Pharmacy technicians find training at Vaterott, OTC

"There is much more of a demand than there would have been years ago. With the hospitals and nursing homes in the area having their own pharmacies, there is a real need for well-trained pharmacy techs," said Rebecca Matney, health care program director at Vatterott College.

Vatterott and Ozarks Technical Community College have programs to prepare students to join this work force.

Individuals who want to work as pharmacy technicians in the state of Missouri may still do so without prior training. However, they may be more readily hired if they have some clinical experience. The programs at both schools offer hands-on experience.

Rhona Stanek, coordinator of health care education and continuing education at OTC, said that students can receive pharmaceutical training through the military, one- or two-year programs, or short programs such as the one OTC offers. OTC's semester-long evening class is geared toward preparing students to take a national certification exam.

OTC began planning the class in the fall of 1997.

"We had calls from people in the area wanting to know if we had a pharmacy tech program. Based on that we saw a need in the community for it," Stanek said. OTC began offering the course in the fall of 1998 and has graduated an average of 12 students per semester.

Stanek reports that demand for pharmacy technicians has remained strong.

"We've had several pharmacists call looking for students to hire. Eighty percent of students are hired toward the end of class or upon completion of the class," Stanek said.

OTC's $494 course includes registration to the Missouri Board of Pharmacy (which includes a background check that is required to work in a pharmacy), 54 1/2 hours of class time and 15 hours of clinical study. "The clinicals are mainly observation. We have three areas for the clinical portion," said Stanek. Students are required to spend five hours in each of three types of pharmacy: retail, hospital and long-term care.

Gloria Carlile, director of nursing services at Managed Healthcare Pharmacy, has been involved with OTC's program since its inception and has taught portions of the curriculum. She said individuals seeking pharmaceutical employment are at an advantage if they have prior training.

"You can still go to a pharmacy and they will train you on the job. We might look at someone who has had training at a program like OTC's and accept them a little more readily. And we at Managed Healthcare pay a little bit more if the tech becomes certified, but those pay differences are probably not universal," Carlile said. Stanek estimated that pharmacy techs may expect to earn between $8 and $10 an hour.

Vatterott College began offering a pharmacy tech program in the fall of 2003, also in response to repeated inquiries.

"We had seen a great request for it from our admissions department. The response has been great so far; we have 13 students enrolled and we just started," said Matney. Vatterott students may choose from a 60-week program, or a 90-week associate's degree program. The programs cost $15,400 and $23,600, respectively.

Matney said that students spend the first 20 weeks of the program "on the basics: math, English, computers. We also teach them how to do a rsum and get a job." The pharmacy portion of Vatterott's program begins in November 2003.

Matney hopes to hire a pharmacy technician to teach this portion of the class, as she believes anecdotal knowledge to be important to the program. "In most of our technical programs, the person who did the job is who we want to teach the class. They know what to do and the mindset it takes to be a good pharmacy tech," Matney said.

Lynn Morris, owner of Family Pharmacy, is on the advisory board for Vatterott's pharmacy tech program and has offered to let students use his pharmacies for the clinical portion of their course work. Morris echoes the belief that trained pharmacy technicians are at an advantage in the workplace.

"Programs like this are great for someone who has never worked in a pharmacy. A lot of people won't hire someone without experience," Morris said.

He also believes that the need is increasing for trained technicians. "With such a large aging population there is a real need for pharmacies with well-trained employees," said Morris.

Students cite different reasons for enrolling in pharmacy technician programs. Kelli Tokar has chosen to enroll in the associates program at Vatterott College. " I was interested in health care and knew there were a lot of jobs in pharmacy. I chose the associate's degree because I wanted to go further in the field."

OTC students Marie Matney and Jane Jeffries each have different goals for their education. "It's a relatively short class; I wanted to return to the work force and have a challenging job that pays well," said Marie Matney. She plans to take the exam for national certification.

Jeffries became interested in the course, as she had worked in a pharmacy in college. "There have been some big changes since I left, computers, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how much I remember and how much the pharmacy has changed." She believes the class is valuable experience. "As someone who has enjoyed pharmacy work in the past, I'm glad OTC has offered this program. It's important for people to know what they are walking into and to see the broader picture. It's not just handing out medicine to people it's helping to improve their well being," Jeffries said.