, Southwest Georgia Technical College in Thomasville and Valdosta Technical College in Valdosta. Some aspiring pharmacy technicians acquire skills by way of job training programs or online educational options.  Popular accredited online colleges featuring training and degree programs for pharmacy technicians include Lincoln Technical Institute, Provo College, Sanford Brown College, Institute of Technology and InterCoast College, to name only a few.