r/PharmacyTechnician

Hello! I am 21 and I recently just graduated from the program to have me licensed for pharmacy technician!I thought I found my calling to be pharmacy technician until I got into the internship . I interned in a Walgreens pharmacy. I realized how horrible and how they leave you alone. I was mostly alone in the Walgreens and I wouldn’t even be supervised which I get it since most of the technicians were busy in the pharmacy doing their own stuff. I was messing everything up and into three weeks in to the intership I realized this wasn’t for me. I tried to denied that, so I went to a different pharmacy and thought that mindset might go away. It didn’t. I did got hired during the 2 weeks I was there in the intership. I have been here for a month now and I feel like I still am lacking. EVERYTHING.
As I said I am slow learner, slow, easily tired.
I knew this wasn’t gonna be a long term career. But I don’t know if I can handle any more shifts
My parents are happy that I have a job that has me working 5 days a week. But they don’t know I am going crazy going back to that place. I always get scared of messing up and scared that I will give the wrong medication to the wrong patient.
What should I do.?
Does that feeling ever go away

Hi everyone.

I got my NHA certification in 2021 through a course at my local community college. I've recently gotten 2 additional certifications through NPTA for sterile compounding and hazardous sterile compounding because I hope to be transferring into an oncology tech role this fall. My manager is telling me these certifications aren't valid in our network and the network only accepts PTCB certs. But I literally do not even have that to begin with, I have one though NHA. Has anyone heard of this issue before? I panicked and scheduled a PTCE for the end of August... I just feel lost and so confused. Any PTCE tips would be great as well! Thanks!

Trying to pivot into something new…do you have to be licensed for this position? The job posting specifically says they will train and provide steps for licensure but I haven’t had any luck getting past an auto rejection. I tried a program but didn’t like the group based instruction/assignments.

Anyone know how long it takes, usually, to get your certification number? I’m quite nervous about it getting overturned or taking too long.

To whom it may concern or HR Department,

I am writing to formally document my concerns regarding the circumstances of my recent termination from the pharmacy team at random grocery store chain pharmacy. I believe my termination was retaliatory in nature after I raised legitimate questions and concerns about my onboarding, training, working conditions, and the overall workplace culture. Although I understand I was still within the probationary period, the stated reason of “performance” does not accurately reflect the situation.

When I was initially hired, I was told this was a family-like environment where everyone was happy, everybody knew each other’s names, and everything was positive and supportive. However, once I started, I was placed into a very different situation with no explanation or backstory. I quickly found that nobody seemed to care about helping a new employee get oriented.

Here is a summary of the key issues I experienced:

•   The 3rd day of working one of the technicians and the bookkeeper were arguing on the phone and snapping at each other about my orientation. I then followed the tech upstairs and she and the bookkeeper had a stare down. When I met with the bookkeeper she was very overwhelmed and said no one told her I was coming. 

•  On multiple occasions, the pharmacy manager responded to my questions about new-hire materials and processes with comments such as “It’s your job, not mine. You figure it out.” This made it difficult for me to learn my role effectively.

•  The pharmacy manager stated that if I complained while working at his pharmacy, he would send me back to my full-time FedEx position. This comment, combined with the overall tense environment, led me to believe that taking breaks or raising concerns could result in negative repercussions.

•  The pharmacy manager instructed me to avoid speaking to corporate at all costs, stating that they “do not know what they are doing” and are “terrible at communicating.” He also stated he was not shocked at all of my current situation and laughed at me.

•  From my first day, there was no orientation regarding benefits, and I repeatedly struggled to obtain necessary logins and system access. I often felt as though I was bothering colleagues when seeking basic assistance.

•  I was sent to another store for training, but no structured training occurred. Everyone kept on speaking about training training training, but I was never explained what specific training they were referring to. I felt as if I was a major inconvenience. I simply performed regular pharmacy duties which I have years of experience in. During that visit, a technician took me upstairs to speak with the bookkeeper about cross-punching into the system. The store manager then questioned me about my presence and later pulled me into his office for a private conversation. He asked me not to repeat the discussion and stated that “this doesn’t leave this room,” while describing a technician from my home store as a “pot stirrer.” And stated I need to be carful and watch out for her. He then proceeded to go above and beyond by providing me with the correct materials necessary for orientation.

I feel that my termination was in retaliation for speaking up about the issues and drama present in the workplace. I did not want to be part of that environment and simply did not want to come to work in a drama-filled setting every day.

After my first week, I reached out to useless Pharmacy corporate manager expressing that I was considering leaving. She encouraged me to stay and said the team would “figure something out.” Shortly afterward, I was terminated. I am aware that my termination followed instances where I spoke up about these issues.
I am comfortable with the decision to part ways, as the environment was not a good fit. However, I want to ensure that the true circumstances are on record and that any potential patterns affecting other employees are reviewed.

I request that HR please investigate these matters and document my concerns officially.

Thank you for all of the lies, anger, harassment, and bad examples I have been shown.

Besides random other store. Thank you random other store manager. 😊 

I also want to make sure for a fact that I will be getting paid for my hours that were submitted on paper for June 4 and June 5. It was confirmed via text message, but I just wanted to reiterate I still have not been paid for those days.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Doofus CPhT 
Random Grocery Store Pharmacy 6/4/2026-7/1/2026

Anyone else experienced a similar situation?

😂

I passed the PTCB, however in California you also need to be licensed by the state. Can anyone help on how to get the affidavit signed saying I completed an online course? I tried messaging and emailing the people who are supposedly in charge of the pharmacy tech course online (which by the way was pretty jank). Anyone else having this problem?

Hi, I am currently trying to become a pharm tech, and I take the test next week. I wanted to learn more about what to expect on the exam and if there any free practice tests online. I've been using chat get to generate questions for me and I've been doing good on those, but I honestly feel VERY unprepared and am nervous on how I will do.

i’m taking the ptce in a few weeks and i’m wondering what were some of the best resources you all used. is it worth it buying a paperback book?

I am a recent pharmacy technician graduate.

How should I prepare for the exams and the PACE assessment? I am planning to write the PEBC next year and the Jurisprudence this year. When is a good time to do the PACE assessment and register as an intern tech?

My pre application is still in the process. I am currently trying to find a job in order to gain experience and help me with the exams..but no luck yet.

Any tips on how to succeed as a recent graduate with minimal experience?

Thank you!!

Fuck this company! We are tired of not getting any hours, being mistreated by patients staff and pharmacists.

I’ve worked a total of 9 hours this week and my coworker a total of 12. The company cut my stores hours and our ass kissing pharmacist has given the most hours to their favorite lazy ass tech that only sits on their ass all day, prints rx’s, doesn’t fucking count them, slowly walks over to pickup or drive thru and walks away mid transaction if a patient wants a discount card added and makes us do it because “they’ve worked for this company for 22 years and have busted their ass day and night and now it’s our time to fulfill our tech duties”

FUCK THAT

so this weekend we’re gonna give them to duty to do their mothefucking job because the both of them are working this weekend with us and we are walking out possibly before lunch and never batting an eye.

Already got my prescriptions transferred to another pharmacy, have another job lined up for me with better pay/benefits, will be blocking everyone’s number there before I clock in and I’ll be blocking the store and any CVS in the surrounding areas number too, I blocked everyone on my social media, already updated my pharmacy info at all my doctors offices, discarded my employee card, and will be making sure my mailing address is blocked too to not get some bs junk mail once I leave!

I’d also like to add other reasons why we are leaving without a notice:

1. ⁠The techs were made to clean up shit from the fucking floor instead of having CVS send cleaners to save us time and a restroom so we can be “accessible” to those who may need it.
2. ⁠Techs and FS employees never take out the break room trash leaving it overflowing. Two weeks ago I walked in there with a hill of trash out of the trashcan, ramen noodles spilled all over the floor, liquid spilling all over the trashcan, and gum stuck to the side of the can.

This company treats us like shit, this building is fucking filthy and I’d never get my prescriptions filled here (I only had them filled here once since I get 90 day supplies), low hours and reward but the demand of the job is high, the company favors the fucking patients, and I’m fucking miserable.

I’m excited to walk out!

just wondering, definitely guilty of it

I’ve taken the advice from this group, and so far I’m catching on to the math. I’m pretty decent when It comes to Ratio & Proportion solving, but for the life of me I just cannot comprehend Dimensional Analysis. From what I’ve gathered, it’s the better problem solving formula for multiple units in a problem and I just CANT🙃😅🙃😅 any tips on how to learn this? Because It just doesn’t make sense at all no matter how many books/videos I’ve seen

I recently was PTCB certified in early may and I finally was ready to get my documents together to apply for my Pharm Tech license in California. Prior to reading about how slow they can take on applications i decided to turn my application in, in person to potentially have a faster processing time. I turned my application in on June 2nd and my check was processed on June 12th and I have not received any acknowledgement email or status updates from the BOP. Should I go ahead and contact them to ask about my application? was also wondering if anyone else applying in May or June has experienced slow processing times just for receiving their acknowledgment email?

What resources are best for learning the math portion of this profession? I’m in a class already, but my brain just isn’t comprehending. Is there anything that could break It down for me like I’m 5?🙃😅

Anyone working in the area willing to share pros and cons for where they are/have worked? Especially interested in hospital roles…

Check in for my exam is at 7:30 am, I’m so nervous! First time. any tips?

I’ve been working at an independent pharmacy for 13 years. I love my schedule and the time it gives me with my family. At this point I am worried about my job security long term. Reimbursements remain low, we can keep anyone on staff for more than a year or two, I have some ethical concerns about how the business is ran, etc. A possible opportunity has arose for a Med Rec position at a local hospital. The pay in the same as my current job, but it’s a longer commute, the raise structure wont keep up with what I’ve been getting for raises historically. But I cant help but wonder if it would be a more secure job long term. they have health insurance, currently I’m paying for health insurance through the Marketplace, which seems to cost more and more every year. Anyway, I’m having a hard time deciding. What do you all think?