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Best pharmacy internship certifications

The best certifications for a pharmacy internship are Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS), and Certified Specialty Pharmacist (CSP).

Pharmacy internship certifications demonstrate your competency as a pharmacy internship to employers. However, not all pharmacy internship certifications provide the same value.

Below is a list of the best pharmacy internship certifications. Obtaining a pharmacy internship certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.

13 best pharmacy internship certifications

1. Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)

PTCB's pharmacy technician certification program enables technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer safe and effective patient care and service. Certification is achieved by meeting specific eligibility requirements and earning a passing score on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE). The PTCB certification program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
Course that help you to prepare for certification
Become a Pharmacy Technician
udemy
4.7
(2,374)

2. Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS)

MTM Certification, or Board Certification in Medication Therapy Management, is a voluntary process intended to demonstrate expertise in a specific pharmacy specialty. The National Board of Medication Therapy Management, an independent, not-for-profit, and pharmacist-led organization, was founded to provide pharmacists with a voluntary pathway to earn a board certification credential. It is different and distinct from licensure to practice pharmacy, a function regulated by state government. Being an MTM pharmacist requires more than assessing medications for indication, effectiveness, safety, and adherence issues. It also requires patient counseling that factors in patient’s emotional state, patient’s financial state, and patient’s cultural state. Certified MTM pharmacists, or Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS™), must successfully pass the examination established by the National Board of Medication Therapy Management. The pharmacist will be granted Board Certification by the National Board of Medication Therapy Management upon passing the examination. The Certification is renewable after 5 years if active pharmacist license is maintained and the standards for recertification are met.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? No
  • Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)

3. Certified Specialty Pharmacist (CSP)

By passing the CSP assessment, pharmacy professionals not only display their aptitude in each specialized task, but also present their expertise in specialty pharmacy with a CSP credential. The CSP credential is a key indicator to employers, manufacturers, patients, payers, other healthcare providers, and the public at large that a professional is an expert in specialty pharmaceuticals. CSP certified professionals are tested using a psychometrically sound examination process, utilizing an exam that has been validated with a role delineation study performed by specialty pharmacy subject matter experts (SMEs) from all Specialty Pharmacy channels.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)
Course that help you to prepare for certification
AWS Certified Database Specialty Practice Exams
udemy
4.7
(548)

4. APhA The Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Certificate

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) developed The Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Certificate Training Program, is an educational experience designed to equip pharmacists with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to provide effective, evidence-based diabetes care. The program provides comprehensive instruction in current diabetes concepts and standards of care and incorporates case studies and hands-on skills training focused on the situations most likely to be encountered—as well as the services most needed—in community and ambulatory care practice settings. Participants will gain experience evaluating and adjusting drug therapy regimens for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, counseling patients about lifestyle interventions, analyzing and interpreting self-monitoring of blood glucose results, and assessing the overall health status of patients to identify needed monitoring and interventions.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? No
  • Renewal required? No

5. Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)

The Certification Examination for Diabetes Educators ("Examination") is designed and intended solely for health care professionals who have defined roles as diabetes educators, not for those who may perform some diabetes related functions as part of or in the course of other usual and customary duties.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)

6. Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA)

Train to be a certified nurse assistant working with other health care professionals to provide quality care for elderly or sick individuals in nursing homes and hospitals and at home.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? 
Certifying website
Certified Nurse Assistant

7. Pharmacy Technician

The responsibilities of Pharmacy Technicians will vary for each employer, but may include (1) entering medication orders; (2) ordering and recieving stock; (3) packaging medications; (4) compounding ointments or creams; (5) auditing stock; and/or (6) assisting a pharmacist in filling or labeling. Pharmacy Technicians work under the supervision of a licensed Pharmacist, and responsibilities may differ as state laws allow.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
Certifying website
Pharmacy Technician
Certifying organization
National Center for Competency...
Course that help you to prepare for certification
Become a Pharmacy Technician
udemy
4.7
(2,374)

8. Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist (BCNP)

Nuclear Pharmacy seeks to improve and promote the public health through the safe and effective use of radioactive drugs for diagnosis and therapy. A nuclear pharmacist, as a member of the nuclear medicine team, specializes in the procurement, compounding, quality control testing, dispensing, distribution, and monitoring of radiopharmaceuticals. In addition, the nuclear pharmacist provides consultation regarding health and safety issues, as well as the use of non-radioactive drugs and patient care. Those who are granted certification in this specialty may use the designation Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist and the initials BCNP, as long as certification is valid.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 7 year(s)

9. Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)

A Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) draws blood from patients or donors in hospitals, blood banks, or similar facilities for analysis or other medical purposes.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 2 year(s)

10. Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee Certification (FPGEC)

NABP assists graduates of foreign pharmacy schools in more than 200 countries as they work toward becoming licensed pharmacists in the United States. All 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico require graduates of pharmacy schools that are not based in the US to achieve Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Certification before applying for a license from a state board of pharmacy.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? 

11. Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (CGP)

The geriatric pharmacist knows that the focus must be on the total patient, looking at all of the diseases and all of the medicines to evaluate appropriateness of drug therapy. The geriatric pharmacist also knows that the elderly are subject to conditions, such as falls, delirium, and cognitive impairment, that are not usually a concern in younger adults. Drug therapy must be evaluated with respect to the potential for medications to cause or worsen these "geriatric syndromes."

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 5 year(s)
Certifying organization
Board of Pharmacy Specialties

12. Sterile Products (IV) Certification

Sterile Products (IV) Certification To learn more - click here NPTA's Sterile Product Certification Course has been designed to train pharmacy technicians on the topic of sterile product preparation and aseptic technique, including USP .

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? No
Course that help you to prepare for certification
IV Certification:Compounding Sterile Preparations Techniques
udemy
3.9
(218)

13. Medical Assistant

The medical assistant job description varies depending on the employer's needs. A medical assistant is a multi-skilled professional and an asset to a physician.

Certification details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or written exam required? Yes
  • Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
Certifying organization
American Society of Phlebotomy...

What is the best certification for a pharmacy internship?

The best pharmacy internship certification is Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). The Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) is awarded by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. This certification is great to have as it shows an improvement in your competency to perform your role. You can earn this certification at the beginning of your career, as it often doesn't require a minimum education level and work experience.

Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this pharmacy internship certification:

  • To become a certified Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), you need to pass the exam.
  • Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
  • Renew certification every 2 year.

What are some of the most in-demand certifications for pharmacy interns?

The most in-demand pharmacy internship certification is Certified Pharmacy Technician based on all active job postings. Having this pharmacy internship certification will give you access to more pharmacy internship jobs with higher salaries.

What certifications can impact a pharmacy internship career and salary?

The Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee Certification certification will help you to secure a pharmacist position, which will increase your pay and career trajectory. A pharmacist's average salary is $119,686 whereas pharmacy interns make an average salary of $80,116.

Best certifications

The most common combination of pharmacy internship certifications include: Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), Board Certified Medication Therapy Management Specialists (BCMTMS), and Certified Specialty Pharmacist (CSP).

Online courses for pharmacy internships to earn certifications

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1. Drug Commercialization

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9. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

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11. Certificate Course in Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)

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13. Medical Emergencies: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation

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In this course, you will develop the knowledge and skills to assess and stabilize certain types of patients for transport. By the end of this course, you will be able to: 1) assess a basic medical patient 2) describe general pharmacologic principles and the skills associated with medication administration, 3) explain airway physiology, the assessment of the airway and available interventions for airway management, 4) identify, assess and formulate a plan to stabilize a patient with a...

14. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

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15. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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16. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care

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