How To Become A Licensed Pharmacist Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a licensed pharmacist technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A licensed pharmacy technician works under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist to attend to customers, read prescriptions, dispense drugs, and process payment. You will be required to interact with customers, receive prescriptions, validate prescriptions, prepare the medicines, ensure medicine bottles and packages are properly labeled, and then hand them over to customers.

You will also perform duties like managing inventory and keeping all records up to date, as well as recording all customer information into a computer. You must be trained in the use of aseptic techniques to manipulate vials, ampoules, needles, syringes, and other intravenous products. Your customer service has to be top-notch, and you must maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPPA guidelines.

Your most important traits and skills are customer service skills, listening skills, pharmaceutical services, knowledge of HIPPA, and patient care. The average salary for a licensed pharmacist technician is $34,000 yearly. The most commonly required educational qualification is a bachelor's degree in pharmacy, chemistry, or a related discipline, as well as a license to practice.

ScoreLicensed Pharmacist TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,176

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.5

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.80%

Asian 10.11%

Black or African American 8.65%

Hispanic or Latino 14.49%

Unknown 5.72%

White 60.23%

Gender

female 73.72%

male 26.28%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a licensed pharmacist technician

Explore licensed pharmacist technician education requirements

Most common licensed pharmacist technician degrees

Bachelor's

48.6 %

Associate

18.7 %

High School Diploma

11.1 %

Start to develop specific licensed pharmacist technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	30.38%
Quality Customer Service	8.91%
Computer System	4.54%
IV	3.84%
HIPAA	3.64%

Complete relevant licensed pharmacist technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New licensed pharmacist technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a licensed pharmacist technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real licensed pharmacist technician resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed licensed pharmacist technician usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed licensed pharmacist technician in most of states. 38 states require licensed pharmacist technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Licensed Pharmacist Technician
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Pharmacist
Arkansas	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Pharmacist
California	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Pharmacist, Registered
Connecticut	Degree required	State exam required	Pharmacist

Gain additional licensed pharmacist technician certifications

Licensed pharmacist technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific licensed pharmacist technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for licensed pharmacist technicians include Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research licensed pharmacist technician duties and responsibilities

Manage assigned pharmacy workstations and tasks while supporting team members in promptly, safely and accurately filling patient prescriptions.
Introduce to the PYXIS machine (automate dispensing system).
Check prescriptions for appropriate dosage, drug interactions, allergies and contra-indications.
Busy independent pharmacy\ average, daily prescription business is 325-425 Rx's per day.

Prepare your licensed pharmacist technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your licensed pharmacist technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a licensed pharmacist technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable licensed pharmacist technician resume templates

Build a professional licensed pharmacist technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your licensed pharmacist technician resume.

Apply for licensed pharmacist technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a licensed pharmacist technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do licensed pharmacist technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Licensed pharmacist technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022

Pros

This salary range is based off a pharmacist which is a doctorate degree, not a senior pharmacist technician. They range between $15 to $25 per hour which is closer to $30k to $40k.

Cons

This article is misleading and needs to be corrected.

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019