How to Become a Pharmacy Technician in Utah

Those who find themselves in search of a truly rewarding career where they can help others would do well to consider the benefits of becoming a pharmacy technician in Utah.

When you work as a pharmacy technician, you get to see the firsthand effects of your work’s impact.

To find out more about the process of becoming a pharmacy technician in Utah, be sure to read on and learn more!

Licensing Requirements to Become a Pharmacy Technician In Utah

In order to practice as a pharmacy technician, a national certification is required.

Prospective licensees must also pass the PTCB and ExCPT exams, which have been approved by the Utah State Board of Pharmacy.

The Exam for Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) administered by the National Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians.

Before practicing, licensing must be applied for.

Training can take place in a number of ways, whether through formal testing or under the vision of a qualified pharmacist.

If a candidate from another state has already accrued 1,000 hours of training, they may also be eligible for licensing.

5 Pharmacy Technician Schools in Utah

Mountainland Technical College (Lehi and Spanish Fork)

This program boasts a 76% graduation rate and 86% job placement and is made up of two parts.

The program takes 450 hours to complete as well. Part 1, which takes place over the course of 250 hours, will consist of in-class and lab training.

Part 2, which encompasses the remaining 200 hours, consists of Pharmacy Technician Externship Training.

Students who successfully complete these two parts will be eligible to take the national certification exam.

The total cost is in the $2,000 range, making it an affordable choice for prospective students in the state of Utah.

This is why this program is currently one of the fastest growing within the Utah College of Applied Technology system.

Dixie Technical College (St. George)

Dixie Technical College’s pharmacy tech program takes 38 weeks to complete and has a 99% placement rate, and a tuition cost of roughly $2,100.

Students are taught everything that they need to know about pharmacology, pharmacy calculations, pharmacy law, the most commonly prescribed drugs, and their side effects.

Students are also given the chance to work side by side with their professors, learning everything that they need to know about healing and helping patients.

The program also takes 600 hours to finish, as students will spend 130 hours on pharmacy practice, 130 hours on pharmacology, 30 hours on pharmacy calculations, and 40 hours on exam review.

Pharmacy externships take 200 hours to complete, while the lab portion requires 70 hours.

Career Step (Lehi)

Career Step is the best choice for any Utah student who is looking to obtain a pharmacy tech certification with the help of an online program.

The program unfolds over the course of 292 online training hours, and 130 to 200 clinical hours, and students will receive 12 months of full access to the learning materials that they need.

With the help of Career Step’s pharmacy tech program, students can complete their training quickly and without having to alter their current schedule.

Best of all, Career Step maintains partnerships with CVS and Walgreens, so that students can get all of the real-world experience that they need.

Full program access can be had for $4,199, while eligible MyCAA and ACA learners can enroll for the cost of $3,899.

JATC North Pharmacy Tech Program (Riverton and West Jordan)

600 hours of pharmacy tech-related education are required at JATC North.

These hours are divided as follows: 180 externship hours, 80 lab hours, and 340 didactic hours.

Students are given the chance to learn about retail, closed-door, compounding, and institutional pharmacy practices.

Attendance, social skills, and citizenship are also heavily emphasized.

Students will need anywhere between 6 hours and 2 years to complete the program, depending on the level of certification that they are going for.

Costs will also depend on the certification in question, as students can expect to pay between $200 and $1,600.

Drug tests and background checks are required to remain enrolled in the program.

Salt Lake City Community College (West Valley City, Salt Lake City, West Jordan)

At SLCCC, the professors are exceptional and the schedules are flexible.

There are ten different locations to choose from, students receive their certification within one year’s time and the coursework is completed over the course of three separate semesters.

180 hours of on-the-job training are required, as students spend their final semester working in local pharmacies.

31 credit hours are also required over the course of these three semesters, at a cost of $147 per credit hour.

For out-of-state residents, these costs rise to $516 per credit hour.

The program even comes with a job placement service that will assist students with resume writing and provide them with the chance to practice mock job interviews.

Pharmacy Technician Schools in Utah – Summary Table

Pharmacy Technician Salary in Utah

Utah residents can expect to earn between $31,800 and $39,400 as a pharmacy technician, depending on location.

For example, a Saint George pharmacy tech will make around $34,000 on average, while Salt Lake City pharmacy techs clock in at the $35,000 range.

Meanwhile, Saint George pharmacy techs haul in roughly $37,000 per year.

Regional Salary in Utah