Pharmacy Technicians are an integral part of any pharmacy, and with the economy the way it currently is there is a great need for Pharmacy Technician Grants in order to boost the current amount of technicians. A pharmacist has the very important task of supplying the patients with medications, but with all the work they have to do they would be lost without the services of a Certified Pharmacy Technician. These technicians provide the supportive administrative duties of stock control, counter sales, customer liaison, phone duties and various other supportive tasks that the pharmacist just does not have the time to perform.
The job of a pharmacy technician is a very rewarding one, and they are highly valued members of the workforce who perform various much needed services within communities nationwide. In order to become a pharmacy technician an individual must obtain a college degree. There are many institutions that offer on-campus and online courses, and it is up to you to research all your options and decide which course of study will best suit you and your circumstances.
Unfortunately many individuals who would like to study for this position do not because they cannot afford the tuition costs for the studies. It is very fortunate that financial aid, especially financial aid for further studies, has come a long way in the past few decades, and this has meant that there are many more opportunities available for those who wish to study further, especially in the fields of health and medicine.
In an age where individuals are living much longer due to the advances of 21st century medicine, it is becoming more and more important that there is sufficient support medical staff, including pharmacy technicians. This is due to the fact that although people are living longer, they are only doing so because of the medications that are available. More medications and more people on medication mean that the pharmacist is pressurized in his or her job and does not have the time to perform the administrative tasks that are required in order to run an efficient pharmacy; this is where the pharmacy technician comes in.
Fortunately for those who would like to enter into this profession, there are a variety of Pharmacy Technician Grants available. These grants are available from various resources, and it would be in your best interest to do some research as to what they are and which one would best suit your requirements and for which you qualify. The Internet is, as always, a good source of information, as are the training/educational institutions. There are also many professional organizations for pharmacists and a quick search will point you towards various websites dedicated to funding assistance for college students.
Some Pharmacy Technician Grants On Offer
- APhA Foundation Student Pharmacist Scholarship Program – The American Pharmacists Association Foundation makes funding available for pharmacy tech students via the APhA Student Pharmacist Scholarship Program annually. The Foundation offers ten scholarships of $1 000 each to qualifying students. In order to qualify for one of these grants you need to be enrolled as a full-time pharmacy student; you also need to be active in your local APhA student chapter. You are required to have completed at least one year of your studies or have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.75 or higher. The annual deadline for this grant is 1 December. In order to gather more information it is highly recommended that you visit the APhA Foundation website, where you will also be able to download the application forms for the grant.
- Scholarships.com Health Scholarship – is a website which was designed with the specific task of assisting students to access financial help in the form of grants and loans for college. It offers grants to students enrolled in any area of study related to health, including Pharmacy Technician Grants for those pursuing studies of that nature. This scholarship is a $1 000 scholarship and eligibility includes being a citizen of the United States, being a current undergraduate or a high school senior who will be graduating soon and with plans to enroll in a pharmacy technician program the next fall. The annual deadline for applications for this grant is 1 December. One should also be a registered member of the scholarships.com website. Applications and more information can be found on the website.
- NCPA J.C. and Rheba Cobb Memorial Scholarship – Annual Pharmacy Technician Grants are provided to students wishing to pursue certification as a pharmacy technician by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), through the J.C. and Rheba Cobb Memorial Scholarship. This is a non-renewable educational grant in the amount of $2 500. The grant is disbursed directly to the recipient and not the institution. Individuals who are interested in this grant have to fulfill certain criteria in order to be eligible. In order to be eligible one must be a student member of the NCPA and registered as a full-time student in the study of a program related to pharmacy. Judgment is done on the basis of the individual’s academic record, interest in government affairs, and leadership qualities. For more information visit the NCPA website.
The above are by no means the only grants on offer, but merely an indication of what is available out there. In order to find out whether you are eligible for these or any other grants to help you with your education fees, it is incumbent upon you to do extensive research and to leave no stone unturned in your quest to fulfill your life’s dream of entering the pharmacy world as a career.
Why Pharmacy Technician Grants Are The Best Option
The cost of further education is very high, and when it comes to pursuing a certification in pharmacy tech it can be astronomical, depending on how far you wish to take your studies. The Associate’s Degree can cost up to $30,000, and as you study further it costs more and more; by the time you graduate it could have cost you as much as $70,000 or more. There are various forms of finance available for studies, and of these, grants are the most desired form of finance for many reasons.
A grant is different to a loan, wherein it is finance that is offered to help with studies that never needs to be repaid. This is very important as many youngsters find themselves in the unenviable position of having to repay huge student loans once they have graduated, which impinges on their quality of life for many years. There are, of course, certain criteria that need to be met in order to qualify for any grant, including Pharmacy Technician Grants, so if you are intending to study towards a pharmacy technician certification, it is important to ascertain whether you will qualify for a grant or not.
The Pell grant, for instance, is a grant that is awarded annually to low income needy students entering or attending an accredited degree program. This grant is to an amount of $5,500, which goes a long way towards your tuition, especially seeing that it is an amount that you need never worry about repaying. There are various other grants offered to those who wish to study as a pharmacy tech, by various pharmaceutical organizations throughout the United States. Each of these has its own criteria by which recipients are chosen, and invariably include academic status and affiliations and preferred career.
As the Pell grant, or most other grants too, truth be told, do not cover the entire tuition, it may also be necessary to seek a loan to make up the full amount. Recipients of the Pell grant often secure federally funded loans such as the Stafford and Perkins, which is offered to students who qualify for Pell grant funding. There are also many other institutions that offer financial aid, and many of these can be accessed via the studentloans.gov website and other websites, so once again, do your research.
The Difference Between Pharmacy Technician Grants And Scholarships
Pharmacy technician candidates can make use of grants and scholarships provided by private business, as well as the federal government and state. There are also many businesses that offer various forms of financial aid to potential employees, as pharmacy technicians are in high demand.
Both grants and scholarships come with strict requirements, including financial need, credit hours of study, and maintaining a certain grade point average. Their definitions are so similar that it is often rather difficult to distinguish between the two:
- Pharmacy Technician Grants are offered by the federal and state governments, and they are generally based on financial need and ethnicity. There are also grants offered by other institutions such as The Allied Health Project Grant, which focuses on managing chronic diseases.
- Pharmacy technician scholarships are another form of financial aid for pharmacy technician students. Scholarships, like grants, do not need to be repaid, but the criterion is far stricter and more academic-based. Some of these scholarships, however, do accept students based on ethnicity and financial need. Some pharmacy technician scholarships that are available are: Health Professions Pre-graduate Scholarship for Indians, The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program and the Health Professions Preparatory Scholarship Program for Indians.
Free Application For Federal Student Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, more commonly referred to and known as FAFSA, is a form that must be completed by any individual wishing to access funding via a federal grant or scholarship. The form can be accessed via the Internet and must be completed annually in order for you to be considered for financial aid. By completing this application age, gender and ethnicity can be recorded as well as various other information, and your financial needs can be easily determined in order to ascertain whether you are eligible for the grant or scholarship.
Other Options Of Study Finance
Apart from all the above options of obtaining financing for your studies, there are also many other options that you can look at:
- Check with your local university or college’s financial aid office.
- Approach your local businesses, charities and churches, as they often offer various scholarships.
- Contact your local congressman is a good idea, as they know which grants and scholarships are available.
- The Upper Valley Career Center is also offering an innovative program called the Pharmacy Technician Readiness program. This is an Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) Bridge Program, which is geared at assisting ABLE students to receive training that will give them the potential for certification as a pharmacy technician. This is a grant program which is offered to the student at no cost, and is run in conjunction with Clark’s Rx Pharmacy, where students will receive training from and work with professionals, providing onsite work experience.
Never only rely on one source of revenue when researching financial aid for studies, as the cost of studies is rising, and you will need as much aid as possible. Think outside of the box and look into any and all opportunities, no matter how slight they may seem initially, you never know.
What Are Work-Study Programs?
Work study programs are offered at some schools, either by the school themselves, or jointly through the school and an employer. These programs combine work experience with studies. Study time and work time are alternated on an equal, pre-determined basis, which means that you get work experience, credit towards your degree, and the possibility of a future job too. Work-study programs are a trade-off; off work in exchange for the money to study.
According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, employment opportunities in the Pharmacy Technician field are definitely going to increase exponentially over the next several years due to the demand for certified pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy technicians do not only work pharmacies, but also in retail and mail order businesses as well as in long-term care facilities and hospital pharmacies.
There are, over and above the afore-mentioned grants, also many other grants that are geared towards women or minority students; there are merit awards and scholarships, based on academic achievement, student loans, work-study programs, scholarships and more, so there is really absolutely no need for anyone to relinquish their plans for studying for a pharmacy technician career. If you are sure that this is the career path that you want and which will make you happy, then you need to be tenacious in your quest for financial assistance and you will find one of the Pharmacy Technician Grants to suit your needs and circumstances.