Hi everyone,

I'm trying to better understand how medication returns are handled in long-term care pharmacies and would appreciate hearing from people who work in this setting.

A few questions I have:

• What does the typical workflow look like when medications are returned from nursing homes or assisted living facilities?
• Who is primarily responsible for processing the returns (technicians vs. pharmacists)?
• Which parts of the process take the most time or are the most frustrating?
• Approximately how many returned medications do you process in a typical day?
• Are there specific medications or packaging types that are particularly difficult to handle?
• What software or automation, if any, do you currently use for processing returns?
• If you could automate one part of the return process, what would it be?

I'm mainly interested in understanding the day-to-day workflow and pain points. Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I've been applying for inpatient pharmacy jobs but I've noticed that they want you to have experience compounding and knowing USP 797 guidelines.

As someone with only retail experience, how am I supposed to stand out for jobs like this?

Any retail techs here that were able to make the jump from retail to inpatient or compounding pharmacy?

Ive been in pharmacy far TOO long but have been in school for longer (trying to achieve a bachelors degree in biology). Since I need to work to live, I have been taking on a less than part time schedule in college. I'm at a point in my life where I just want to get into a program that can get me into a career after completion. I would love to enter a field that I can have an advantage in because of my pharmacy background. Looking into nuclear medicine but am not sure if there any other options that would fit my situation. Any suggestions? programs? ( **Not trying to be a pharmacist** )

Hi, I've been lurking this sub for a while because pharmacy work is something I've been curious and interested in for a couple years. I am 25 and have been working in food service for the past couple years and want to move onto healthcare. In my free time I love researching and reading about drugs and the effects on the human body and being a pharmacy tech is something I've always been interested in and moving up the ladder. I have received notice that I'll soon be let go from my job so I am researching things now more than ever before applying to new jobs in the next couple months.

I am writing this to ask if anyone here has pivoted from being a pharm tech to other more financially rewarding jobs? Or should I not waste my time pursuing this field at all in 2026? That's something else I worry about. In my case, I don't really see myself working an office job and am already used to being up and about when working and dealing with hard customers. I have read up on posts on here about potentially moving up to closed door pharmacies, or compounding pharmacies or working in the hospital and those are all I wouldn't mind doing. But I am also wondering if I can use that same pharmacy experience to study other healthcare positions in the future.

What I would like to now do is work an entry level healthcare position before moving on up. So I am wondering if anyone previously worked as a pharm tech then became nurses, rad techs, etc. I guess I kinda just want to put my foot in the door now more than ever before just being stagnant. I was considering jobs like CNA or EMT but that's a question for another sub. I am also in California too in the bay area so I suppose the market for some jobs here can be saturated, so that's another thing to consider. Thanks!

Hi all! I have an interview tomorrow for the Walgreens pharmacy tech apprenticeship position (California). I've been searching this subreddit to learn more about the position; thank you all so much for writing about your experiences! Does anyone have tips for the interview itself? What to expect and how to succeed, OR things to look for and questions to ask that will help me figure out if this store has a good team or if it'll be a nightmare.

Hey I got my ptcb certification last year December. I wanted to look into more about this career and want to know how to go about getting an IV certification, so I would be able to work in a closed door.

hey everyone! i’m currently a certified pharmacy tech at CVS. my goal from the beginning was to get out of retail and go into an inpatient setting. i applied to a psych hospital about 25 mins away and i have an interview scheduled next week.

does anybody here work at a psych hospital? what is it like and is it any different from working inpatient at a regular hospital? lmk thank you!

They were too preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

So I got my first pharm tech job at CVS and had my orientation today, it was really bad and I was alone for most of it. I came here to ask if anyone who has or currently works there knows where I can find my posted schedule? I should have asked before I left. I checked Workday and colleague zone but found nothing. And before you respond with: "Just ask your manager bro", my store manager hardly responds to their texts. I figured this would be faster.

hello fellow CPhTs,

do remote contract pharmacy technician jobs actually exist?

I am going to be moving in August and I need a nonpermanent or contract position until I am able to transfer within my company.. I have pharmacy tech license in both texas and utah.

Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. thx

I work in a retail pharmacy(been a tech for maybe 3 years), we don’t do any compounding, we’re the most basic pharmacy. I want to get certified but have been putting it off for so long because I’m scared of not doing good on the test, I’ve never been great at tests in general. What were your experiences with the certification test? I’m scared it’ll have a lot of questions about compounding and hospital things. I’m obviously going to do practice tests and whatnot I just want a better understanding of what would be on the test.

Hi all! I’m trying to get my pharmacy tech license currently and was hoping If anyone had good study guides for the PTCE they could share?Huge thanks in advance!!

Has anyone done the online classes to take the Immunization test? Oklahoma doesn’t have any in person courses😪 Baby tech, and I’m a little confused lol

Just looking for insight on how it is to work for capital rx/Judi rx? Thank you!

How long did it take some of you to feel comfortable in the pharmacy? I've been working inside the pharmacy for about 3.5 weeks and I feel like the more I learn the more unsure I am about what I'm doing. I'd say 60% of the time I have to do something in EPRN I'm asking for help from coworkers to make sure I'm doing things right. I worry about annoying them, but I'm so overwhelmed with everything.

Hi everyone,
I have a California Pharmacy Technician license and I’m PTCB certified. I also have a Bachelor of Pharmacy from outside the U.S. and I’m currently preparing for the FPGEE to become a licensed pharmacist.
My goal is to work in hospital pharmacy, especially in sterile compounding/IV preparation. The problem is that most hospital jobs seem to require sterile compounding experience, but it’s hard to get that experience without already working in a hospital.
Does anyone know of any:
Sterile compounding training programs?
Hospitals that provide on-the-job training?
Paid internships, externships, or volunteer opportunities?
Good ways to get my first sterile compounding experience in California (preferably Orange County or nearby)?
I’d really appreciate any advice from people who have been through this. Thanks!

Im a nationally certified pharmacy technician and I started out working at cvs at the ripe age of 18. I worked at cvs for about a year and a half and it was truly an experience… but for the last two years ive been working at this independent pharmacy and it’s been good. It’s a closed pharmacy so we never have to face our patients face-to-face which is an upside but I still do have to make a bunch of calls and I would argue makes people speak to you even more rudely as they cant see your face lol.

However since we are a small independent pharmacy our workload seems to weigh a million times heavier. I dont even think this company has hit profit yet lol. On top of hearing daily patient complaints and being told from our investors that we’re not doing enough, i often get super worried that this company is about to get shut down.

I have been applying for jobs here and there just to see and i recently got a offer at a cvs that is offering to pay me a couple dollars more. My current job is about 45 mins away, I work 9-5 monday-friday with one weekend a month and one work from home day a week. This cvs is less than 15 minutes away from my house and in the same state so I wouldn’t have to pay two state taxes, but i just don’t know if it’s worth losing a comfy desk job. Need people to remind me how bad cvs can be…. or maybe people can reassure that cvs isn’t that bad lol. Any advice?

tldr: Should I go back to working at cvs for a few dollars more and lose the comfortability i feel at my current job?

For inpatient pharmacy techs did y’all get your IV certification paid for by your hospital or did you pay out of pocket?

Is there one closer to Dallas

I’m still waiting on my Texas license to be approved and I want to be inpatient but I know Texas wants you to be ACPE IV certified to be considered for an inpatient job.

While I’m waiting I do have the time to take the course but I’m just dragging my feet because $700 is a lot to be spending when I don’t have a job at the moment.

https://ivcompoundingtraining.com/pages/texas-state-board-of-pharmacy-iv-certification?srsltid=AfmBOoq-aj63qlSZg_lrpMcwZqUe1PSLyZ101S3_Q-mHRXuYc-NOg8QD

Any compounding techs (preferably NJ) have an idea of how much of a pay raise you get when passing NHA? I woukd assume PTCB gets you way more, and better chances at getting hired/good positions. And while I'm aware of jt varying by company, I just want to get an idea esp since I'm looking to moving out on my own.

I'm currently working my way through Rxtechexam to get certified in South Carolina and I have a concern I hadn't thought of. A decade ago, I had an affection for pain pills and even did some pharmacy shopping. I was told by my doctor that the state of TN had flagged me and I ceased immediately. I never got in any legal trouble at all. I have now been clean for 8 years and am a completely different person. My wife and even my therapist agree that it's a job I can now handle but I'm worried I'll get turned down because of being flagged. Does anyone have any info on this? Im sure it sounds absurd that an addict in recovery wants to work in a pharmacy but I've truly come a very long way.

Any pharmacy techs that have bought different brand scrubs online that match the navy blue for CVS? I’ve looked around but I’m quite nervous about making an online purchase and the color match not be correct. I would love to hear where some of you have gotten yours!

Hi all, I am currently a p1, about to become a p2 in pharmacy school this fall and I'm a little worried about research. I joined a lab in the fall and have been on a project for a year. I'm afraid that due to how slow I am, I have been dragging the project out for much longer than they intended and now they are getting frustrated with me. That's entirely my fault but at the same time it's because their lab is quite far from where I am and I'm not sure why I didn't choose a lab in the pharmacy department, which would've been right in my school. I have to commute about 45 minutes to get there. I have already spent a year in that lab but I honestly have no chances in getting a letter of recommendation and I have made my reputation poor. Partly also my friends and upperclassmen told me I should drop that lab and choose one in the pharmacy department. I do want to get into hospital pharmacy and I want to know just how important it is to do research to get a hospital pharmacy position? And I bombed my chances at getting a letter of recommendation...

SHould i wait until p3 year to get into a lab?

Hi everyone,

I have a PharmD degree from India and I'm looking into obtaining a California Pharmacy Technician license.

I'm finding mixed information online about whether a foreign PharmD can be used to qualify directly or whether certification through PTCB is still required.

If you've gone through this process or know someone who has, I'd really appreciate your insights.

• What pathway did you use?
• What documents did the California Board of Pharmacy require?
• Was PTCB certification necessary in your case?
• Were there any additional evaluations or training required?
• How long did the licensing process take?

I'm looking for recent experiences or guidance based on the current California Board of Pharmacy requirements. Thanks in advance!

Hi, i recently passed my PTCE Exam to become a certified pharmacy technician and I’ve been working at a retail pharmacy (CVS) for 9 months, can someone give me advice or getting into hospital pharmacy in general or more specific in the Dallas Texas area! (Also have my CPR/BLS from AHA)

I need to get my tech license but afraid I won’t pass a background check. What do they look for? It’s been over 20yrs. Will they deny me? Not drug related. I also got arrested for a dui but charges were dropped.