Prepare for a career working as a pharmacy technician in Massachusetts to be able to work in the healthcare industry.
This job allows you to work side by side with registered pharmacists in a variety of environments ranging from clinics to labs to retail pharmacies.
Find out what it takes to become a paid pharmacy tech in Massachusetts in this career guide.
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Licensing Requirements to Become a Pharmacy Technician in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, anyone interested in becoming a pharmacy technician must complete a board-certified exam for certification.
To apply for this board exam, a pharmacy tech has to show they have passed a course with contact hours.
This can include continuing education, diploma, and certificate training programs.
Once certified in Massachusetts as a pharmacy technician, you must recertify annually.
For recertification, pharmacy techs are required to complete training involving one hour of continuing education.
This is in line with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE), which is a nationally recognized board certification.
Finally, a pharmacy technician in Massachusetts will need to get a license in order to work for employers for gainful jobs in the healthcare industry.
The application fee is $150 for a pharmacy technician with the Massachusetts Bureau of Health Professions Licensure.
The license must be renewed each year following continuing education courses applicable to pharmacy technician workloads.
5 Pharmacy Technician Schools in Massachusetts
Jewish Vocational Service
The Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) in Boston, Massachusetts provides onsite and remote learning and training for pharmacy technicians.
The program offers training for free and leads to a diploma, following an externship at a local healthcare center or hospital.
You can work at CVS, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Walgreens, Boston Children’s Hospital, and more.
This is a 12-week-long program.
Middlesex Community College
At Middlesex Community College, students prepare to take the board exams for certification as a pharmacy technician.
This program involves classwork on campus, as well as an externship with a local healthcare organization.
The course is 60 hours and costs $1,550 for tuition.
Middlesex Community College has two campuses–Bedford and Lowell, both of which are in Massachusetts.
Quinsigamond Community College
The Quinsigamond Community College offers a pharmacy technician certificate online for interested applicants.
This program does require some onsite clinical practice at healthcare sites.
Hands-on training is a part of the curriculum, as well as the state requirements for training.
The program includes 135 hours of externship training along with two semesters and 25 credit hours of classwork.
The cost is $205 a credit hour and $20 for an application fee–for in-state students, and out-of-state costs are more than double.
There is also a $330 pharmacy technician program fee.
Bunker Hill Community College
Bunker Hill Community College has two campuses–Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Both locations provide pharmacy technician training.
The school program for pharmacy technicians is a 19-credit course.
This course leads to sitting for the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam.
Students must also complete 150 hours of an internship at a local pharmacy.
The program concludes with a certificate of completion that is recognized by the MA State Board of Pharmacy.
Metrowest Healthcare Academy
The MetroWest Healthcare Academy trains students to work professionally as pharmacy technicians in Massachusetts.
The class schedule is days, afternoons, nights, and weekends.
As a result, the approximate completion time ranges from five to 10 weeks.
The course includes 130 internship hours at a local pharmacy.
The total for tuition and fees is $1,300 with additional costs for supplies, textbooks, a physical exam, and medical uniforms/scrubs.
Pharmacy Technician Schools in Massachusetts
Top 5 Schools in Massachusetts
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| Jewish Vocational Service | 75 Federal St, Boston, MA 02110 |
| Middlesex Community College | 591 Springs Rd, Bedford, MA 01730 |
| Quinsigamond Community College | 670 W Boylston St, Worcester, MA 01606 |
| Bunker Hill Community College | 250 Rutherford Ave, Boston, MA 02129 |
| Metrowest Healthcare Academy | 100 Concord St, Framingham, MA 01702 |
Pharmacy Technician Salary in Massachusetts
The average annual salary for a pharmacy technician in Boston, Massachusetts is $42,000.
By the way, according to Salary.com, Boston, MA is one of the five hottest cities in the nation for pharmacy tech jobs.
The pay range is from $34,167 to $51,170 a year.
Therefore, you can expect the job market for pharmacy technicians to be more promising with greater pay and benefits due to an increase in demand.
If you live in Massachusetts and apply to work for pharmacy techs, you can anticipate earning more benefits and pay compared to other states as a result of this attention.
Annual Salary Range:Average Salary of Pharmacy Technicians in Massachusetts
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Boston | $42,002 |
| Worcester | $39,200 |
| Springfield | $38,700 |
| Lowell | $40,602 |
| Cambridge | $42,000 |
| Brockton | $40,400 |
| New Bedford | $39,300 |
| Fall River | $39,300 |
| Lynn | $42,000 |
| Quincy | $42,000 |
Regional Salary in Massachusetts
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Town, MA | 260 | $42,910 | $20.63 | $57,240 | $32,160 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH | 6,550 | $44,840 | $21.56 | $61,840 | $34,060 |
| Leominster-Gardner, MA | 160 | $39,740 | $19.11 | $49,630 | $31,330 |
| New Bedford, MA | 190 | $40,080 | $19.27 | $48,610 | $30,860 |
| Pittsfield, MA | 100 | $41,100 | $19.76 | $48,940 | $31,220 |
| Springfield, MA-CT | 850 | $40,490 | $19.46 | $49,840 | $31,320 |
| Worcester, MA-CT | 750 | $41,370 | $19.89 | $53,960 | $31,430 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Massachusetts, a pharmacy technician must apply for a license from which agency?
Pharmacy technicians need to apply for a license through the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure and the Professional Credential Services (PCS).
This is provided by the Department of Registration in Pharmacy and costs $150 for a new PT license.
What is the name of the certification exam for pharmacy technicians in Massachusetts?
There are two exams–the PTCE and the ExCPT Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (CPhT).
Can I register with the Massachusetts certification system for a license if I do not take a certification exam?
Yes, there is a chance you can register with the MA State Board if you are not certified.
Non-certified pharmacy techs have to work for 500 hours before they can register with the Board.
Of course, the issue there is that most employers require pharmacy techs to be licensed and certified in order to be employed gainfully.
Therefore, technically, pharmacy techs without certification can get licensed, but they have to work for at least one year or longer to gain the hours needed to pass the license application process.
