A bit of confusion ...

[Guest guest]

Dear Ms. Jeanetta & Group Members,

I actually have to say I am 'a lot' confused! I am a software engineer who is

changing career in order to be able to work part-time & stay at home with the

kids.

So, I am taking the September PTCE test to become a 'certified' Pharmacy

Technician, and I thought I'd start looking for jobs to get an idea of what the

market is really like. This is one of the required qualifications & experiences

that I came across:

Minimum one(1) year dispensing in a retail environment

Certification

Current California Pharmacy Technician License

My question is: What is the difference between Cetification and License? And how

do I get a License? Can I get licensed without a Certification?

I apologize if the question is a re-post. I have only recently signed on to this

Study Group.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Luigia.

[Guest guest]

Dear Luigia,

I am a teacher and a director of a program for pharm techs in California.

What dora wrote regarding the definitions is Correct, the state of California

does NOT issue a license to the pharmacy technicians. It only issues a

REGISTRATION. The Registration does come from the state board of pharmacy

licensing department. They issue licenses to pharmacists.

In California:

A pharmacist must have:

1. Supply Proof of graduation from an accredited school of pharmacy with a

Pharm D, including but not limited to internship, residency etc.

2. Take and pass the State Board of Pharmacy exam and any jurisprudence exam

required by California. Supply proof of passing this exam.

3. Become Licensed

4. Become Registered

A technician must have:

1. Supply proof of one of the following (as prevuously outlined by )

a. Graduation from an accredited school for pharmacy techs

b. Graduation from a military pharmacy program or experience in a military

pharmacy

c. Take and pass the PTCB exam

But what I wanted to tell you is this:

Whileyou will take the exam and pass in the state of Ca do not get your hopes up

too hign unless you are in a rual area to get hired other than retail. Why?

becauase this law is only about 2 yrs old. Prior to this law PTCB as a

possiblility was not an option. Techs had to have either 1500hrs yr of training

at a pharmacy or schooling private or military or an AA in science.

Since MOST retail pharmacies either hired to train their own or hospitals hired

those with education and internship hosptial training, TODAY most want an

educated and trained tech, NOT one who has read a book and passed an exam

without any training at all.

I am NOT trying to discourage you. I am giving you a taste of REALITY in the

state of California. So when you get your PTCB and your registration (not a

license but still REFERRED to as a license) you will meet some challenges when

asked WHAT experience do you have???

At least a school graduate will be able to say I have had 8 weeks of extern or

internship. The only thing you will only be able to do then is say that you have

worked with compuers and you can apply this knowledge to help the pharmacy with

their computer problems etc. By the way that is a good thing. But for some

pharmacies they will need one who is already experienced.

Passing the PTCB exam ONLY in my opinion just is NOT equivalent to taking a 9

month course with mock labs and an externship with on the job training, which is

putting all one has learned in the mock labs to practice inthe REAL life setting

on the unpaid job.

I am sure you see the difference. Therefore so do employers in California.

Now I am NOT saying you will not get hired. But I am saying it will be difficult

to do so to find an employer who will take a chance. More than likely it will be

an independant retail store owner. Those are getting harder to find.

This newer law allows techs from out of state that do not have education but do

have experience to become registered in Ca easily. We could not descriminate and

therefore we had to allow even Californians this route. But again one will find

it difficult without experience.

BEST bet: consider going to an adult ROP program in California before or after

PTCB and registration.

READ all my tutorials.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

F/O

" Luigia F. " <luigia@...> wrote:

,

Thanks a lot for the helpful link. I guess I'm going to have to apply for a

license right after I become CPhT, as it appears to be mandatory in the State of

California.

Luigia.

Re: A bit of confusion ...

Hi Luiga,

Your certification comes from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board

(PTCB) when you pass the PTCE. Your license is supplied by the state. I place

the link below to the CA BOP section that applies to technician licensure.

http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/licensing/personal_licenses.htm

Hope this helps,

--

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving

safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,

champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO - what a ride! "

-------------- Original message --------------

From: " Luigia F. " <luigia@...>

Dear Ms. Jeanetta & Group Members,

I actually have to say I am 'a lot' confused! I am a software engineer who is

changing career in order to be able to work part-time & stay at home with the

kids.

So, I am taking the September PTCE test to become a 'certified' Pharmacy

Technician, and I thought I'd start looking for jobs to get an idea of what the

market is really like. This is one of the required qualifications & experiences

that I came across:

Minimum one(1) year dispensing in a retail environment

Certification

Current California Pharmacy Technician License

My question is: What is the difference between Cetification and License? And

how do I get a License? Can I get licensed without a Certification?

I apologize if the question is a re-post. I have only recently signed on to

this Study Group.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Luigia.

[Guest guest]

Hey Luigia,

Just a little more reality to back up what Ms. Mastron has said, and

because I was right there in your shoes at one time.

It is hard to get that first jump on experience and training,

because some Pharmacist don't want or have the time and energy to

teach.

When I did decided to become a Pharmacist and start my pre-pharmacy

courses in Jr. College, I also thought it would be good training to

work in a pharmacy as I went along, Welllll, not as easy as I

thought, I knocked on every pharmacy and pharmacuetical door I could

find and let them know of my asperations to become a Phamacist. All

I got was NO, NO, NO. This went on for months. I could not

understand, that they wanted experienced people, but how do you get

the experience if no one wanted to hire you. LOL, (wow, memories)

Until one day, out of the blue after I decided to give up on asking

for a pharmacy job, I was told yes by a Pharmacist in an retail

pharmacy in Los Angeles County,that had all the patients in the

world when he taught. (He's my mentor, and will always respect him

as just that). He taught me everything I knew until I got my

training and moved onto Hospital Outpatient (now, with experience)

was there for 9 1/2 years. 9 yrs later I decided to go on and take

the pharm tech course for my certificate (with Ms. Mastron) because

I found it very hard in 2004 to work in any pharmacy industry. Now I

am back to square one with the whole needing to be certified and

registered. No one will hiring me just with my past experience.

So let me just say, don't give up there is someone out there that

will give you the experience you need just keep knocking on doors

and network, ask some pharmacist that you know (mostly in the Mom &

Pop pharmacies or smaller chains) You may find someone you has no

problem with training you and helping you get that experience.

Gwen

,

>

> Thanks a lot for the helpful link. I guess I'm going to have to

apply for a license right after I become CPhT, as it appears to be

mandatory in the State of California.

>

> Luigia.

>

> Re: A bit of confusion ...

>

> Hi Luiga,

>

> Your certification comes from the Pharmacy Technician

Certification Board (PTCB) when you pass the PTCE. Your license is

supplied by the state. I place the link below to the CA BOP section

that applies to technician licensure.

>

> http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/licensing/personal_licenses.htm

>

> Hope this helps,

>

>

>

> --

> Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of

arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather

to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the

other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming " WOO

HOO - what a ride! "

>

> -------------- Original message --------------

> From: " Luigia F. " <luigia@...>

> Dear Ms. Jeanetta & Group Members,

>

> I actually have to say I am 'a lot' confused! I am a software

engineer who is changing career in order to be able to work part-

time & stay at home with the kids.

>

> So, I am taking the September PTCE test to become a 'certified'

Pharmacy Technician, and I thought I'd start looking for jobs to get

an idea of what the market is really like. This is one of the

required qualifications & experiences that I came across:

>

> Minimum one(1) year dispensing in a retail environment

> Certification

> Current California Pharmacy Technician License

>

> My question is: What is the difference between Cetification and

License? And how do I get a License? Can I get licensed without a

Certification?

>

> I apologize if the question is a re-post. I have only recently

signed on to this Study Group.

>

> Thank you for your help.

>

> Sincerely,

> Luigia.

>

>