The state of New York is looking to hire people like you to work as pharmacy technicians.
This is an interesting career field that involves pharmacological skills and a pharmacy or laboratory for a work setting.
Find out what it takes to get licensed as a pharmacy technician, and where you can go for training in NY.
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Licensing Requirements to Become a Pharmacy Technician in New York
To get a job as a pharmacy technician in New York is simple.
You do not have to be registered or certified to be able to work in the state, but these processes ensure you have the right credentials and training.
Top paying employers expect to see certifications and licensure before they hire most pharmacy technicians.
The pathway begins with going to a pharmacy technician school in New York.
Training programs include classroom work, as well as a required internship needed to register for a certification exam.
After graduation, students are ready to sit for a board exam to receive a certificate.
Once a student passes a certification exam as a pharmacy technician, they are ready to apply for jobs as a PT in the state of New York.
5 Pharmacy Technician Schools in New York
New York Institute of Medical Careers
Train to become a pharmacy technician at the New York Institute of Medical Careers today.
The school offers a program that is 130 total credit hours.
Those students who graduate from the PT program will earn a certificate.
In addition, there is an option to take an internship with Walgreens Pharmacy in NY.
The tuition costs for the pharmacy technician training are $899, including $749 in tuition, $100 for books, and a $50 registration fee.
New York Medical Career Training Center
At the New York Medical Training Center, students can enroll in a pharmacy technician (PTCB) program.
This program covers all of the skills involved with working in a pharmacy, as well as pharmacological theory.
Students complete training in 250 credit hours, after which they are able to administer, adjust, and renew prescriptions.
The program also includes an internship that requires 120 hours.
The New York Medical Career Training Center has three locations in New York–Flushing, New York, and Garden City.
Access Institute
Access Institute of Kew Gardens, NY has a pharmacy technician program.
This is in addition to a dozen other medical programs including patient care tech and phlebotomy technicians.
The pharmacy technician program leads to a certificate.
The program is offered in Queens. Limited programming is available at this time.
Career School of NY
The Career School of NY or CSNY is located on Staten Island in New York.
Here, students have access to the pharmacy technician certificate program.
Along with completing coursework in the areas of pharmacology and business, students end with internship experience.
The training program is one of the more extensive in the state and includes 720 credit hours.
NYU Langone Health
At NYU Langone Health, students can enroll in a comprehensive pharmacy technician training program for future
pharmacy techs.
The program is 400 credit hours and takes nearly 12 weeks to complete.
Sessions begin three times a year, in January, May, and September.
This program for PT certification is free of charge, which is unique to this type of training.
However, you do have to buy a hardcopy of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Review and Practice Exam and pay to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) after finishing the program.
Pharmacy Technician Schools in New York – Summary Table
Top 5 Schools in New York
| School Name | Address |
|---|---|
| New York Institute of Medical Careers | 6709 Woodside Ave 1st Floor, Woodside, NY 11377 |
| New York Medical Career Training Center | 136-20 38th Ave Suite 5F, Queens, NY 11354 |
| Access Institute | 80-02 Kew Gardens Rd, Queens, NY 11415 |
| Career School of NY | 350 St Marks Pl, Staten Island, NY 10301 |
| NYU Langone Health | 550 1st Ave., New York, NY 10016 |
Pharmacy Technician Salary in New York
The average salary for a pharmacy technician in New York, New York is $44,800 a year.
This is based on a range from $36,394 to $54,734 a year for this job in NY, NY.
A better paying city is Buffalo, NY, where the median annual salary is $59,561.
The range is from $34,440 to $85,748, which is much wider on the pay scale.
Average Salary of Pharmacy Technicians in New York
Annual Salary Range:| Item | Percent |
|---|---|
$35K | |
$40K | |
$62K |
New York Salary by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Employed | Avg. Annual | Avg. Hourly | Top 10% | Bottom 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 1,240 | $41,840 | $20.12 | $51,520 | $34,840 |
| Binghamton, NY | 280 | $41,570 | $19.99 | $55,180 | $31,240 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 1,990 | $40,630 | $19.53 | $50,670 | $31,440 |
| Elmira, NY | 100 | $38,850 | $18.68 | $46,610 | $32,650 |
| Glens Falls, NY | 180 | $41,320 | $19.87 | $55,030 | $31,200 |
| Ithaca, NY | 70 | $41,580 | $19.99 | $49,770 | $31,680 |
| Kingston, NY | 150 | $42,440 | $20.40 | $54,240 | $34,700 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 840 | $43,200 | $20.77 | $59,650 | $34,960 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 26,860 | $45,710 | $21.98 | $62,350 | $35,680 |
| Rochester, NY | 1,870 | $41,680 | $20.04 | $50,490 | $37,140 |
| Syracuse, NY | 870 | $42,460 | $20.41 | $56,690 | $33,180 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | 360 | $39,440 | $18.96 | $49,620 | $31,200 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 120 | $40,210 | $19.33 | $52,140 | $31,200 |
* Employment conditions may vary by location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to get certified in New York to work as a pharmacy technician?
No, you do not have to be certified or registered in New York to work as a pharmacy technician.
However, you do need to be licensed to work as a pharmacy technician, and this involves maintaining your licensure with renewals as needed.
Should I get certified as a pharmacy technician in New York?
The reason why pharmacy technicians get certified in New York is to ensure they are safe to practice in a pharmacy setting.
Most of the schools training pharmacy technicians are preparing them for taking a certification exam.
While not a requirement, a certified pharmacy technician is more likely to get hired for a job compared to a non-certified pharmacy technician.
What are the types of certifications for NY pharmacy technicians?
As you prepare to take a certification exam to become a NY pharmacy technician, you will come across multiple board exams.
You can sit for as many board exams as you want until you become certified.
However, you have to pay to register and qualify to take these exams, which involve information about your internship hours.
Here are the certification exams for pharmacy technicians in NY that are the most common to take in the US:
- Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
- Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT)
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)
