Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Announces Milestone: 300,000 Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT)

WASHINGTON, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) announced today that over 300,000 pharmacy technicians have officially been designated Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT) through successfully completing the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination or transfer process since the program's inception in 1995. In 2006, PTCB transitioned from a paper-and-pencil format to computer-based testing through Pearson VUE, thereby making its exam more widely available.

PTCB is the pioneer in the certification of pharmacy technicians, who play a vital role in assisting pharmacists in serving patients nationwide. Pharmacy technicians work in retail pharmacies, hospitals and health-systems, nursing homes, mail-order pharmacies, and other pharmacy locations. The field is growing -- pharmacy technician was named one of the 30 top jobs of 2008 by CareerBuilder.com.

The PTCB national Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE) is the only certification program for pharmacy technicians accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA accreditation represents an independent audit by certification industry experts and ensures that PTCB's certification program adheres to current standards of practice in the certification industry. The PTCE is recognized by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, major employers, pharmacy technicians nationwide, and state boards of pharmacy. The PTCE is delivered through Pearson Professional Centers in all 50 states, and is included in regulations of 30 states.

"Certifying pharmacy technicians is critical to patient safety. We know that in a recent survey of American consumers, 91% support strong regulations across the country to protect patient safety by requiring that pharmacy technicians be trained and certified," said Melissa Murer Corrigan, RPh, Executive Director and CEO of PTCB. "With more than 300,000 trained and tested PTCB certified pharmacy technicians and new regulations for pharmacy technicians in states such as Florida, significant progress is being made to meet this expectation."

"Pharmacists need the support of their techs, and the confidence that the technicians are trained and tested. Walgreens was the first to get behind certification, and close to 65% of our techs are PTCB certified, said Mark Wagner, Executive Vice President of Store Operations at Walgreens. "The 300,000 milestone is important as qualified pharmacy technicians are essential to a pharmacy's smooth operations."

About the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

PTCB was established in January 1995 and is governed by five pharmacy organizations -- the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP), the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). The goal of the PTCB national certification program is to enable pharmacy technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer safe and effective patient care and service. PTCB contracts with Pearson VUE, the industry's technology leader, as its computer-based testing vendor. PTCB draws upon the experience and expertise of its 13-year partner, Professional Examination Service (PES) for test development.

About Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE (http://www.pearsonvue.com/) is the global leader in electronic testing for regulatory and certification boards, providing a full suite of services from test development to test delivery to data management. Pearson VUE offers exams through the world's largest network of test centers in 162 countries, providing testing services for information technology, academic, government and professional clients. Pearson VUE acquired the former Promissor in 2006, thereby extending its leadership in the certification market. The company's innovative technology offers the highest levels of security and program control, while its commitment to service provides clients and individual test takers with an unmatched testing experience.

Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson , the international media company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education and the Penguin Group.