Pharmacy Tech Info by State

The state of New Jersey, featuring nearly two thousand hospital and retail pharmacies, employs roughly seven-and-a-half thousand full time pharmacy technicians.  Pharmacy technicians are assistants to licensed pharmacists.  The tasks of pharmacy technicians often include the preparation, packaging, labeling and transfer of federally controlled substances.  Nonetheless, nearly half of New Jersey's pharmacy technicians are technically unlicensed.  Pharmacists, of course, prefer licensed assistants, and many local pharmacists will not hire unlicensed technicians, as federal law prohibits them from handling sensitive materials like prescription medications.  Regulations pertaining to pharmacy technicians vary from state to state.  The New Jersey Board of Pharmacy has its own set of guidelines regarding the employment and licensing of pharmacy technicians.

According to demographic information recently collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pharmacies in the state of North Dakota currently employ about 730 full time professional pharmacy technicians at roughly 160 hospital and retail pharmacies located throughout the state.  However, as of June 1st, 2012, only 470 North Dakota pharmacy technicians are technically licensed.  Many are trainees awaiting certification.  Some are pharmacy interns.  Others were “grandfathered” into the industry through years of practical experience.  Regulations and guidelines pertaining to pharmacy technicians vary from state to state.

As of June 1st, 2012, the state of Nevada features more than four hundred chain, independent and hospital pharmacies.  Altogether, they employ roughly 2,370 full time professional pharmacy technicians, according data recently released by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.  However, less than two thousand Nevada residents are currently registered and licensed by the state Board of Pharmacy.  This may seem odd at first glance, as licensed pharmacists prefer to work with licensed technicians.  However, many working pharmacy technicians are fulfilling a training requirement, or are in the process of renewing their licenses.  Regulations and guidelines regarding the practices of pharmacy technicians vary from state to state.

Based on demographic employment data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly nine hundred full time professional pharmacy technicians are currently employed in roughly 220 hospital and retail pharmacies throughout the state of Montana.  At this time, more than eleven hundred Montana residents hold licenses as pharmacy technicians from the state's Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).  Pharmacy technicians are assistants to licensed pharmacists.  Their duties include, among other things, the preparation, processing and transfer of various legally controlled substances.  Different U.S. states have different sets of rules and regulations regarding locally employed pharmacy technicians.  The guidelines put forth by Montana's Board of Pharmacy are more stringent than they are in most other states.