New York

From 25 April 2021, a new Pharmacy Technician Law goes into effect. This law seeks to improve medication safety standards and practice for pharmacy technicians working in hospitals/health systems in New York. As such, it requires pharmacy technicians to be nationally certified via the PTCB exam.

Previously, of course, this was not the case. There was no mandated requirement for New York pharmacy technicians involved with compounding in healthcare settings to take the PTCB examination. According to the Pharmacy Technician Law, candidates must be at least 18-years; must have a high school degree (or equivalent); and must be PTCB certified through an approved course. Candidates must have undergone site-specific training under the supervision of a pharmacist. Community pharmacy technicians would still be unlicensed and cannot compound. An alternative pathway also exists for pharmacy technicians who have amassed more than 500 hours of work experience.

The new Pharmacy Technician Law creates the official title of Registered Pharmacy Technician, whilst also stating the duties that pharmacy technicians must be qualified to deliver – including stating compounding requirements which previously was not very well defined.

New York State Board of Pharmacy will also include 2 new members, both of which are Registered Pharmacy Technicians.

New York State Requirements

To register as a pharmacy technician in New York, the State Board has issued their own requirements for candidates to meet. These include:

• Candidates must apply as a trainee pharmacy technician in either a retail pharmacy or a hospital pharmacy.
• Most pharmacy chains and small businesses will require candidates to be at least 18-years old and who have completed high school level education. Any other experience in the pharmacy or healthcare setting will prove to be an advantage.
• Annual renewal of licenses is not required. However, continuous education under the PTCB license does apply (see below).

New York Pharmacy Technician Average Salary: $19.44/hr

Requirements for PTCB Continuous Education

To maintain the pharmacy tech license in New York, candidates must complete CE – or continuous education.

PTCB requires:

• Candidates must have completed at least 20-hours of CE in a 2-year cycle.
• Candidates must have completed at least 1-hour of this training in pharmacy law and regulations, and an additional hour in patient safety.
• PTCB requires that CE must be related to the professional work and practice of a pharmacy technician.
• Candidates must pay the requisite fee of $40.00, which must be paid every 2-years.