Are you confused about how to renew your Pharmacy Technician License in the state of Washington? Are you planning on continuing your education as a pharmacy technician in the state of Washington, but are confused about the steps involved?
In this article, you will learn about the steps you should take to renew your pharmacy technician license and continue your education as a pharmacy technician.
Steps to Renew Your Pharmacy Technician License in the State of Washington
There are only a few steps in the process of getting a pharmacy technician license renewal in Washington State. You must meet the eligibility criteria and check to see if you qualify for the renewal process set by the state of Washington. Your pharmacy technician license has to be renewed annually on or before your birthday.
STEP 1: VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY
The initial step in the pharmacy technician license renewal process is to check if you are eligible for the renewal or not. It is best to make sure that your pharmacy technician license is active when you apply for renewal.
STEP 2: ELIGIBILITY FOR RENEWAL
The eligibility criteria set by the state of Washington to renew your pharmacy technician license are the following:
- Pharmacy technicians applying for a license renewal must have completed 10 hours of continuing education (CE) units. This is annually.
- Out of the 10 hours of continuing education (CE), at least one hour must be in pharmacy law.
- The continuing education (CE) credits must be earned through the Accreditation Council of Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) or should be a commission approved course or education program.
STEP 3: APPLY FOR RENEWAL
Once you know that you are eligible, the next step is to apply for the pharmacy technician license renewal. There are 3 ways to apply.
It is important to have the right contact information in the board’s system. The board emails your courtesy renewal notice and updated credentials to the address in their system. To update your correct contact information, fill out and submit this contact information change form. You can also contact the staff for further information.
ONLINE
To renew a pharmacy technician license online, the credentials must be within 90 days of their expiration date. You may renew your active licenses, certifications, or registrations online, but take note that there is a convenience fee of $2.50 to renew your pharmacy technician license online. You do not need to mail your renewal notice to the department if you choose to renew online.
Online Renewal is not possible if:
- You are currently in a different status – military, retired, or inactive.
- You want to change your status.
- Your license is active but has conditions, restrictions, or probation.
- You have an expired certification, license, or registration.
Another way to renew a pharmacy technician license is to mail them.
- Physical Address – 111 Israel Road, S.E. Tumwater, WA 98501.
- Email Address – hsqa.csc@doh.wa.gov
- Mailing Address – P.O. Box 1099 | Olympia, WA 98507-1099 (With Fees)
P.O. Box 47877 | Olympia, WA 98504- 7877 (Without Fees)
- Phone Number – 360-236-4700
- Fax Number – 360-236-4818
IN PERSON
You can also renew a pharmacy technician license by visiting the department in person. You can request an application at the front desk and apply for your license. The department accepts check, cash, money order, credit, or debit cards.
Office hours are from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm.
STEP 4: PAY YOUR RENEWAL FEES
The pharmacy technician renewal fees are as follows:
| NON-REFUNDABLE FEE TYPE | FEE AMOUNT |
| Renewal | $140 |
| Original Credential | $140 |
| Duplicate Credential | $10 |
| Late Renewal Penalty | $70 |
| Expired Credential Reissuance | $70 |
| Verification of Credential Status to Another State | $25 |
STEP 5: SCHEDULE YOUR RENEWAL PROCESS
If your pharmacy technician license is in active status, you can apply annually for a license renewal on or before your birthday and submit the current license renewal fee along with your license renewal card.
If your pharmacy technician license is expired, you must follow the following steps to renew your pharmacy technician license.
EXPIRED LICENSE RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS
If you submit your renewal application to the department after the expiration date, it will be considered an expired license renewal. You will still have to pay a late renewal penalty fee even if:
- The credential expired on a day the department was closed for business.
- Payment was made at the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance main office.
- Comply with continuing education (CE) requirement hours.
EXPIRED LICENSE RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS – 5 YEARS OR LESS, OR MORE THAN 5 YEARS:
- WITH VERIFICATION OF ACTIVE PRACTICE:
- Fill out the application form.
- Pay late renewal penalty fee.
- Pay the current renewal fee.
- Pay reissuance fee for expired credential.
- Submit a written declaration that no action was taken by a federal jurisdiction, a state, or a hospital, which would prevent the practitioner’s practice.
- Submit a written declaration that you have not given up any privileges or credentials voluntarily and have no restrictions in practicing.
- Submit a written declaration that continuing education (CE) or competence requirements have been met in the last 2 years.
- Submit proof of passing the board approved National Standardized Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam and proof of AIDS education that is required for the profession.
- WITHOUT VERIFICATION OF ACTIVE PRACTICE:
If your license has expired for 5 years or less, or more than 5 years, you must complete all certification requirements within 1 year of sumbitting the application to the board for certification.
STEP 6: RECEIVE YOUR RENEWED LICENSE
The final step of the license renewal process in the state of Washington is to receive your renewed pharmacy technician license:
- If you applied by mail, it will take approximately 2 weeks to update your license.
- If you applied online, last renewal dates and credential expiration will be updated immediately once the online transaction is completed.
- If you have applied in person, it will take approximately 3 to 7 business days to update your license.
Steps to Continue Your Education in Pharmacy Technician in the State of Washington
Continuing education (CE) is a part of the pharmacy technician license renewal process. It helps to keep yourself updated on the practices and activities in the field of pharmacy. Continuing education (CE) has options for both offline and online classes.
Having up to date knowledge of practices as well as an updated skill set is something that can benefit you as a pharmacy technician.
STEP 1: VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY
The first step is to check to see if you meet the eligibility requirements to get continuing education as a pharmacy technician.
- You must annually complete 10 hours of continuing education (CE) or 1.0 continuing education units.
- Out of 10 hours of CE, 9 hours must be in pharmacy technician related education and 1 hour in pharmacy law.
STEP 2: RECORD YOUR CE HOURS
To keep track of your continuing education (CE) hours, you can look on the provider/facility search to record your CE hours and find out what continuing education hours are due.
For further information on continuing education, you can call 360-236-4700.
STEP 3: APPLY FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION
Once you are eligible, the next step is to apply for continuing education (CE). To apply for continuing education in the pharmacy technician field in the state of Washington, you should:
- You must have earned continuing education hours that are approved by the Accreditation Council of Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) or a commission approved course or program.
STEP 4: RENEW YOUR LICENSE WITH CONTINUING EDUCATION
Once you have completed your continuing education (CE) hours per the requirements set by the state of Washington, you can now apply for a pharmacy technician license with continuing education hours. To apply for renewal, you should follow the following steps:
- You must have completed 20 hours of continuing education approved by the commission.
- Check to see if you have earned CE hours per the number of CE hours required by the state of Washington.
- Your license should be in active status.
- You must submit your application along with the renewal fee.
Wrapping Up
Being a pharmacy technician is a noble profession, and you get to serve society at the same time. But, it is important to renew your pharmacy technician license to be able to practice as a pharmacy technician in your state. To renew your license, continuing education in the pharmacy technician field plays a vital role as it helps you improve your knowledge and skill set.Â
To start your pharmacy technician career, try our complete PTCB practice test free to help you ace your exam.
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Everything You Need to Know About the Washington State Pharmacy Technician License
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