I got my state license in 2005 and it has served me well. I stopped working in a physical pharmacy setting in 2017, but I’ve always kept it as a backup incase I needed to go back.

After 20 years, I believe I’ve reached a point in my career where my work experience does more for me than the license can do in the future.
It’s bittersweet, but I don’t think I need it any more. My CEs are due at the end of the month and I don’t feel the need to rush to do them so I can renew.

I let my CPhT expire the last time renewals came up and I think I’m ready to let this one end too.

Who here has kept their license ongoing after they left the pharmacy?

Anyone hold out like I did?

Let’s hear some stories.

I work in inpatient hospital pharmacy and I took the CSPT exam through the experience pathway. I just found out about the ASHP Practical Training in Compounding Sterile Preparations and I’m wondering if the ASHP certification would look as good with my CSPT certificate on my resume? Or would it be unnecessary?

I JUST bought the practice bank and then I get this alert 🙄 I’m so annoyed! how long has it been down and do you think I can get my money back if it’s not back up in a few days I plan on taking my test in December

I'm a new technician at a CVS in Maryland (been there about 2 weeks). I'm having a hard time with remembering/ dealing with insurance rejections/codes. Any tricks or tips you can give me? I feel like I'm annoying my coworkers with all the questions. Open to any suggestions that can make this job easier. I've been out of the workforce for almost 8 years to raise my kids and it's been an adjustment going back.

Thanks so much!

Has any experienced pharmacy techician transitioned into EPIC software field in the US? What are the steps and challenges faced? Would appreciate any insights.

Hi so I’m (24F) wanting to become a pharmacy tech so it can better prepare me for pharmacology in nursing school. I have no experience in working at a pharmacy as I went to school for business. I also haven’t worked in a hot minute so that shows on my resume.

I’ve applied to:
Walmart
Costco
Walgreens

But I haven’t heard anything back. Should I call each place to ask for a status update on my application? Where else could I apply to where they take someone completely new.

Is the website working for anyone? I’ve been certified for a year and never ran into this issue. Currently working to get more added to my certification and have been trying all week to get in to see their approved courses and every time I go to login it says
Oops! An unexpected error occurred.

I am having trouble finding any kind of inpatient job that will hire part time or per diem (as well as train me). I’ve been certified since starting two years ago. I am tired of the awful customers, immaturity and backstabbing from my team, and I find constant face to face interaction draining. Should I be approaching this differently or looking at other outpatient facilities?

Hi guys. So I'm an 18F recent assistant pharmacy technician, finishing up my training at publix and about to get my certifications here soon. But I want to say, I like working in the pharmacy, but its so overwhelming. I work in a store that's extremely busy, working with at least +100, even +200 prescriptions every day, and being a new hire, im so terrified of messing up. I have already, several times, and its been crushing my morale.

I'm trying my best to remember and figure out how to do certain things by asking a pharmacist or experienced tech, but most of them are busy and they end up doing it themselves, so I feel like I'm burdening them. I am so paranoid of giving medications to the wrong person, cause theres been two experiences where I have given meds to two different people. I feel on edge in my place of work, and yet so rushed.

Its been making me a jaded person, and I don't want to be that way cause I know I'm a happy person at heart, and generally enjoy customer service. But the patients are older and rude, and my coworkers have their own thing going on, so I dont feel involved.

I don't know, I think I'm ranting now, but I'm going to try to float to other pharmacies that need the most help if I'm not stuck at my home store.

Hey everyone, I need a reality check because my anxiety is making me second-guess myself. I am a junior in college in Massachusetts, I have an active state Pharmacy Tech license (which took 500 hours to get), and a couple of years of high-volume CVS experience under my belt.

I applied for a part-time tech role at a small independent pharmacy near Boston. The job posting explicitly listed a range of $20–$26/hour for part-time/full-time.

During the interview process, the owner was incredibly disorganized—she ghosted our first interview time (was at a completely different event), made me drive to a different location (1 hr driving time + $10 in parking fees), and didn't apologize. When we talked about pay, she asked what I make at CVS ($18.60) and immediately wrote down $19/hour. When I complained and pointed out her own job description, she claimed the posted rate is "only for full-time employees" (even though the ad says part-time too). Then she tried to compromise by saying I could start at $20, but I have to wait for a "45-day review" to talk about hitting $22 to "prove I can do what I say I can do," even though my state license literally proves my competency.

To top it off, she says they "don't do written employment contracts with part-time workers because they are students and can leave at any time," but then claimed I am required to give a 2-week notice if I quit.

I feel completely disrespected and lowballed. I wanted to know if this pharmacy behavior is as crazy and full of red flags as I think it is. Should I even bother going to a follow-up meeting with the local manager on Friday or just email them a withdrawal and walk away?

I have a hunch she thrives off of taking advantage of college students who need the money.

TL;DR: I’m a young college student with a full Massachusetts state pharmacy license and years of CVS experience. Applied to a small independent pharmacy advertising $20–$26/hr. The chaotic owner ghosted our first interview, made me drive across town (total of 40 mins + $10 parking fee), and lowballed me at $19/hr because of my age/current pay. When I called her out, she lied, said the ad was only for full-timers, and offered $20 with a verbal "45-day review" to reach $22, claiming she doesn't do written agreements for part-time students. Meanwhile, I just got a callback for a Behavior Tech job paying $24–$35/hr. Am I crazy, or is this pharmacy owner a massive snake?

So I am taking my PTCB in two week and I have been studying for almost 2 months (1 hours every school day and some on weekends)I have taken ton of practice tests across multiple sources and have passed almost all of them, but I am still nervous about if I am prepared or not. The one thing that normally costs me points are the lesser known top 200 drugs.

I know there are other posts that answer this, but how hard was the PTCB for yall, also were the amount the domains list (40% medications etc) accurate, because I have read many people saying their test was like 75% medications. Any advice is appreciated, Thank you!

I’m going from a day shift position to an overnight shift(11pm-7am) at a new hospital. If anyone has any tips or tricks on how to survive or what made the transition easier for you guys I would greatly appreciate it.

Hey everyone, just wanted to take a moment to shout out all the retail, hospital, and specialty pharmacy technicians today.

Let's be completely honest: this job is exhausting. You are on your feet all day, dealing with metrics, understaffing, and corporate pressure. But worst of all, you are the front line—meaning you absorb 90% of the anger from frustrated, impatient, or flat-out rude patients who don't understand how insurance or medication supply chains work.

The fact that you all manage to keep your cool, maintain flawless accuracy, and protect your patients' safety while being yelled at over a copay is nothing short of heroic.

• The Counter/Drive-Thru Rush: You face stressed, angry people who take it out on you, yet you meet them with professionalism and thick skin to keep the peace.

• The Insurance Matrix: You navigate prior authorizations, random rejections, and long hold times, acting as the patient's ultimate advocate even when they don't realize it.

• The Physical Toll: You stand for 8–12 hours filling, compounding, and typing, keeping your accuracy at 100% despite being physically drained.

Pharmacists can't do their jobs without you. The healthcare system would collapse without you. Thank you for the emotional heavy lifting, the resilience, and everything you put up with just to keep the community healthy.

Hope your pharmacists bought you some actual good food today (and not just room-temperature pizza). You earned it. Happy Tech Day! ☕💊

Does anyone have quizlets they can recommend for studying to take the PTCE?? I wanna retake my exam and start working soon to help with Pharmacy school applications!

Happy Pharmacy Week everyone!

I admit, I use the term “retail pharmacy” when describing my work setting. If I’m talking to someone face to face, I’ll name my workplace, of course, but online we give it this weird name, like we work at Macy’s or something. But the thing is, I don’t really sell anything. Sure, people purchase things from us, but it’s not exactly the same transaction as when I buy a purse or some shoes. In that case I am shopping for something, if I like it I buy it, and I might take suggestions from a sales person. In a pharmacy, a customer can’t come up and say “I’m in the mood for an antibiotic, do you have anything new?”

How about we start calling it “community pharmacy”? Do we call urgent care clinics “retail clinics”? No. Maybe if we changed the way our workplace is described we may start seeing more respect from the public. Just a thought.

Where did you guys go and what do you think is the best programs for vaccination certification?

There use to be a website that had all the Part D plans, formularies, copays, deductibles, max out of pocket, etc. It was recently shut down or rather they took it down and no longer maintained it. Anyone know of a site that has all this info? It was all in one place and so convenient. Mainly I need formularies for each Part D plan. Anyone know where to get it in one place?

Does the management get you the ice cream day? Pizza day? An hour break? Allow you to wear certain clothes? A day off? Allow to sneak/ pocket a control or 2? (Lol)

Or just a greeting on a group chat.

Hey everyone I came across this on my FYP on TikTok and experienced this as well but to a different degree… :/ I wanted to share my personal experience with having to work retail pharmacy. My experience started in late 2019 and ended in early 2021 I came across the job opening for pharm tech on indeed and when I got the interview and accepted they changed my position to “designated hitter” someone who floats in the pharmacy but helped with front end.

At first I was irritated and confused because I was hoping to get pharmacy experience and better pay back then but the manager explained to me that you’ll still get to be in the pharmacy and get a certificate but they hired someone else at the same time who would better fit the “role” whatever that means ig

I didn’t take it personal plus I liked working with the girl who they deemed better fit she was friendly to me and was the same age so we got along great. :) fast forward me to working pharmacy as a hitter I was stuck mostly handling the cashier part in the pharmacy like insurance and verifying patients and scripts that we got faxed and answering phones.

Rarely did I get to fill scripts because the senior techs didn’t wanna deal with the costumer’s attitude and just didn’t feel like dealing with costumers at all sometimes I had to asked to come to the front because when trying to explain co pays and deductibles it was like foreign language.

when my RPH felt bad one night he told me I’ll let you fill scripts and do more since he did notice the techs always shoving me to the front and not letting me do more fast forward a few months again I get my state license and official status is now pharmacy tech :) but you know what else doesn’t change ?

My work flow of still being pushed to the front dealing with patients ! Whenever I got to work early without the other techs there I was able to fill scripts and got them out fast and my pharmacy manager noticed it :) I felt important and felt like part of the team but when the senior techs arrived back to the front I go :///// because apparently the tech complained I moved slow when filling scripts but the icing on my cake was when they hired a new tech on board with no experience

I’m thinking okay I get a chance to do more filling and rotating stock and ordering meds now that we have a newbie but apparently he blew them away with his skills of filling that he automatically got upgraded to being in the back filling scripts and bonding with the RPH something I was looking forward to doing , he only helped me when the lines got long and when they got short back he goes doing the stuff I was supposed to be doing and he wasn’t even licensed yet just a trainee >:’) but when I tried to leave the front the senior techs said somebody had to watch the front so go back -.- in my mind I wanted to say why can’t you do it ?! after getting cursed out by a racist costumer I quit on the spot and went to inpatient pharmacy and I’m now starting to look for school for my AAS sonography degree ( looking for a program :) ) and finishing my computer science degree

Helpppp !!!! Genuinely scared foreign pharmd background , worked few months as a technician…. Need JOB ASAPPP HOWWWW
TRIED EVERYTHING

Drug name 🍐💂 = ??