Pharmacy Technician Forum FAQs

Officially launched in 2018, the Pharmacy Technician Forum is a membership home exclusively for pharmacy technicians. The Pharmacy Technician Forum serves as a direct voice to ASHP to advise the Board of Directors on actions to advance the roles of pharmacy technicians, to elevate the technician profession, and to create benefits and services to support the technician members of ASHP.

ASHP has long supported the advanced role of pharmacy technicians by creating professional practice policies supporting technician licensure and establishing technician education and training standards. Creating an ASHP membership home for pharmacy technicians was the next step to recognize pharmacy technicians for their vital contributions to enhance the direct patient care efforts of pharmacists. By further elevating the pharmacy technician workforce, pharmacists can meet health care demands to provide direct patient care services and optimize medication therapy outcomes.

• To recommend professional and interprofessional healthcare policies related to pharmacy technicians and the healthcare workforce to best promote safe, optimal and effective care
• To advise on pharmacy technician member benefits and services, including the educational and training needs of pharmacy technicians
• To inform ASHP of practice issues and best practices related to pharmacy technicians
• To develop pharmacy technician leadership within ASHP

Learn more about the Pharmacy Technician Forum Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals. 

It is important that pharmacy technicians identify with ASHP as their membership home. As a result, technician members receive a variety of benefits and services to include:

• Free unlimited access to PharmacyTechCE which offers more than 40 hours of T-designated CE to help meet requirements of PTCB certification, including law and medication safety
• A dedicated website landing page and resources, visit www.ashp.org/technicians
• Member-only access to technician-specific web resources and webinars
• Digital access to the world’s premier pharmacy journal, AJHP
• Membership to any or all ASHP Sections
• Specialized email Newslinks
• A dedicated technician network on ASHP Connect
• Exclusive member discounts on ASHP meeting registrations, publications and other products
• An established social media identity
• Other benefits and services as recommended by pharmacy technicians

Since the launch of the Forum, the new reduced technician membership rate represents more than a 30% discount from the previous technician rate, and more than an 80% discount from the pharmacist rate. Individual technician membership rates can be found here. 

Institutional membership rates are available and open to all organizations regardless of the size of their pharmacy technician workforce. Please contact Customer Relations at 866-279-0681 to learn more.

Five (5) volunteer pharmacy technician members are appointed to serve on the Executive Committee

• The Executive Committee represents a diverse pool of knowledge and practice expertise
• The Forum has an appointed ASHP Board Liaison and Staff Liaison
• The Executive Committee meets in-person at the ASHP Summer Meetings and Midyear Clinical Meeting, and regular meetings are held virtually throughout the year
• The Forum has four technician member advisory groups and an Educational Steering Committee. Visit the PTF Advisory Groups and Committees page to learn more and get involved. 

The Executive Committee remains dedicated to develop and expand engagement activities for technician members. The annual call for nominations for the Pharmacy Technician Forum Executive Committee is announced in the fall of each year. Applications for the Pharmacy Technician Forum Advisory Groups are accepted February through May 1 every year. We also encourage you to check out www.ashp.org/technicians, sign-up for the new Technician Newslink to stay updated on important Forum activities and information, and network with Forum members on ASHP Connect. 

The Chair of the Pharmacy Technician Forum Executive Committee represents the Forum in the ASHP House of Delegates.

The Pharmacy Technician Forum is complementary and congruent to technician component groups at the state level. Pharmacy technician needs should be met at all levels; in the work setting, at the state level, and at the national level. The Pharmacy Technician Forum collaborates with all of these areas.

To become a member of the Pharmacy Technician Forum, visit the ASHP Member Center.

Individuals may contact the Office of Member Relations at [email protected] for further information about the Pharmacy Technician Forum.