About NHA > News & Info > ExCPT's Five Year Anniversary
Remarkable Growth Marks ExCPT’s Five-Year Anniversary
04-Nov-2010 For Immediate Release
Contact: Rebecca Rabbitt
Executive Director
National Healthcareer Association
(800) 499-9092
Becky.rabbitt@atitesting.com
STILWELL, Kan., Oct. 28, 2010 – Started in October 2005 with just a few hundred exams, the
Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) is celebrating its fifth anniversary
and a growth spurt that has seen double-digit growth for five consecutive years.
Established by the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (now a part of the
National Healthcareer Association), ExCPT was an innovator and led the way by offering a
computer-based exam that was offered on-demand. “Green” from its start, the ExCPT program
used technology to support registration, exam administration and recertification, allowing it to
support rapid growth. Prior to the ExCPT, technicians had only the choice of a paper/pencil
exam offered three times a year.
“The ExCPT achieved NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies) accreditation in
June 2008 in less than three years on the market,” said Rebecca Rabbitt, executive director at
the NHA. “That’s a remarkable feat. Now pharmacy technicians have choices between
accredited exams. Competition among certification exams is common in the allied health and
other disciplines. Competition raises the bar for everyone involved.”
The ExCPT is available in 42 states and is approved by state boards of pharmacy in 26
states. The exam completed an updated job task analysis in 2010 and is expected to release
updated an exam blueprint in 2011. The new exam will test competencies across all practice
settings as defined by pharmacist and pharmacy technician experts across the country.
About NHA and ExCPT
The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) is the leader in providing preparation and
certification in 10 allied health professions to assure more qualified healthcare givers. Among its
programs, it offers training and education materials, study aides and practice exams to prepare
pharmacy technicians for the accredited ExCPT.
Technicians who take and pass the ExCPT are granted the title of Certified Pharmacy
Technician (CPhT), demonstrating that they possess the ability and skills to efficiently assist
pharmacists in the safe and accurate preparation and dispensement of medications. The
National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Association of Chain Drug
Stores support the training program and recognize the ExCPT as a psychometrically sound
pharmacy technician certification exam.
ExCPT is part of the NHA, a company of Assessment Technologies Institute.