Career advancement insights from certified pharmacy technicians: Enhanced opportunities for the pharmacy technician workforce

Abstract

Background

Sustainable career advancement opportunities for pharmacy technicians will be a critical part of patient-centered community pharmacy environments as the role of the pharmacist provider expands.

Objective

(1) To determine the impact of a Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) pharmacy certification on career advancement and professional growth metrics; (2) To assess technicians’ role in advanced pharmacy services before and after certification; and (3) To identify changes in pharmacist services when a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) was added to the provider team.

Methods

A 73-question web-based survey was distributed to all PTCB CPhT in the United States, Washing DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands. The survey was distributed by PTCB in April 2021 with a 28-day collection period. The survey included multiple choice, rating scale, and free text questions centered on 5 domains: practice experience, career aspirations, compensation, pharmacy practice motivations, and impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

A total of 23,007 CPhTs completed the survey. Respondents were primarily females (85.5%), age 30-39 (32.8%), and ≥10 years CPhT experience (42.8%). The majority of respondents cited improvement of patient health (77.4%), career advancement opportunities (53.5%), the ability to expand their role during emergencies (e.g., COVID-19) (52.6%), and future career advancement opportunities (51.7%) as benefits of CPhT certification. Increases in job responsibility after certification included changes occurring in roles related to clinical pharmacy services, patient education, preventive health services, provider communication, and staff training. Respondents agreed that PTCB-certification allowed for the expansion of pharmacists’ services where they practiced, including clinical services (18.5%), patient education (18.3%), and preventive health services (18.1%).

Conclusion

CPhT’s value certification for its benefits on career advancement, personal growth, and salary enhancement. Affirmation of skill and training through certification is also recognized to positively influence patient care and the pharmacy's ability to provide advanced patient care and services.