WASHINGTON — The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) has launched the Educator Program, which provides pharmacy technician instructors and trainers with a range of resources.

PTCB said Tuesday that the new program is targeted at pharmacy technician educational institutions and training programs that provide classroom instruction, position students for employment in the health care system, and prepare individuals to participate in PTCB’s national certification program.

Once enrolled, Advocate Educators receive a variety of benefits and resources from PTCB, including free individual verification of a pharmacy technician’s certification status, monthly newsletters, recognition on PTCB’s website, discounts on the Official PTCB Practice Exam, and quarterly School Performance Reports to track class performance on the PTCE.

"New medications, technology, and developments in health care continue to expand pharmacy technician responsibilities beyond traditional roles," Everett McAllister, executive director and chief executive officer at PTCB, said in a statement. "As more training programs emerge to meet these demands, collaboration between PTCB and educators is essential to effectively prepare students for the pharmacy workforce."

To join the program, educators complete an online application and then are issued a PTCB school code that may be used to connect students’ PTCE scores to their place of training via the School Performance Reports. Reports are issued quarterly and give educators data on their class’ PTCE performance. Educational institutions that already have a PTCB school code must join the program to maintain their current school code and receive the quarterly School Performance Reports.

"When education, training, and national certification through PTCB converge, a strong pharmacy technician workforce emerges," stated Janet McGregor Liles, past president of the Pharmacy Technician Educator Council. "The Educator Program provides a great opportunity for pharmacy technician training programs to work directly with PTCB to better support students."