Pharmacy Technician (PHA)

Pharmacy Technicians are key medical professionals who work under the direct supervision of licensed pharmacists to prepare and dispense prescription medications, manage pharmacy inventory, and deliver exceptional patient service. They help ensure medication safety and accuracy across community, hospital, and clinical pharmacy settings. Through hands-on pharmacy lab simulation, computerized prescription processing training, and a supervised clinical externship, Pima Medical Institute’s Pharmacy Technician program gives you the pharmaceutical knowledge, dosage calculation skills, and professional readiness to excel in the pharmacy field.

Program objective. Pima Medical's Pharmacy Technician certificate program gives you the technical and professional foundation to launch an entry-level career. Through hands-on training, classroom instruction and a real-world externship, you can be job-ready in as few as nine months. This program prepares graduates to apply to sit for the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (CPhT), administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).

The program covers the full scope of the pharmacy technician role, from preparing and compounding medications, counting tablets and labeling bottles to receiving and verifying prescriptions, managing drug inventory and processing patient transactions. You will also build the customer service and communication skills needed to work effectively with patients, pharmacists, physicians and other members of the care team across retail, hospital, and other pharmacy settings.

Core skills you’ll develop.

• Math: Four dedicated math courses across the program building calculation accuracy for dosing, compounding and dispensing
• Pharmacology: Four sequences of pharmacology covering drug classifications, brand/generic names, interactions and indications
• Operations: Inventory management, drug storage and prescription adjudication
• Compliance: Pharmacy laws and ethics and patient safety
• Clinical: Pharmacy laboratory skills and sterile compounding protocols and aseptic technique (USP <797> / USP <800> guidelines)
• Communication: Interpersonal communication, patient safety and error prevention protocols

Continuing your education. Continuing Your Pharmacy Technician Education

At Pima Medical Institute, we offer an online associate degree in Health Care Administration , an online Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership . Get the skills needed to move up within the healthcare industry, with the flexibility of virtual instruction. Work on your degree anywhere, anytime.

About Pima Medical Institute. Pima Medical Institute started changing lives in 1972, when Richard L. Luebke, Sr., and his wife, JoAnn, opened the first campus in Tucson, Arizona. Over 175,000 graduates have since advanced their education, and many are serving their communities through meaningful health care careers. The school’s mission is to improve the quality of people’s lives by providing the best value in medical career education.

Eligibility requirements.

• Possess a high school diploma or recognized equivalency
• Additional requirements may apply by campus

High school verification. Proof of valid high school completion or equivalent must be submitted (high school diploma or transcript, GED report and certificate, or an official associate or bachelor’s degree transcript). Pima Medical Institute does not enroll ability-to-benefit students, and applicants under the legal age must have written approval of a parent or legal guardian.

Entrance exams. Applicants for non-degree programs are required to take the Wonderlic SLE and receive a minimum score of 14. Applicants for the Pharmacy Technician program are also required to take a math admission test and receive a minimum of 60% (18 out of 30 correct). The exam may be waived for applicants who submit official transcripts that document completion of an associate degree or higher.

Background check, drug testing and vaccinations. Depending on the program, a background check and/or drug screening may be required prior to enrollment, during the program, and/or prior to externship/clinical training; the cost of the background check/drug screen is an out-of-pocket expense. The cost of required vaccinations and titers is also an out-of-pocket expense, and students are required to follow all clinical experience vaccination requests and policies.

At a glance. Course length: 9 Months (approximate); Class hours: 376-416; Lab hours: 224; Externship hours: 160-240. Hybrid education options not available at all campuses. Hours vary by location.

El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, Mesa and Tucson campuses. The 2026 tuition price list shows 33.5 semester credits and 840 clock hours over 36 weeks, including 5 externship credits (240 hours).

El Paso class times. Morning classes 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Monday through Friday; afternoon classes 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday; night classes 5:40 PM - 10:00 PM, Monday through Thursday.

Houston class times. Morning classes 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, late morning classes 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM and afternoon classes 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday; night classes 5:50 PM - 10:10 PM. Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant, Veterinary Assistant, Veterinary Technology and Diagnostic Medical Sonography externships are 40 hours per week.

San Antonio class times. Morning classes 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM and afternoon classes 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday; night classes 5:40 PM - 10:00 PM, Monday through Thursday. Degree program class schedules vary; refer to the schedules provided by the program.

Hybrid learning options. All courses are taught on campus to ensure you get the hands-on clinical experience this program requires. For students who need more flexibility in their schedules, hybrid learning options are available at select campuses, combining in-person instruction two days a week with online learning three days a week. Externship hours are completed fully in person.

• Certification: Pima Medical Institute's Pharmacy Technician certificate program prepares graduates to apply to sit for the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).*
• Find out more: Entry-level roles
• Career advancement: Move into lead or senior tech roles or pivot into pharmaceutical sales or pharmacy management

Certification and state registration requirements vary.

Careers. The Pharmacy Technician certificate program prepares students to apply for roles including:

• Pharmacy Technician
• IV-Certified Pharmacy Technician
• Pharmacy Clerk
• Compounding Pharmacy Technician
• Hospital Pharmacy Technician
• Specialty Pharmacy Technician

These careers may exist in a variety of health care environments including retail and community pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens and independent pharmacies), hospital and medical center inpatient pharmacies, long-term care and assisted living pharmacies, mail-order and specialty compounding pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and clinic pharmacies

Job outlook. 6% Growth — The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects this occupation to grow faster than average over the next 10 years, with a median pay of $43,460 per year. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Pharmacy Technicians, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacy-technicians.htm (visited June 07, 2026).

Career Services. When you’re a Pima Medical Institute student, you get access to our Career Services team—here for you when you need extra help with finding the right job opportunities, building a resume, strengthening your interview skills or just looking for general guidance.

Clinical externships. At Pima Medical Institute, most programs allow students to work in their field through clinical externships—a chance to be mentored by full-time professionals and interface with real patients.

In addition to real-world experience, clinical externships offer students resume-worthy opportunities, letters of recommendation from supervisors and sometimes job placement directly after graduation.

Student Services. Our team of student service professionals are on hand to see students through the challenges they might face during their academic career. We offer guidance and resources to ultimately help build employable medical professionals.

Application process.

• Submit the form below. A few quick details so we can get to know you before we connect.
• Chat with our team. They'll ask about your goals, your background, and what's drawing you to healthcare. From there, they'll help you find the right program and campus for where you are in life right now.
• Attend your campus tour. Experience Pima Medical in person and picture yourself in a career that matters. We'll walk you through programs and what to expect.
• We help you complete your application. Our team guides you through every step, including enrollment and financial services, so nothing stands between you and getting started.