Get Your Pharmacy Technician Certification, In as Little as 12 Months, via Online Training Programs!
One way to have job security in the health care field without having to spend years becoming a medical doctor is to become a pharmacy technician. Pharmacy Technician training programs are available at numerous online schools and offer programs that may be completed in about a year. To actually become a full fledged pharmacist, on the other hand, requires a 6 year degree, an internship and a state license. You may want to go this route eventually, but in the meantime you will be able to have a degree and a salary averaging about $26,000 with just the technician program. continued below »
| Schools that offer ONLINE degrees/certificate courses: |
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Ashworth College — With 20 comprehensive lessons, you can complete the Pharmacy Technology Program at Ashworth College. You will learn how to weight, measure, compound and blend ingredients correctly as well as how to prepare infusions and solutions and more. When you receive your certificate, you will be qualified to assist a pharmacist as a technician or to pursue further education and become a pharmacist yourself.
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You can work in the health care field without the long years of education required of a pharmacist or physician when you enroll in Ultimate Medical Academy’s Pharmacy Technician Diploma program. The program takes about 10 months, and you will be able to perform virtually any task required in the assistance of a licensed pharmacist.
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US Career Institute
The accredited and self-paced pharmacy technician certificate program from the US Career Institute can help bring your career in the healthcare industry to all new heights. As a Pharmacy Technician you perform a valuable and life saving service to the members of your community in as few as 16 months.
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Allied Schools
As the American population continues to age, the pharmaceutical industry will be posed for major growth. If you are ready for a great new career, don't let this exciting opportunity pass you by! Allied Schools' certificate program for Pharmacy Technicians will prepare you with coursework focused on pharmacy calculations, management of inventory and the ability to work side by side with your pharmacist. Online training makes this course convenient and the real life student support will help ensure success!
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The wages for a pharmacist average $70,000 or more, depending on the location, and experience. Most pharmacies cannot afford to offer more than one or possibly two jobs. The pharmacy tech works under the direction of the pharmacist, assisting with patients, checking medications on the prescription database, filing with the insurance, and helping to measure out and package medications. Today, medicines are cross referenced to make sure a person is not taking another medication that would react with the new medicine and to make sure the patient has not filled the medication at another pharmacy.
Many pharmacies have prescriptions coming in from multiple sources: the doctor or hospital can call in the prescription; patients can call in renewals, bring new prescriptions to the counter; and many pharmacies also have “drive thru” prescription windows to save customers the necessity of coming into the store and spreading germs from some ailment that they may have. Thus, at any given time, the pharmacist could have multiple prescriptions waiting to be filled. One person cannot do it all. The pharmacy technician can do a lot of the preliminary work of cross reference, insurance filing, bottle preparation, and customer service while the pharmacist actually fills the prescription itself.
The salary for the job of pharmacy technician is not high, at least initially. A person with experience can count on earning more. Additionally, those with careers in a hospital pharmacy or a major corporation, might see their salary enhanced with health insurance, paid vacation, and a retirement package.
You don’t need a prior college degree to become a pharmacy technician, but you do need a high school diploma. In most cases the program takes about a year to complete and can be done entirely online. Before you can get your certificate, you have to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certified Board exam. However, taking your program online will save the costs of room and board and may even be less for tuition. If you want to continue on and become the lead pharmacist yourself, you will be qualified for a job that may ultimately provide a resource for you to continue your education.
