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Job Training Programs | Pharmacy Technician Training Program

Earn Your Way to a Career as a Pharmacy Technician

Cincinnati Children's offers an entry-level American Society of Health-System Pharmacists/Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ASHP/ACPE) accredited technician training program. The education and training is designed to provide individuals with little-to-no pharmacy experience with the knowledge and skills to be a successful pharmacy technician. The training takes about three to four months to complete and begins with online coursework that progresses to simulated activities, followed by hands-on experiential training in one of our pharmacies.

Why Choose a Career as a Pharmacy Technician?

  • Pharmacy technicians are in high demand throughout the country - They are the backbone of the pharmacy and serve vital roles in providing meaningful and safe care for our patients. Here at Cincinnati Children's, you have the opportunity to work alongside a variety of healthcare professionals to ensure our pediatric patients' medications are prepared accurately and delivered in a timely manner.
  • Continuous career progression - Pharmacy services continue to evolve, leading to role expansion in both technical and clinical aspects for pharmacy technicians. There are multiple career paths available for pharmacy technicians, including retail, hospital, nursing homes, home infusion pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, automation, compounding pharmacies, manufacturing, and more.
  • Daily variety - Pharmacy technicians complete a wide array of tasks making each day new and exciting.
  • Lifelong skills - Pharmacy technicians learn useful skills that extend beyond the realm of pharmacy and set you up for success in other aspects of your life.

Training Program Outline and Scheduling Requirements

  • Weeks 1-8 = Didactic Coursework and Simulations
    • Monday – Friday 7:30 am - 4 pm
  • Weeks 9-12 = Experiential Training in Pharmacy
    • Shift times vary between days and evenings
  • One year full-time work commitment following completion of the program
    • Shifts vary between days and evenings, every other weekend, rotating holidays, and on-call coverage
  • Range of shift times that are required by all participants
    • 6 am - 2:30 pm
    • 7 am - 3:30 pm
    • 7:30 am - 4 pm
    • 8 am - 4:30 pm
    • 9 am - 5:30 pm
    • 10:30 am - 7 pm
    • 11 am - 7:30 pm
    • 1 pm - 9:30 pm
    • 2 pm - 10:30 pm

Minimum Qualifications to Apply

  • 18 years of age
  • Possess a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Full-time commitment of rotating shifts for approximately 1.5 years (40 hours per week)

Additional Expectations (for those accepted into the program)

  • Successful Completion of a Pre-Employment Screen
    • BCI and FBI Background Checks
    • Drug Screen
    • Vaccination Requirements - At a minimum, Cincinnati Children's requires MMR, Varicella, Hepatitis B, Pertussis, Influenza, and COVID vaccinations. Also strongly recommended are tetanus, polio, and hepatitis A vaccinations
  • Register with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy prior to starting the program
    • Requires proof of high school diploma or equivalent
    • BCI and FBI background checks
    • Government issued photo ID
    • $25 Registration Fee
  • Physical Capacity
    • Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds
    • Ability to stand for long periods of time
    • Ability to complete 5,000 - 15,000 steps (2 - 8 miles) in a single shift

How Much Does the Program Cost?

The program cost ($1200) is covered by Cincinnati Children's, provided a work commitment of one year is agreed upon by the applicant. The work commitment is full-time and begins after the successful completion of the training program. An open position must be available, as well as offered to the student.

Obtaining certification via the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is also required to work as a technician at Cincinnati Children’s following the training program. The exam via PTCB costs $130 and one attempt is included in the cost of the program. Subsequent attempts are the responsibility of the technician.

Students are required to enroll as a "Trainee" with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy prior to starting the program and must pay a $25 application fee. In order to apply, students will need their high school diploma or equivalent as well as FBI and BCI background checks, which can be completed at Cincinnati Children's.

Students will be paid $16.50 per hour throughout the training program.

What to Expect as a Pharmacy Technician?

After successful completion of the training program the trainee is eligible for an open Pharmacy Technician I position at Cincinnati Children's. If a position is available and offered, the trainee would be promoted to a Technician I and required to fulfill a one year, fulltime work commitment which consists of days and evenings, every other weekend, rotating holidays, and on-call coverage. This promotion includes a raise and continued employment is contingent upon obtaining certification through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).

As the backbone of our high-functioning pharmacy, our technicians are crucial to our operations and perform a wide range of tasks which include sterile compounding, non-sterile compounding, dosage preparation and repackaging, inventory management, hazardous medication handling, maintenance of pharmacy automation systems, and much more.

When does a New Training Program Start?

The program takes about three to four months (six months max) to complete. A new training program starts about every 4-5 months and is dependent upon the completion of the active training program. Interested candidates must submit their application online once it becomes available (about every 4-5 months). Please refer to the section below for more information about the status of the next application.

How Do I Apply?

The application is currently closed.

We estimate the next available class will start in October. The application for this fall class will likely become available in August and a direct link will be posted here.

What happens after I apply?

  • Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance into the program
  • Human Resources completes an initial review of each candidate to confirm eligibility
  • A selection committee will then review and select candidates for onsite interviews
  • Human Resources will work with those candidates to schedule an interview
  • During the interview, candidates are required to complete a math assessment
  • Candidates must also select references – candidates will not be considered for the program until all references have been submitted

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this technician training program accredited?

ASHP logo.

  • Cincinnati Children's Pharmacy Technician Training Program is accredited through ASHP/ACPE for an entry level program (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists/Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education)
  • Learn more about Technician Program Accreditation - ASHP/ACPE
We currently admit up to 6 trainees for each training program. On average, we receive over 100 applications within a few days.
  • In order to work as a technician at Cincinnati Children’s, trainees must obtain certification through PTCB as required by Ohio law
  • Trainees will complete the training program before attempting PTCB certification
  • The exam consists of 90 multiple choice questions over a max of 2 hours
  • The exam costs about $130 per attempt. The first attempt is covered as part of the training program. Subsequent attempts are paid for by the trainee/technician
  • Once PTCB certification is obtained, technicians must maintain certification by completing the minimum continuing education requirements every 2 years
  • The passing rate for those students who have graduated from our new Cincinnati Children's training program and have completed all requirements to work as a technician is currently 100%
  • Learn more about the PTCB certification exam
  • If an offer is extended and accepted, technicians are expected to work rotating shifts between days and evenings, every other weekend or every 3rd weekend depending on department needs, rotating holidays, and on-call coverage.
  • Required shift times that all technicians must be able to work:
    • 6:00 am - 2:30 pm
    • 7:00 am - 3:30 pm
    • 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
    • 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
    • 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
    • 10:30 am - 7:00 pm
    • 11:00 am - 7:30 pm
    • 1:00 pm - 9:30 pm
    • 2:00 pm - 10:30 pm
  • A set schedule is not guaranteed and on average, technicians can expect to work one to two evening shifts per week, unless they prefer to work more.
  • When scheduling allows, we try to standardize the second shifts for technicians and to accommodate special scheduling needs, but this is not guaranteed.
  • A few of the specialized pharmacy areas, do have some shifts that start and end earlier, but technicians do not move into one of those areas for several months, possibly even a year or longer as it’s based on availability, seniority and performance.

  • The training program is M-F 7:30 am - 4:00 pm throughout the online coursework. This takes approximately 2 months
  • Once you begin the experiential training (hands-on training), you will begin working rotating shifts between days and evenings, including every other weekend
  • Following successful completion of the program, it’s possible a 3rd shift position could be available and the student could apply for the position. If only a 1st/2nd shift is available, the technician could apply for a 3rd shift position once it becomes available at a later date

  • Yes, Pharmacy Technicians are on-call on average 1-2 times per month. This means you could be scheduled to work a 1st shift and be on-call to cover sick calls for 2nd shift. You could also be scheduled to work a 2nd shift and be on-call to cover sick call on 1st shift.
  • On-Calls do not start until after the trainee has accepted a position as a pharmacy technician and are not part of the training program.

  • During the training program, you will not work or train holidays.
  • If given a pharmacy technician position following the program, you are required to work holidays. Initially, the holidays you are required to work are based on the position you fill. For example, if the previous technician who held that position worked July 4th the previous year, you would be off July 4th this year.
  • Fulltime technicians can expect to work 5 of the following 10 holidays per year:
    • MLK or Juneteenth
    • Easter or July 4th
    • Memorial Day or Labor Day
    • Thanksgiving or New Year’s (2nd shift on Dec. 31st or 1st shift of Jan. 1st)
    • Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
  • Holidays will alternate each year. So if you worked Easter this year, you would then be off for Easter the next year.
  • Business casual or Scrubs of any color are permitted
  • Must wear closed toe shoes (no Crocs or sandals)
  • No facial jewelry
  • No artificial nails or extenders
  • No UV-cured or glue-based nail polish (examples include but are not limited to SDS, gel, etc.)
  • In addition to the above, when training or working in our IV room, no cosmetics, including artificial eyelashes, and no jewelry

Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible for a position as a pharmacy technician at Cincinnati Children's if a position is available.

  • If an offer is available and extended, the student is expected to commit to a one-year full-time work agreement and would be eligible for up to a 19% raise.
    • If a student does not fulfil the entire one-year full-time work commitment, they are required to repay the full cost, $1200, of the program upon immediate separation from Cincinnati Children’s.
  • If an offer is available and extended but the student declines the offer, the student is required to pay Cincinnati Children's the full cost of the program, $1200, immediately upon separation from Cincinnati Childrens.
  • If an offer is not available or extended, the student collects their certificate of completing an ASHP/ACPE Accredited Entry-Level Technician Training Program which would enable them to secure a job across the country as a pharmacy technician.
  • If a student voluntarily leaves the training program without completing, they are required to pay Cincinnati Children's the full cost, $1200, of the program.
  • If a student does not successfully complete the program within six months, a committee composed of pharmacy leadership and HR will review the situation and identify next steps on a case-by-case basis.
  • Poor attendance (accruing four or more unscheduled absences in six months and/or excessive tardiness or leaving early)
  • Failure to comply with Cincinnati Children’s hospital policies, including but not limited to dress code, hand hygiene, confidentiality and code of conduct
  • Failure to successfully complete the training program within the allotted timeframe
  • Failure to successfully complete all components of the training program, including:
    • Worksheets = pass/fail
    • 70% or higher on all 'assessments' (open-book)
    • 70% cumulative grade for 'exams' or 'quizzes' (closed book)
    • Maintain a minimum of 64% of the points possible from the simulation activities, performance evaluations, and experiential skills assessment while meeting the minimum points required for each as well (scale of 1,2,3)
    • At least 160 experiential hours = pass/fail
  • Unsatisfactory performance evaluations
  • Failure to model our core values:
    • Respect everyone
    • Tell the Truth
    • Work as a Team
    • Make a Difference
No. In order for Cincinnati Children's to continue to pay you for your hours spent in the program, you would be onsite for the entire program, even the online coursework segment. It takes about 8-12 weeks to complete the online coursework so your schedule for that component would be M-F 7:30 am - 4:00 pm. You can certainly access from home for studying or to progress faster, but this is not required and you would not be paid for that time at home. Once the online portion is finished, you would progress to the hands-on (aka “experiential”) training which is composed of varying shift times, including days and evenings. You can expect, on average, 2 evening shifts per week (unless you prefer more).

Beginning in January 2020, candidates must complete a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program OR equivalent work experience in order to be eligible. To be eligible for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) through PTCB, a candidate must complete one of the following two pathways:

  • Pathway 1: A PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program (or completion within 60 days). Candidates can choose from more than 1,400 recognized programs. Cincinnati Children'’s tech training program qualifies as an approved training program.
  • Pathway 2: Equivalent work experience as a pharmacy technician (min. 500 hours). This alternative secondary path serves experienced technicians who were not in a position to attend a PTCB-recognized program. PTCB accepts work experience across pharmacy practice settings that pertains to certain knowledge requirements.

In order to work at Cincinnati Children's, you must be PTCB certified. For other institutions or pharmacies, it might be acceptable to become certified via ExCPT instead.

Laura Belles, PharmD | Pharmacy Education Consultant | laura.belles@cchmc.org

Faith Kuschel, CPhT | Pharmacy Education Specialist | faith.kuschel@cchmc.org

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