Healthcare Career Spotlight: Specialty Pharmacy Technician

Not familiar with a specialty pharmacy tech role?

Here we share what a specialty pharmacy technician is, where they work, and how this position is different from a typical pharm tech. We also discuss specialty pharmacy tech certification, education, and training requirements. This can help give you a clearer picture of this healthcare career so you can decide whether it’s the right one for you.

What Is a Specialty Pharmacy Technician?

A specialty pharmacy technician is a pharmacy technician who helps prepare specialty medications. These are medications prescribed for patients with rare, complex, or chronic medical conditions (such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, or blood disorders), and they often have unique handling and administration requirements.¹ This means specialty pharmacy technicians can have additional responsibilities beyond those generally required by a tech working in a more traditional pharmacy setting.

Pharmacy technician vs. specialty pharmacy technician duties

Pharmacy technician duties include preparing medication prescriptions, organizing inventory, and processing insurance claims to seek reimbursement. In retail settings, it’s also not uncommon to perform customer service functions such as answering phones, running a cash register, or arranging for customers to speak with the pharmacist when requested.

A specialty pharmacy technician might perform additional duties when preparing specialized medicines. They may mix substances to create a personalized oral or nasal medication in the proper dosage, for instance, or formulate intramuscular injections, IV infusions, or other forms of specialty drugs.²

Another difference is that specialty pharmacy technicians working within specialty drug pharmacies may have less interaction with patients than techs in other pharmacy settings. They may also have more interaction with healthcare providers, case managers, and patient advocates.

Where Can You Find Specialty Pharmacy Technician Jobs?

Specialty pharmacy techs can work in a variety of settings. Some perform job duties within specialty drug pharmacies. Others work in more traditional pharmacies or healthcare settings that have a special pharmaceutical department.

Specialty pharmacy services may be provided by:²

• Retail or chain pharmacies
• Independently owned pharmacies (i.e., small-town drug stores)
• Hospital pharmacies
• Mail-order pharmacies
• Pharmacies owned by pharmacy benefits managers (i.e., those owned by insurance companies)

How Much Do Specialty Pharmacy Technicians Make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not report pay information for specialty pharmacy technicians specifically; it only provides general pharmacy technician wage data. Therefore, it may be beneficial to search for specialty pharmacy tech jobs in your area to get a better idea of the rate of pay in your geographical region.

Conducting this type of search also provides the opportunity to look at a few job descriptions to better understand the duties and responsibilities of a specialty pharmacy technician.

Specialty Pharmacy Technician Certification Requirements

Pharmacy technicians are regulated in most states, with some states and employers requiring you to be certified to work in this role.³ One such certification credential is CPhT, which stands for Certified Pharmacy Technician.

You don’t need specialty pharmacy technician certification unless your employer or state requires it. But there may be some benefits to obtaining this more specialized professional designation even if you don’t have to.

For instance, becoming certified helps validate your expertise in specialty pharmaceuticals while demonstrating your professional development commitment. This can help you stand out from other job competitors who lack specialty pharmacy certification while letting potential employers know you have the knowledge and skills needed to perform these specialized duties.

Specialty pharmacy technician certification options

The American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) offers two specialty pharmacy certificate options for pharmacy technicians:⁴

• Specialty Pharmacy Fundamentals + Advanced Concepts for the Specialty Pharmacy Technician Track – this certification bundle consists of 25 contact hours and 16 hours
• Advanced Concepts for the Specialty Pharmacy Technician – this add-on track consists of 11.5 contact hours and 6 activities (you must purchase a certificate bundle before you can purchase additional tracks)

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) offers another option: Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT). Earning this credential demonstrates your specialized pharmacy technician knowledge and skills while also reinforcing your commitment to medication safety.⁵

How to Become a Specialty Pharmacy Technician

To work as a pharmacy tech, some employers only require a high school diploma while offering on-the-job training. However, the state you work in may regulate this role, which might require that you complete a formal education and/or training program.³

Because special pharmacy technicians work with more complex medicines, additional education and/or training may be required to learn how to handle, prepare, and store these drugs. Earning your pharmacy technician degree can be a good first step toward this career option.

UMA offers an online Health Sciences – Pharmacy Technician Associate of Science/Associate of Applied Science degree program that can be completed in 18 months or more.⁶ In this program, you learn about pharmacology, drug dosages and interactions, pharmaceutical calculations, and more. It also includes certification prep⁷ and a pharmacy technician externship for hands-on experience.

This degree can provide a foundation for the duties performed as a pharmacy tech. It may also help prepare you to further your education in this field should you decide to pursue a higher-level degree, whether to further boost your knowledge and skills or to qualify for certain certifications, should you meet the requirements.⁸

Is Specialty Pharmacy Technician a Healthcare Career for You?

If you’d like to work in a healthcare role that provides patient care by making sure people have the medications they’ve been prescribed — and that these medicines are in the correct dosages and amounts — a pharmacy technician position may be a good role for you.

If you’d specifically like to work with more specialized pharmaceuticals, then you may enjoy a specialty pharmacy technician role. Both serve a valuable purpose in patient care, it’s just a matter of deciding which one you’d prefer most.

At UMA, we’re here to provide school support for you in your healthcare journey. Contact us to discuss your career goals and how we can help you meet them.

FAQs

• How is a specialty pharmacy different from a traditional pharmacy? Specialty pharmacies provide patients with medications often prescribed for complex medical conditions like cancer, HIV, Crohn’s disease, and blood disorders.¹ These medicines may not be available at a traditional pharmacy as they can require specialized formulation, handling, and storage requirements.
• What is a specialty pharmacy technician course? It’s a course that teaches you how to perform pharmacy technician duties within a specialty pharmacy. This can include learning how to mix personalized medications or the steps taken to prepare drugs delivered by injection or infusion.
• What is PTCB certification? This refers to pharmacy technician certifications administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). The PTCB has several pharmacy technician certification options, enabling you to select the one that aligns with your career goals.