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Points to Ask Pharmacy Technician Programs
After you have decided whether you wish to attain a certificate or degree, and if you prefer to enroll in an online school or go to classes on campus, you can begin to narrow your school alternatives. There are a large number of pharmacy tech colleges to pick from in the South San Francisco CA area and throughout the United States, so you must create a list of qualifying questions so that you can compare colleges and trade schools. As we addressed in our introduction, you will undoubtedly first start looking for colleges that are within both your financial budget and driving distance from your South San Francisco residence. If you are willing to move or are going to enroll in an online pharmacy tech school, then location may not be critical. But there are a number of other factors that you must consider so that you may effectively compare schools. The following questions will help you in collecting that information and help you to make your final decision.
Is the Pharmacy Tech College Accredited? Most pharmacist tech colleges and vocational schools have earned a regional or national accreditation. One of the most respected accrediting agencies is the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Colleges earning accreditation from the ASHP have been evaluated and verified to offer a comprehensive quality education. Online colleges may additionally receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council, which deals exclusively with distance or online learning. Be sure to check that the certificate or degree program together with the school you select are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education sanctioned accrediting organization. Along with helping ensure that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are often not accessible for non-accredited colleges. Also, certification may require that the program of training is accredited. And a number of South San Francisco CA employers will only hire entry level employees that have earned a degree from an accredited school.
Does the School Prep You for Certification? Certification is not required in every state, but a number of pharmacies desire that the techs they hire be certified. The pharmacist tech college needs to prep its students to pass the PTCB or the NHA examination. Students planning on obtaining NHA certification will additionally need one year of job experience. This condition may be satisfied by taking part in a school sponsored internship program.
Does the College Provide Internship Programs? As we previously discussed, the NHA requires 1 year of experience for certification, which may be fulfilled by means of an internship program. Perhaps the best way to get practical clinical experience as a pharmacy technician is to work out in the field. Most pharmacy technician certificate or degree programs also require clinical training in order to graduate and an internship is a great way to satisfy the requirement. Ask if the programs have a working relationship with South San Francisco CA area pharmacies, hospitals, or clinics for internship programs.
Does the School Give Job Placement Help? Finding that first job in South San Francisco CA after graduation, especially with no experience, can be a challenging undertaking without any support. Ask if the colleges you are looking at have job placement programs. If so, ask what their job placement rates are. A high job placement rate is an indicator that the college has a good reputation within the field creating appeal for its graduates. It also indicates that it has a sizable network of pharmacy contacts where it can refer graduating students.
Where is the Program Located? For a lot of students, the school they pick will need to be within travelling distance of their South San Francisco CA residence. Students who have opted to attend classes online naturally will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of area internships will be of concern. One thing to keep in mind is that if you choose to enroll in a program that is out of state or even out of your local area, you might be required to pay a higher tuition. State colleges usually charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges usually charge a higher tuition for those students that live outside of their districts.
What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of student that likes to sit far in the rear of class or hide in the crowd, you will undoubtedly want a small class size. Small classes permit more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the schools you are reviewing what the typical teacher to student ratio is for their classrooms. If practical you may want to sit in on one or more classes before making your final determination. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with several of the instructors and students to get their opinions regarding the pharmacy technician program as well.
Can the College Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must confirm that the pharmacist technician program you ultimately choose can furnish the class schedule you need. This is particularly crucial if you decide to continue working while you attend school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in the South San Francisco CA area, make sure that they are available. If you can only attend part-time, verify if that is an option and how many credit hours or courses you would have to enroll in. Also, learn what the procedure is for making up any classes that you may miss because of work, illness or family emergencies.