Alberta Pharmacy Tech Certificate – AB

Did you know that anxiety disorder is the most common mental illness in Alberta? And that roughly 40,000 of the emergency room visits in 2005 were related to mental health problems? Did you know that each year approximately 16% of Alberta’s population sees a physician for mental health conditions? Anxiety and mental health may be just a small aspect of healthcare in Alberta, but it is medical treatment for these types of conditions that keep the need for pharmacy technicians in Alberta strong.

In the past, pharmacy technicians in Alberta were not held to any generalized licensing standards. Today, there are still no licensing rules for pharmacy technicians; however, a recently passed piece of legislation now makes the process for obtaining a pharmacy tech certificate in Alberta slightly different. This new law seeks to regulate the profession by only granting “regulated�? techs the right to use the title of regulated pharmacy technician.

Beginning in January of 2011, pharmacy techs must complete a series of objectives in order to practice with this newfound title. These objectives include:

• Completing a recognized educational/training program
• Passing Alberta’s Jurisprudence Examination
• Obtaining certification by taking the PEBC Qualifying Examination

In Alberta, certification is not required to become a pharmacy technician, but because the regulated pharmacy technician title is restricted without it, your employment opportunities will be substantially better with certification.