A small group of high school students in the Frederick County, Virginia public school system is enhancing their daily education through a school-sponsored pharmacy technician training program. The program is made possible through a charitable foundation that awards scholarships to students interested in pharmacy.
An official associated with the program says that there is a great need for pharmacy technicians across the country. But she also says that pharmacy tech training can be a basis for “anything in the medical field.”
It is true that pharmacy tech is an entry level position. But it pays extremely well. Furthermore, you can work as a pharmacy tech while continuing your education in pursuit of something else within medicine. In other words, use the pharmacy tech job as a launching point for your long-term medical career.
The Job Outlook Looks Great
Data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics suggest that the job outlook for pharmacy technicians is very good. In 2023, just under 464k people were employed as pharmacy text in the U.S. Through 2033, the BLS expects job growth to be about 7%. They expect another 33,000 jobs to be added, in addition to those already out there.
In terms of pay, the median annual salary for 2023 was $40,300 while the median hourly wage was $19.37. Know that ‘median’ refers to the level at which the largest group of professionals ranked in terms of pay. Median pay is not average pay. So in the right job, you could earn quite a bit more.
How to Become a Pharmacy Tech
The BLS says that the minimum requirement for a pharmacy tech is either a high school diploma or equivalent. You certainly do not need a 4-your degree to be a pharmacy tech. However, we encourage students to go above and beyond the high school diploma. We encourage career training and certification.
ProTrain specializes in online training for specific career tracks. We have a number of courses for pharmacy text, including our 330-hour Pharmacy Technician course. This is a self-paced course delivered exclusively online and on the student’s schedule. Once enrolled, students have 12 months to access and complete the material.
This particular course prepares students to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) certification exam. You should probably know that the PTCB is among the most recognized and reputable accrediting organizations for pharmacy techs.
You could consider the self-paced course a pharmacy technician training program. It will prepare you to sit for one of the best exams in the industry. But if you would like a more in-depth training experience, ProTrain does offer several other courses for pharmacy techs.
Go Where Your Training Takes You
You can use a pharmacy technician training program as a launching point to a more advanced medical career. On the other hand, working in a pharmacy alongside a licensed pharmacist might be your primary goal. It is all good. Go where your training takes you.
Also note that you do not have to be a young person fresh out of high school to start a new career as a pharmacy technician. Maybe you find yourself in a career rut and are looking for a change. Or perhaps you have always wanted to get into the medical field but never got around in doing so.
Contact us to learn more about our Pharmacy Technician courses. Just send a message to info@protrain.edu. We will get back to you right away and answer all your questions. If you are ready to enroll, send a message to enroll@protrain.edu.
