A pharmacy technician is a person who works under the supervision of a pharmacist, assisting him with dispensing medications, running the pharmacy, and helping patients. In some cases, a pharmacy technician may receive the training he needs to perform this job from the pharmacist that hires him. In other cases, however, pharmacists may prefer to hire job candidates who already have the training they need to assist them well. Pharmacy technician training classes may often be found at community colleges and vocational schools. To choose the best pharmacy technician class, a person may consider accreditation, reputation, program content, class size, cost, and study options.
One of the first things a person may consider when looking for the best pharmacy technician class is accreditation. Typically, schools that are accredited offer quality pharmacy technician education, and their diplomas and certificates are viewed as legitimate. An individual who is looking for the right pharmacy technician class may start by searching for schools that are accredited in his country or region.
Reputation may be an important consideration in choosing a pharmacy technician class as well. An individual may ask experienced pharmacy technicians where they trained in the hopes of getting some ideas. An individual may also ask his pharmacist for recommendations. If a pharmacist has hired competent assistants who attended a particular school, he may be willing to recommended its program.
For some people, class size is another important consideration in choosing a pharmacy technician class. A smaller class size may translate into more personal attention from the instructor, which may prove important when a person is trying to learn new concepts and build new skills. Additionally, a person may consider such things as how far the school is from his home and whether or not he'll have the option of attending part time. Some people may also find such options as online classes and on-site daycare important.
Cost is often an important consideration when a person needs to select a pharmacy technician class. Often, a person attempts to balance financial needs with choosing the best program. As such, he may attempt to choose the best program he can enroll in with the money he has to pay for his education. This doesn't necessarily rule out higher-cost programs, however, as a school may offer financial aid and scholarship money in an effort to make its program more affordable.
Once a person has settled on a pharmacy technician program, he can usually expect to study such subjects as pharmaceutical law and ethics, pharmaceutical technology and techniques, and medical dose calculation. Typically, students also complete internships before they graduate. These internships typically take place in a pharmacy and help aspiring pharmacy technicians to prepare for the tasks they'll perform once they land jobs.
