UPMC Pharmacy Technician Training Program

The mission of the UPMC Pharmacy Technician Training Program is to educate and empower trainees to become highly qualified pharmacy technicians.

Pharmacy technicians provide pharmaceutical care to patients within the UPMC Health System by:

• Dispensing, packaging, and labeling medications.
• Distributing medications.
• Compounding nonsterile medications.
• Maintaining a safe, clean, and organized work environment.
• Managing inventory.

In the outpatient setting, pharmacy technicians are also responsible for:

• Processing prescriptions.
• Operating cash registers.

Pharmacy technician duties are carried out under the direct supervision of a pharmacist in compliance with Department of Health, The Joint Commission, and State Board of Pharmacy regulations.

Is This Career for Me?

• I want to help people, but it isn’t easy for me to be around pain and sickness.
• I am detail oriented and enjoy multi-tasking.
• I am great at working with my hands and problem-solving.
• I love working with instruments and technology.
• I want a solid career with no college requirements.
• I want to get a job relatively easily (good job market, position vacancies).
• I enjoy the flexibility to work during the day-shift, evening-shift, or night-shift.
• I want a versatile career with lots of job choices, like a hospital pharmacy technician, retail pharmacy technician, sterile compounding technician, inventory specialist, billing specialist, and more!

• Minimum qualifications
• Technical prerequisites/Essential functions

Note: Read the job posting's qualifications carefully before applying.

The purpose of the 2,080 hours of paid training (to be completed in one year) provides a comprehensive curriculum of theoretical knowledge and direct clinical experience in the pharmacy technician scope of practice. The course content and presentation encourages excellence, independence, and confidence in the application of skills, clinical theory, and problem solving within a carefully crafted program which guides trainees to distinction as highly-qualified, competent, entry-level pharmacy technicians. The program format is as follows.

• Didactic: 167.4 hours. The didactic learning is carried out through online courses in the Pharmacy Technician University software . Course employ a variety of delivery methods, such as reading, video, audio, point and click exercises, to satisfy the needs of all learning styles.
• Simulation: 65.6 hours. Simulated learning provides the opportunity to practice the knowledge gained in didactic learning under the guidance of a trainer in a mock environment.
• Experiential: 168 hours. The experiential learning consists of one eight-hour orientation component and two 80-hour rotations. The orientation experiential component provides the trainee time to complete onboarding tasks, meet and acquaint with colleagues, tour facilities, and learn about the pharmacy technician career path. The primary experiential rotation provides the opportunity to practice skills or specific roles under the guidance of a trainer in a live pharmacy environment. The discovery experiential rotation provides the opportunity to learn new skills or a new role under the guidance of a trainer in a live pharmacy environment.
• On-the-job: 1,679 hours. On-the-job training allows trainees to complete pharmacy technician job tasks and skills in a live pharmacy environment under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and the observation of a trainer. Trainees will fill a role in workflow, carry out the functions of the role, and provide pharmaceutical care to patients within the bounds of the pharmacy technician scope of practice as outlined by the State Board of Pharmacy.

Topics covered during training include

• Role of the pharmacy technician
• Pharmaceutical terminology
• Medication safety
• Pharmacy Law
• Pharmacology
• Pharmacy calculations
• Outpatient pharmacy knowledge and skills
• Institutional pharmacy knowledge and skills

After successfully completing the program a graduate is awarded a Certificate of Completion and is eligible to take a national certification examination to become a certified pharmacy technician.

Note: National certification and state registration may be required based on the state where the pharmacy technician will practice. This information will be provided in the eligibility requirements upon application to the pharmacy technician training program. More information on national certification exams can be found on the websites of the certifying bodies:

• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.
• National Healthcareer Association.

Academic and Professional Integrity

UPMC and the Pharmacy Technician Training Program sets the highest academic and professional standards for trainees.  The goal is to prepare trainees to become productive pharmacy technicians in the workforce and professionals in the workplace. Trainees are expected to understand and adhere to all UPMC and Pharmacy Technician Training Program policies. When a policy violation occurs, disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with UPMC policy and procedure. All violations of policy are documented and made part of the trainees’ human resources record. 

Academic Progress

Each trainee must complete the full training program within the time frame required by the corresponding state’s regulation and UPMC policies.  Since trainees will be working concurrently with completing the training program, it is not expected that trainees will complete assignments or make progress on a daily basis.  With that understanding, a trainee will be a candidate for dismissal from the training program if:

• Progress is not consistent with the assigned credit hours of the program (e.g., completing 4 credit hours in a 40 hour work week). 
• Progress is not consistent with the time frame required by the corresponding State Board of Pharmacy, ASHP/ACPE standards, or the UPMC policies;
• No progress is demonstrated in a 30-day period;
• Failure to achieve a passing grade* within three attempts on didactic unit, midterm, or final exams, or lab simulation; 
• Failure to achieve a good, solid, strong performance rating for any aspect of an experiential rotation.
  

*Passing grades are as follows:

• 80% minimum score for each didactic quiz, unit, and midterm exam
• 75% minimum score for the final exam  
• 100% minimum score for each simulation
  

View the Student Handbook for the UPMC Pharmacy Technician Training Program (PDF)

To graduate from the program, trainees must complete all didactic, simulation, experiential, and on-the-job training components within the time frame required by the corresponding state’s regulation, perform all duties in adherence with all UPMC policies, and achieve minimum course grades for each training component as follows.

• 80% minimum score for each didactic quiz, unit, and midterm exam
• 75% minimum score for the final exam
• 100% minimum score for each simulation
• Rating of at least proficient for each aspect of an experiential rotation
• Rating of at least good, solid, strong on UPMC performance reviews and competencies.

Tuition

There is no tuition for the UPMC Pharmacy Technician Training Program. Pharmacy technician trainees are paid employees of UPMC upon acceptance to the program.

Expenses

Trainees will have typical expenses related to employment such as appropriate work attire and transportation. Trainees will also have costs associated with licensure, registration, or certification if required by their state. This information will be provided in the eligibility requirements upon application to the pharmacy technician training program.

All pharmacy technician trainees in the UPMC Pharmacy Technician Training Program are paid employees of UPMC upon acceptance to the program. UPMC provides employees with a comprehensive total benefits package, resources to grow skills, and opportunities to advance.

The pharmacy technician role is valuable within UPMC and throughout the healthcare industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of pharmacy technicians is projected to grow by 7% from 2023 to 2033, which is faster than the average for all occupations. About 47,400 openings for pharmacy technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Quick Facts: Pharmacy Technicians

• 2024 Median Pay: $43,460 per year
• Typical Entry-Level Education: High school diploma or equivalent
• Work Experience in a Related Occupation: None
• On-the-job Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
• Number of Jobs, 2023: 463,900
• Job Outlook, 2023-33: 7% (Faster than average)
• Employment Change, 2023-33: 33,300

Read a note from our program leader (PDF).

Accreditor

American Society of Healthsystem Pharmacists (ASHP)
4500 East-West Highway, Suite 900
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 1-866-279-0681
Email: CustServ@ashp.org

Certification Organizations

Pharmacy Technician Certification Board
2215 Constitution Avenue NW, Suite 101
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 1-800-363-8012
Fax: 1-202-888-1699

National Healthcareer Association
11161 Overbrook Rd
Leawood, KS 66211
Phone: 1-800-499-9092

Maryland State Registration Requirements

Maryland Board of Pharmacy
4201 Patterson Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21215
Phone: 410-764-4755
Fax: 410-358-6207
Email: MDH.MDBOP@maryland.gov

New York State Registration Requirements

New York State Board of Pharmacy
NY State Education Department
Office of the Professions
State Board of Pharmacy
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234-1000
Phone: 518-474-3817, Press 1 then ext. 130
Fax: 518-473-6995
Email: pharmbd@nysed.gov

Pennsylvania State Registration Requirements

Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy
2525 N 7th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Phone: 1-833-367-2762
Email: ST-PHARMACY@PA.GOV