Do pharmacies and hospitals look at your score on your Pharmacy Technician test?

Question

im planning on taking the Pharmacy Technician test soon, without any experience working in a hospital or pharmacy. so if i apply for a job at a hospital or pharmacy will they look at my score on the test or just to see if i passed? like if i score really high will it help me get the job? thanks

Answer 1

No.  They just want a copy of your PTCB license and your state license.  HR and the pharmacy director want to make sure you are a licensed and certified.  As for getting the job, you have to show initiative and a strong sense of helping patients.  Also, networking.  If you know someone in a hospital or have a family member, the better chances getting your foot in the door.  If you do some volunteering, that will also give you a BIG boost in getting hired.  Make sure you do NOT accept a flexi-pool position though.

Answer 2

No, no one will ever want to see your score. You will probably have to provide a copy of your certificate to your employer when you pass, especially if they offer premium pay to certified technicians.

Good luck on the exam.

Answer 3

No, they won't consider the score when you apply for a job... they're more interested in the fact that you've passed the test and are Certified.

I don't mean to be rude, but how much preparation/study time have you spent in preparing for the exam?  When I wrote the exam 6 years ago, I'd already been a technician for 2½ years at a major teaching hospital in western Canada, and I found it (the examination) to be quite challenging.  This is not to say that you _cannot_ pass the exam if you're a self study candidate, but it's been my experience that on the job training and some formal education would be more helpful in preparing to write the PTCB than just doing it by correspondence.

Please be aware that in addition to being PTCB certified some hospitals require that prospective employees a) have graduated from a recognized pharmacy technician program (correspondence courses may or may not qualify) and b) write an aptitude test before being considered for employment... not only does this aptitude test cover basic pharmacy technician theory (i.e. the written test) but some hospitals also have a "practical" component where you are expected to show your aseptic technique abilities.  Based upon the score(s) of that examination, they will either hire or pass on you, regardless of how well the interview portion of the application process goes.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours.

If you have any further questions regarding pharmacy and the whole certification process, may I refer you to Jeanetta' PTCB Study Group and or Tech Lectures... sorry, I don't have the URL's handy, but if you Google either of those names, you'll get the addresses.