board (ptcb) or the national healthcareer association (nha). beginning in january of 2020, the ptcb enacted a requirement that prior to examination, an applicant for certification must complete an american society of health-system pharmacists-accredited pharmacy technician education program, a ptcb-recognized training program, or 500 hours of training however, the nha had similar requirements prior to the ptcb enacting the 2020 requirements. upon completion of the certification exam, a pharmacy technician earns the certified or cpht credential. continuing education after national certification is required for certification renewal every two years. according to the bureau of labor statistics, in 2011 about 75% of pharmacy technicians in the us work in a retail setting, such as an independently owned drugstore, a mass retailer chain, or a mail-order or online pharmacy. an additional 16% of pharmacy technician jobs were in hospitals, while others worked for nursing homes, pharmaceutical wholesalers, or the federal government. as of 2016, the nationwide average hourly pay for pharmacy technicians working in retail or independent pharmacies is $12.26 and for pharmacy technicians working in hospital setting is $14.57. american pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of a pharmacist, often following a pharmacist-to-pharmacy technician ratio if required by the state that the pharmacy is located in. the national pharmacy technician association and american association of pharmacy technicians are professional organizations of pharmacy technicians in the us. requirements by state the states delaware, hawaii, pennsylvania, and wisconsin do not require licensing or certification but may require some form of training or registration. alabama, alaska, arizona, arkansas, colorado, connecticut, idaho, illinois, iowa, kansas, maryland, massachusetts, mississippi, montana, new mexico, north dakota, oregon, utah, virginia, washington, west virginia, wyoming, and washington, d.c. require both certification and licensing or registration, though some states may have a training period before these requirements. california, florida, georgia, indiana, kentucky, louisiana, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, rhode island, south carolina, south dakota, tennessee, texas (with exceptions), and vermont require only a license. zimbabwe pharmacy technicians are trained at harare polytechnic. students graduate with a diploma after three years of training. the program is run by the ministry of health and child welfare of zimbabwe. yearly intake is about 35 students.