PTCB turns 10

Abstract

January 31 marks an important milestone for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)—the 10th anniversary of the organization’s founding by a coalition of two state and two national pharmacy organizations: the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP), the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and ASHP. Early this year, PTCB will reach another important milestone—the awarding of the CPhT designation, or certified pharmacy technician credential, to 200,000 pharmacy technicians who have either passed PTCB’s national certification examination or completed a transfer process. “One of the reasons that PTCB has been so successful is because of the need for pharmacists to turn to qualified technical personnel for activities that don’t require the work of a licensed pharmacist,” said Melissa Murer, who has been PTCB’s executive director since the organization’s founding. “As the professions evolve,” she added, “it’s very exciting that there continue to be new opportunities for pharmacists and thus for technicians, which ultimately helps better serve patients.”