The Arizona State Board of Pharmacy has two kinds of licenses for pharmacy technicians – regular certified pharmacy technicians and technician trainees. A person who is not certified can get an initial Arizona pharmacy technician trainee for a certain period of time. No certification or training is required for this license. However, an applicant must then get certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board to get a full license as an Arizona pharmacy technician.
Arizona Trainee License for Pharmacy Technology
The trainee license is for non-certified pharmacy technicians to get a license for training purposes. These license holders may train as a pharmacy technician in Arizona for up to two years. There are no special requirements because this license exists for the purpose of getting hands-on training. While Arizona and other states do have a number of pharmacy technician training programs, Arizona public policy seems to favor having future techs get hands-on training at an actual pharmacy. The employing pharmacist conducts the training.
Of course, it is possible to skip the trainee level and go straight to certification and a license as an Arizona pharmacy technician. But if you want the trainee license first, then you need to have proof of citizenship or at least a work permit, graduate from a high school or GED program and also present an application fee and form to the Board of Pharmacy.
Access the application for a trainee (the same application exists for the regular Arizona pharmacy technician) at azpharmacy.gov/pdfs/Application%20(TECH).pdf.
As of 2010, the fee is $46. Call 602-771-2727 for payment instructions. You may pay by check or money order through the mail and also visit the office in Phoenix and pay by cash or credit card.
Use the following address to register:
Arizona State Board of Pharmacy
1700 W. Washington St.
Suite 250
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Arizona Pharmacy Technician License
The main difference between a trainee and a full-fledged pharmacy tech in Arizona is a certification process. The state has chosen the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board certification process as the means to qualify as a pharmacy technician in this state.
The PTCB offers certification through a testing process. There is no Arizona pharmacy technician training requirement to sit for this national certification exam for pharmacy technicians. However, PTCB does provide the bibliography of sources used to create the exam. You may wish to purchase those pharmacy technician exam study materials to do self-study for the PTCB certification exam. Find the list of study books and more details on the certification test at PTCB.org. As of 2010, the fee is $129.
Once you are certified, then you can get a license as an Arizona pharmacy technician by submitting an application and fee. Call the number above to get the current fee. The application link above has the application form, as it is the same as the one used by trainee applicants in Arizona.
Sources:
Arizona Pharmacy Technician and Trainee Application Form
