Oregon State Requirements

You must hold a license from the Oregon Board of Pharmacy before working as a pharmacy technician. Note that submitting an application does not authorize you to begin working while your application is being processed.

Oregon has two pharmacy technician tiers: Pharmacy Technician and Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician (COPT). Both are state licenses, but the COPT license is intended for applicants who have passed an accepted national certification examination.

You must be at least 18 years old (for either license).

You must have completed High School, GED, or an equivalent qualification.

National certification is not required for the standard Pharmacy Technician license. Applicants seeking the Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician license must have passed the PTCB examination or NHA’s ExCPT examination.

Continued PTCB or NHA certification is not required to renew a Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician license. However, certified pharmacy technicians must still meet Oregon’s state renewal and continuing education requirements (see below).

Oregon does not require one standard training program that every technician must complete before initial licensure. However, pharmacy technicians must complete initial and ongoing training appropriate to every task they perform, review the pharmacy’s relevant policies and procedures before beginning those tasks, and repeat the review whenever the procedures are updated.

Applicants for either license must complete a national fingerprint-based criminal background check. The Board’s fingerprint-processing fee is $45, and Fieldprint currently charges an additional $12.50 when the applicant schedules the fingerprint appointment.

You must complete the Board’s moral turpitude questions and disclose requested criminal, disciplinary, and professional-conduct history. Note that additional written explanations, police reports, court documents, Board orders, and related records may be required if you answer yes to a disclosure question.

Applications for Pharmacy Technician and Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician licensure are submitted online through the Oregon Board of Pharmacy’s mylicense/eGov system. Required documents include a recent passport-style photograph and acceptable identity documentation. COPT applicants must also provide evidence of PTCB or NHA certification.

The current biennial license fee is $140 for either license type. Note that all fees are non-refundable and generally cannot be prorated, although the license fee is reduced by half when an initial application is received within 180 days of the common expiration date.

In addition to the license fee, applicants currently pay the Board’s $45 fingerprint-processing fee and the separate $12.50 Fieldprint appointment fee.

Both license types expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year. The expiration date is based on Oregon’s common licensing cycle rather than the date the individual license was issued.

Pharmacy Technician and Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician licenses are renewed biennially through mylicense/eGov. Renewal requires the applicable fee, completion of Oregon’s continuing-education requirements, required conduct disclosures, and an annual criminal-background check.

The current biennial renewal fee is $140, plus the mandatory $8 workforce-data-collection fee, making the ordinary state renewal cost $148. A $20 late fee applies after June 30.

A licensed Pharmacy Technician or Certified Oregon Pharmacy Technician can physically administer vaccines under the supervision of an appropriately trained and qualified pharmacist. Before administering vaccines, the technician must complete practical training covering infection control, anatomical landmarks, and hands-on administration technique and hold qualifying current CPR certification. Technicians can generally vaccinate patients age 7 or older, administer influenza vaccine from age 6 months, and vaccinate patients age 3 or older when the lower age is authorized during a qualifying emergency or disease outbreak. The technician must document the administration and immediately notify the pharmacist of a suspected adverse reaction.