History

When pharmacists are asked who they trust, the answer is PTCB^®. We are the leading pharmacy technician credentialing organization and we pride ourselves on the work we have done throughout our long history. We continue to listen, grow, and improve in order to deliver on the most important measure of pharmacy: patient safety.

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s (PTCB) story began alongside the evolution of the pharmacy technician profession. After the 1992 Scope of Pharmacy Practice Project documented pharmacy practice at the time, two state pharmacy associations, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists and the Michigan Pharmacists Association, joined forces to establish a single standard for pharmacy technician certification. They also invited other pharmacy organizations to join their effort.

In 1995, the American Pharmacists Association; American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists; and Michigan Pharmacists Association established PTCB. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy joined in 2001, followed by the National Community Pharmacists Association in 2022.

In 2022, the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council^® (PTEC^®) was integrated as a division of PTCB.

We are a uniquely pharmacy-driven organization, founded by the profession for the profession, to continuously improve and support patient care. As credentialing and pharmacy professionals solely focused on pharmacy technicians, patient safety will be at the center of everything we do at PTCB.