- The California State Board of Pharmacy has established procedures for the licensing of pharmacy technicians.
- To work as a pharmacy technician in the state of California, you
must have a current pharmacy technician license.
- Licensing is not required for persons working as pharmacy clerks or pharmacy assistants.
You can apply for a pharmacy technician license with the California State Board of Pharmacy if:
- You are at least
18 years of age,
and
- You have a
high school diploma or GED,
and
- You have an official high school or college transcript
and
- You have a
valid Social Security number,
and
- You have completed a
Self-Query Report with the National Practitioner Data Bank Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (NPDB-HIPDB) dated no earlier than 60 days of the date of application
and
- You
pass a criminal background check (done with Live Scan fingerprints),
and
- You meet at least one of the following criteria :
1. Have completed a course of training specified by the California Board of Pharmacy in section 1793.6 of State Board of Pharmacy Rules and Regulations.
- This requirement can be fulfilled by successfully completing either the
SAC Basic Certificate Option:
- PHAR 048 Introduction to Pharmacy Technology
- PHAR 051 Body Systems I
- PHAR 052 Body Systems II
- PHAR 055 Pharmacy Calculations
- PHAR 056 Pharmacy Operations
- PHAR 072A Pharmacy Technology Externship Outpatient (80-hour outpatient rotation only)
or the
SAC Advanced Certificate Option:
- PHAR 048 Introduction to Pharmacy Technology
- PHAR 051 Body Systems I
- PHAR 052 Body Systems II
- PHAR 055 Pharmacy Calculations
- PHAR 056 Pharmacy Operations
- PHAR 057 Inpatient Pharmacy Services
- PHAR 060 Sterile Products
- PHAR 072A Pharmacy Technology Externship Outpatient (80-hour outpatient rotation)
- PHAR 072B Pharmacy Technology Externship Inpatient (120-hour inpatient rotation)
- PHAR 072C Pharmacy Technology Externship Sterile Products (120-hour sterile products rotation)
- *(all three rotations:320 hours)
- Students should apply for their licenses as soon as they have completed the Basic Certificate option.
-
While waiting to receive their licenses, students are strongly encouraged to continue with their coursework to complete the Advanced Certificate.
- Having the Advanced Certificate will open up many more job opportunities!
Have obtained an Associate degree in Pharmacy Technology. Students who already have Bachelor's or Associate's degrees will be automatically qualified to apply for the A.S. degrees in Pharmacy Technology upon completion of the Advanced Certificate.
Have graduated from a school of pharmacy recognized by the Board.
Are certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). (Applicants who qualify by this option without also completing a training program often have difficulty getting a job. The PTCB exam is a computer-based test of basic knowledge (minimum competency). Employers want to know that you also have the technical skills and hands-on experience required for the job!
Apply for a Pharmacy Technician license:
- Download complete information and the license application from the California State Board of Pharmacy website. On the application, you will be required to document your qualifications for licensing. You will also have to answer questions regarding current or past drug/alcohol abuse, mental disorders, convictions of law violations, etc.
- The Board of Pharmacy, in its duty to protect public health and safety, can deny a license to any person deemed to be unfit to practice as a pharmacy technician.
- In addition to the completed application, the Board will require you to submit:
- Live Scan fingerprints (at the FBI and DOJ level), which are screened by the state Dept. of Justice
- A recent photograph
- A check or money order for your registration fee
- A Self-query Report
If you will be using your training at SAC to qualify for the license, please submit all three completed pages of the application, with your picture attached, to the Pharmacy Technology office. Dr. Slocum will fill in the section entitled "Affidavit of Completed Coursework or Graduation" and attach the department seal. You will then mail the completed application and supporting materials to the Board of Pharmacy.
- If you have questions about a pending pharmacy technician license application, send an e-mail to:
Appstatus@dca.ca.gov
Pharmacy Technician License Renewal:
- Pharmacy technician licenses must be renewed every two years. Currently, pharmacy technicians are not required to complete any continuing education hours to renew their licenses. (Note that the PTCB does require continuing education to renew your CPhT certification.)
- Four to six weeks before your license expires, you should receive a renewal notice. These notices are sent to the "address of record" that you submitted to the Board on your license application.
- If you move, be sure to inform the Board of your new address!
- By law, you have just 30 days after you move to notify the Board. Address change forms are available on the Board's website. Send the renewal form and fee back to the Board of Pharmacy as soon as possible. There is no grace period on license renewals. If your license renewal has not been fully processed before the expiration date of your old license, it is not legal for you to work as a pharmacy technician. Your employer may be forced to send you home without pay.
- You can check the expiration date of your license and verify that a renewal has been processed by checking this link
Verify a License on the Board of Pharmacy's website.
- If you fail to renew your license within 60 days of the expiration date, even if you didn't get the renewal notice because the Board had an old address, your license will be cancelled. Cancelled licenses cannot be renewed. You will have to start the original license application process all over again.
