October 5, 2007
Pharmacy Technology
Can some one tell me what a Pharmacy Technology is all about? I have found a
university that actually offer an associate degree in Pharmacy Technology. I am
not sure how this degree can actually help me in the Pharmacy. Will it actually
help me with my wage, or does it just look good on paper when I apply for job
elsewhere?
Sorry to disappoint you but this program is just a fancy name for
Pharmacy Technician Program. Sounds nicer and may even be more
marketable in trying to get students enrolled.
An example of marketing at its best is the following from Weatherford
College in Weatherford, Texas….about their Pharmacy Technology Program:
…Upon completion of the certificate segment of the curriculum
students may obtain national certification by successful completion of
the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) examination…
Now you and I both know that one need not have ANY experience or
schooling to take the PTCB exam. So why is this college trying to
make it appear otherwise?
In going further with your question, is there value in an Associate’s
degree over a certificate of completion? At this time, I do not see
any value at all. But, that is not to say when we begin to see
standardization and TRUE education being offered, then and only
then…maybe the AA degree will carry some weight.
As I have said in other forums, today the only difference between a
Pharm Tech who passed the national exam with no formal education and
the one who paid tens of thousands of dollars for formal education is
simply that the one who paid has a huge debt to pay back.
Pharmacy technician is someone who does all the work of pharmacist and gets paid
like 7-8 bucks an hour. If you want to work as a pharmacy tech, go the shortest
route it takes to get certified or licensed.
Pharmacy technician with an associate degree earns nothing more than one
without, but you can probably teach in a Pharmacy technician program.