Warning: Undefined array key "random_ads_start_direction" in /home/u271425115/domains/healthcarecareersguide.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/ad-injection/ad-injection.php on line 1087
Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/u271425115/domains/healthcarecareersguide.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/wp-word-count/public/class-wpwc-public.php on line 123
There are hundreds of courses that you could study online. This includes course such as pharmacy technician online courses. Online studies is the best way to get your career going as you do not need to attend classes full-time. More and more people are taking this route, as it would give you the opportunity to continue working while you are studying. A person would usually decide upon a career while at school, but it could also happen while working in an environment and discovering that you enjoy what you are doing. If your career choice is being a pharmacy technician, you would be preparing yourself for the long haul, making this your career.
The importance with online studies is that you need to do your research well so that you find the right school for your purposes as well as the best school that would be able to give you the best options as well. The latter would be determined by reviews as well as recommendations, which would significantly narrow down your research.
What is also a very important aspect of doing an online program is that you are able to:
- Study from anywhere you are and
- To continue working in a setting where you can obtain and learn hands-on
- There is also the possibility of having flexible hours.
Furthermore, the course is a major asset as it is providing valuable training to interested persons, who would be able to assist by filling a huge gap in the health care market. The only qualification you need to be allowed into the program is your high school diploma.
The Courses Covered In The Program
The pharmacy technician online courses in the program would give you a foundation in:
- The appropriate medical terminology
- Medicine administration
- Medicine calculations
- Healthcare law and ethics and
- Human relations
- Human Diseases
- Alternative Medicines
- History of Medicine and Pharmacy
- Anatomy Basics
- Physiology and nutrition
- Pharmacy administration and
- Pharmaceutical calculations
- They also include customer service
- Organizational skills and
- Computer skills
More of these courses are covered and it would depend on where you study. Some more courses that might be included in the course structures and in which you can obtain expertise are:
- Stock taking and inventory prescriptive
- Over-the-counter medication
- The way in which to maintain written or computerized patient medication records
- The counting or pouring of medication into dispensing containers
- Managing the cash register and, or billing
- To assemble a twenty-four hour supply of medication for each patient
- The re-package of medication
- Preparing commercially unavailable medication
- The delivery of medication to patient rooms if you are working in a
Health Care Facility
- To create and maintain patient profiles
- To prepare insurance claim forms
There are many more different courses and combinations that you could choose from as each institution also has their own combination of courses. The final outcome is that you need to assist the pharmacist in providing over the counter healthcare to patients. It is especially little illness irritation that patients have to deal with and are not necessarily for a doctor’s opinion or physical examination. The courses listed here and many others will assist you to be able to do this. Added skills include:
- How to process prescriptions from medical professionals
- How to prepare and fill prescriptions
- How to verify patients’ health insurance
Schools With Significant Reputations For Pharmacy Technician Online Courses
Just as there are many courses available online, there are also as many online schools from which to choose for your pharmacy technician online courses. Some of these are listed here. You may want to consult with other persons if you wish to find other schools that are not mentioned here.
US Career Institute
Offers a four-month pharmacy technician certificate program online.
- It covers courses such as the
- Human body
- Drugs and the dosage
- The operation of a pharmacy
- Once you have completed the courses you would be able to sit for the CPhT (the Certified Pharmacy Technician) certification examination.
- You are in fact preparing yourself specifically for this examination. This is not an absolute necessity, but it would be worth your while to sit for the examination and to obtain your accredited certification in this way.
- This certificate course is available to you no matter where you live as it is all done online.
Purdue University
Is place where you are able to do any pharmaceutical courses online. You would be able to do your pharmacy technician certificate as well as pursue any further studies in this field as they have a large set of course choices for you.
Keiser University eCampus Online
Gives you the opportunity to complete your pharmacy technician certificate program online by offering you pharmacy technician online courses.
- They are able to offer these courses, as they are one of the best health services online campuses.
- This is a student centered online campus and the students are able to receive individualized service.
Ashworth College Online
As a DETC (The Distance Education and Training Council) accredited college, Ashworth College Online would offer you a great learning experience as well as allow you to obtain your accredited pharmacy technician online courses.
Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) online
UMA online is another place, which has been accredited with healthcare programs, which would also offer you your Pharmacy Technician Diploma.
Following is just a short listing of some more places where you could find the pharmacy technician online courses:
- Brighton College
- Penn Foster Career School
- Allied Schools
- The National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA)
- Rasmussen College
- Merced College
- University of Phoenix
There are many more places online and the choices you therefore have are endless. If you are able to study at an education institute that has national recognition, you have a better chance of getting a job anywhere provided that would not mind relocating. Your choice of institute would depend on whether it has accreditation first of all. This you can find out and determine from The Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).
They would have a list of which institution has full accreditation. This might also be very helpful in terms of your research to find the right place and the best place through which you could study. There is also the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) that would be able to give you a clear indication of which places have accreditation.
The Cost Of Pharmacy Technician Online Courses
As with many online courses the cost would not be too cheap, but this particular program is not too expensive and most people are able to it. Hence, the cost for this particular program would be between $598 (which is the cheapest) to $3,680 depending at which online institution you study. There is also the possibility that these places have scholarships or even payment plans for your convenience. You would also get a reasonably cheaper fee structure if you pay for your program upfront.
It is important to note though, that there would be some additional costs involved that is not included in the fee structure. These are costs toward the:
- Individual state’s Board of Pharmacy for the application of a state license to practice as a technician.
- The National Pharmacy Technician Certification exam is recommended, but not required, and costs $129 (at the time of writing). You should check what the current cost would be when you are ready to take the exam.
- Re-certification is required every two years, with fifteen to twenty hours of mandatory continuing education studies. It is important that you remember to re-certify otherwise you would have to redo the examination.
- Your book requirements can be between $50 and $100 but you should check how much the books would cost when you are ready to apply.
- If you are planning to work in hospital settings you would need an IV certification, although this is optional for pharmacy technicians in retail and the cost for the additional program is between $500 and $600.
- Adding the skill of learning to make medication from a recipe created by a pharmacist will allow you to obtain Compounding Certification and that would also cost about $500 to $600. This would add to your qualification and increase your chances of landing a good position at many more places.
If you have any financial queries, the best is to contact the financial aid advisor at the institute to which you are applying. Even if you are willing to pay for your own tuition, chances are that you might qualify for financial aid.
Miscellaneous Information for Pharmacy Technician Online Courses
Should the pharmacy technician work in the pharmacy setting the duties would include:
- The counting of tablets
- Labeling bottles for distribution and for vital information
- Administrative duties which includes:
- Answering phones and
- Operating the cash register
The latter is often part of the learning experience and included as part of your courses.
Should the pharmacy technician work in a hospital or nursing home setting, the duties would include:
- Preparing medication for patients based their charts (the medications are checked by a pharmacist before delivery).
- This is based on the medication prescribed by the resident doctor at the health care facility.
With a nationally accredited set of pharmacy technician online courses, you would be able to work in any state in the country. There are a few things that you could consider when you make your choice of studying this course, which might be helpful:
- The importance is that you should be aware of how much time you have to study
- At the same time, this is a course that can be completed in a very short period. It will give you quick access to a career, which you can then develop further through continued study.
- The overall cost of this program might seem much, but that would be the full cost plus your additional costs as discussed. Other programs charge per module or course, which makes it quite expensive in the end.
Once you are qualified as a pharmacy technician you might already have a job or you would be able to apply for positions in pharmacy or hospital settings, medical stores, health and personal care stores, retail or mail-order pharmacies, and assisted living facilities. However, there is also the ed2go externship that would give you entry into this field without any difficulty. The program has an agreement with pharmacies nationwide to host you and give you hands-on experience. It is linked to several institutions such as universities, colleges and other education providers. There are basic qualifications that would allow you into the program. This would include aspects such as:
- Passing a drug screening test
- Obtaining general and professional liability insurance
- Completing a background check and employment verification
- Meeting the current immunization standards
- Conforming with, and completing any State mandates such as registration, fingerprinting, licensing and so forth.
The pharmacy technician online courses allow you to continue your studies to eventually become a pharmacist if you so wish. What this means is that, if you qualify as a pharmacist, you open a gap in the market for another person to become a technician. It thus creates a constant flow of new pharmacy technicians as well as pharmacists where there is a grave shortage. It is therefore a stable career and you are able to have an income for as long as you are working. The salary is not much and it is therefore a good thing to continue your studies as all of your credits can be transferred into the associate degree.
At the end of the day, one could regard the pharmacy technician online courses as the gateway to many other careers in the healthcare field. You are able to continue your studies and add courses to complete your associate degree and eventually your bachelor’s degree to become a fully qualified pharmacist.