🔹 General Understanding
1. Who do the new regulations apply to?
They apply to all individuals working as pharmacy technicians or technician trainees in Pennsylvania, including those employed before the regulation’s effective date.
2. When do the new technician registration rules take effect? And when must pharmacy technicians be registered by?
This final-form rulemaking was effective upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, which was in 55 Pa.B. 4335 on Saturday, June 28, 2025.. As of July 3, 2025, applications can be accepted on PALS. Technicians must be registered by June 28, 2026.
🔹 Registration & Training
3. What are the requirements to become a Registered Pharmacy Technician?
An applicant must:
- Be at least 17 years old
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Complete a Board-approved training program or show proof of practice
- Submit a self-query report
- Submit a FBI background check
- Complete 3 hours of child abuse recognition training
4. Who qualifies as a Pharmacy Technician Trainee?
An individual at least 16 years old who:
- Submits a criminal history check
- Completes 3 hours of child abuse training
- Has not yet completed a full technician program
5. What’s the difference between a technician and a technician trainee?
Trainees are temporarily registered for up to 2 years while they complete training. Registered techs have completed all requirements and can renew every 2 years.
6. Are drivers (and cashiers) defined as pharmacy technicians? E.g., handling or getting ready for will-call.
Under the practice act, a pharmacy technician may assist in the practice of pharmacy under the direct and immediate personal supervision of a licensed pharmacist after meeting the requirements of the act and the boards regulations. The term “pharmacy technician” shall not include an individual performing clerical support with no direct interaction with prescription medication or ability to enter a prescription drug order. The Boards regulations at 49 Pa. Code § 27.12 (d) provides examples of actions that a pharmacy technician or pharmacy technician trainee may or may not perform.
7. I have registered nurses assisting with off-site immunizations who are given some technician related responsibilities. Are they considered technicians in this role under the definition of pharmacy technician?
Unless the scope of practice is also covered by another licensed profession, an individual will be required to register as a pharmacy technician. If the scope of practice is not covered by another professional license, the person will be required to register to perform any function that is within the scope of practice of a registered pharmacy technician. It is possible another licensed profession will have a scope of practice that encompasses some duties of what a registered pharmacy technician can also perform. In that instance, dual registration would not be necessary unless the employees job functions have them performing duties outside of the scope of the other licensure but which require registration as a pharmacy technician.
🔹 Certified Pharmacy Technicians
8. Do CPhTs still have to register with the SBOP?
Yes, all certified pharmacy technicians are still required to register with the board of pharmacy. However, CPhTs are exempt from SBOP training requirements.
🔹 Grandfathering Clause
9. Can current pharmacy techs be grandfathered in?
Yes—if they worked as a pharmacy tech for at least 1 year between Jan 29, 2019 and Jan 29, 2021, and apply within 1 year of the regulation’s effective date.
10. What proof is required for grandfathering?
- Employer verification letter OR
- W-2/1099 forms from 2019 and 2020
11. What do grandfathered techs NOT need to do?
They are exempt from the high school diploma and board-approved training program requirements.
12. If I am technically grandfathered (Jan 2019-Jan 2021) but worked for an employer during that period that is now closed (e.g., Rite Aid), how do I obtain that employer verification of my work? A W2 will not say what my position was; it will only say who the employer is.
Under the regulations, an applicant simply needs to provide their W-2 that shows they were employed with a licensed pharmacy during the grandfathered period. An employer verification is acceptable in lieu of the W-2, however both are not required.
🔹 Training Program Details
13. What must a Board-approved training program include?
The program must cover 14 areas, including drug knowledge, compounding, billing, calculations, confidentiality, safety, diversion prevention, and pharmacy law.
14. Who can provide Board-approved training?
- Pharmacy employers
- ASHP/ACPE-accredited programs
- PTCB or NHA-recognized programs
- Accredited schools (U.S. Dept. of Ed.)
- U.S. Armed Forces programs
- Licensed private schools in PA
15. Can on-the-job training qualify as Board-approved? What is the board looking for as far as how technicians are assessed?
Yes—if the employer maintains proper protocols, conducts competency assessments, and certifies completion. Under 49 Pa. Code § 27.702(b)(1) a pharmacy employer is a board approved program provider, provided that the program covers all the required competency testing in the areas specified in 49 Pa. Code § 27.702(a) and the program complies with the requirements of 49 Pa. Code § 27.702(c) and (d). The pharmacist manager of a pharmacy is responsible for certifying that the course meets these requirements on the application for registration as a pharmacy technician.
16. Does PPA offer a training program?
Yes, PPA offers RxTech Exam for pharmacy technicians in PA who are looking to be in compliance with the board registration regulations. This program covers all board-required training plus it is sufficient for technicians who would like to become certified through PTCB.
Use code PPA50 for $50 off and PPA Technician membership for 1 year!
🔹 FBI Background Check
17. Do pharmacy technicians have to obtain a fingerprint-based background check for registration since they are not obtaining a license?
Yes, a fingerprint-based background check is required. The FBI notice on the main page of PALS is just general information regarding the recent change for all healthcare practitioners. The term “licenses” is used generally to encompass all licenses, certificates, permits, registrations, and authorizations. The requirements for Pharmacy Technicians are readily available before the registrant begins the registration process. On the homepage of PALS an applicant can click Application Checklist on the banner, select the Board and application type, and see all the requirements without registering or starting an application. The specific instructions for FBI requirements are listed within this section as well. Applicants are encouraged to do their fingerprinting service at the time they are applying to prevent their results from expiring therefore, the instructions will not be published to the SBOP site.
🔹 Supervision & Practice Standards
18. What is “direct and immediate personal supervision”?
Pharmacists must review all orders before dispensing, verify final products, and be physically present and available to guide the technician.
19. Can pharmacy techs do remote data entry?
Yes—only under specific conditions (e.g., policies are in place,no handling of actual medications). All registered pharmacy technicians and trainees are subject to the requirement of direct and immediate personal supervision by a licensed pharmacist.
20. Are written protocols still required?
Yes—pharmacies must maintain signed, dated protocols listing technician duties. Updates require signatures from the pharmacist manager and the technician.
🔹 Fees & Renewals
21. What are the registration costs?
The application for a pharmacy technician registration costs $30. The application for registration as a pharmacy technician trainee registration costs $15. However, if the applicant is a registered pharmacy technician trainee who is seeking to register as a pharmacy technician the application for registration as a pharmacy technician will cost $15. As a result, the total cost to register as a pharmacy technician will only be $30, regardless of whether you are registered as a trainee or not. The biennial renewal of a pharmacy technician registration is $70.
22. Can a trainee convert to a full registration?
Yes. The $15 trainee fee can be credited toward the $30 full technician registration fee.
23. What is required at renewal?
- $70 fee
- 2 hours of continuing education in child abuse recognition & reporting
🔹 Compliance, Violations, and Board Oversight
24. What actions can lead to denial or loss of registration?
- Criminal activity, drug abuse, lying on applications
- Unprofessional conduct (e.g., deception, mislabeling drugs)
- Violating pharmacy law or endangering public health
25. Can the board define “moral turpitude”? Based on the regulations could a technician be in non-compliance with the board if they get in legal trouble outside of work? Or does this only cover pharmacy issues?
Moral Turpitude is a legal definition which is included in many practice acts across BPOA. The definition of moral turpitude for a pharmacy technician is the same as it would be for any other profession which has a similar provision. The act provides that only those found guilty, entered a plea of nolo contender or have received probation without verdict, disposition in lieu of trial, or ARD to a felony charge, for offenses involving moral turpitude before any court of record of any jurisdiction may be disciplined subject to that provision. So, a pharmacy technician may be subject to discipline if they are convicted of a crime outside of work that involves an offensive involving moral turpitude. The decision whether to discipline a pharmacy technician for having a criminal record, including those convicted of a crime of moral turpitude is subject to review by the Board on an individual basis under Act 53 of 2020.
26. Must pharmacies report technician terminations?
Yes. Terminations for drug-related reasons must be reported to the Board within 15 days.
27. Will training programs be audited?
Yes. The Board can request documentation and expects it within 30 days.
🔹 RxTech Exam
28. What is RxTech Exam?
RxTech exam is a training course adopted by PPA and endorsed by the Pharmacy technician advisory board created to champion technician learning. This self-study course was tailored to comply with the PABOP technician regulations.
29. What is the cost of the RxTech Exam training modules and what do pharmacy technicians get for the price?
The cost of RXTech Exam is $299. When using code PPA50, technicians will receive $50 off of training as well as PPA technician membership for 1 year.
This code works for both 123CPhT and 123CPhT+. The 123CPhT+ bundle also covers the students’ PTCB Exam fee and gives access to Official PTCB Tools: Pre-PTCE and the PTCE Practice Bank.
30. What topics does this course cover?
This course covers all the areas listed below. It does NOT cover the initial 3-hour PA Child Abuse requirement which technicians and pharmacists can get here.
- Pennsylvania Law
- Overview of pharmacy law the impacts pharmacy technicians
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Understanding the scope and limits of the technician’s duties.
- Prescription Medication Knowledge
- Familiarity with common medications, their names, and functions.
- Drug Details
- Ability to identify and understand: Strength or dose, Dosage forms (e.g., tablet, capsule, liquid), Physical appearance, Route of administration (oral, topical, etc.), Duration of drug therapy
- Dispensing Process
- Understanding the full workflow from prescription intake to dispensing.
- Pharmaceutical Calculations
- Accurate computation for doses, quantities, and compounding formulas.
- Patient Interaction
- Basic communication skills and appropriate boundaries in engaging with patients.
- Billing & Third-Party Procedures
- Knowledge of insurance claims, co-pays, and adjudication processes.
- Compounding
- Non-sterile compounding basics and adherence to protocols and safety.
- Confidentiality
- Adherence to HIPAA and pharmacy-specific patient privacy standards.
- Medication Handling
- Requirements for: Preparing, Labeling, Dispensing, Storing, Prepackaging, Distributing, Administering medications (if applicable under pharmacist supervision)
- Hazardous Drug Handling & Disposal
- Safe management of cytotoxic and other hazardous substances.
- Patient Safety & Error Prevention
- Best practices for minimizing dispensing errors and ensuring quality assurance.
- Diversion Prevention
- Measures to prevent theft or misuse of controlled substances and prescription medications.
- Federal & State Pharmacy Laws/Regulations
- Understanding legal frameworks governing pharmacy practice.
* These Q&As are provided as an informational resource; official regulation interruption and guidance is controlled by the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy under the Pennsylvania Department of State.
