Nebraska State Requirements

You must register with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) before you can work as a pharmacy technician. Older versions of Nebraska law allowed pharmacy technicians to apply within 30 days of being hired, but current DHHS instructions state that registration must be issued before your first day working as a pharmacy technician.

Nebraska has one pharmacy technician registration tier. Pharmacy technicians can initially register without certification, but anyone first registered after January 1, 2016, must obtain certification through a Board-approved state or national program within one year.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Applicants must be High School graduates or be officially recognized by the Nebraska Department of Education as having an equivalent level of education. A copy of a High School diploma, GED, qualifying transcript, or other accepted evidence must be submitted with the application.

Nebraska does not require applicants to complete a specific pharmacy technician training program or a fixed number of training hours before registration. Pharmacy technicians may only complete tasks that do not require a pharmacist’s professional judgment, are within their demonstrated abilities, and can be checked by a pharmacist.

Certification is not required when initially applying for registration, but it must be obtained within one year of registration. The Nebraska Board of Pharmacy accepts PTCB and NHA/ExCPT certification, as well as certain Board-approved Nebraska state certification programs.

Nebraska does not require every pharmacy technician applicant to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal-history background check. However, applicants must disclose all misdemeanor and felony convictions and provide supporting court records and explanations when required.

Applicants are not eligible for registration if they have been convicted of a non-alcohol, drug-related misdemeanor or felony within the previous five years. Note that applicants with other convictions may request an optional preliminary conviction review from DHHS before submitting the full registration application.

Nebraska currently uses a paper Pharmacy Technician Registration Application. The completed and signed form, supporting documents, and fee must be mailed to the Nebraska DHHS Division of Public Health Licensure Unit. The application cautions that working before registration is issued can result in an administrative penalty of $10 per day (up to a maximum of $1,000).

The pharmacy technician registration fee is $25. Note that this initial fee is waived for qualifying applicants, including applicants under 26 years old, eligible low-income individuals, or qualifying military family members.

Licensing decisions can take approximately 8–10 weeks after a complete application is received. Applications must be completed within 90 days.

Pharmacy technician registrations are renewed every two years and become renewable on January 1 of each odd-numbered year. Registrants may also place their registration on inactive status, but they cannot work as pharmacy technicians while the registration is inactive.

The renewal fee is $25. Pharmacy technicians whose registration has expired must complete the reinstatement process and pay the applicable renewal and reinstatement fees before returning to work.

Nebraska Revised Statute § 38-2891 authorizes pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines to patients aged three years or older. Administration is limited to intramuscular injections in the deltoid muscle or subcutaneous injections in the arm, and the supervising pharmacist must verify the vaccine before administration and remain on site.

Before administering vaccines, pharmacy technicians must hold Board-approved pharmacy technician certification, complete certificate training covering vaccine administration, blood-borne pathogen exposure, administration safety, and biohazard handling, and maintain current healthcare-provider Basic Life Support certification.