Looking for Pharmacy Technician Schools in Michigan?
The most important thing to note when looking for pharmacy technician schools in Michigan is the word “technician”. When you begin looking for schools, the first place to look should be technical schools and community colleges where other assistant and allied health occupations are offered.
Pharmacy technicians are educated and certified to assist pharmacists in commercial pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, or nursing homes where drug prescriptions are filled. Working under the supervision of a pharmacist, these assistants will accomplish a variety of administrative tasks, as well as restocking and breaking down shipments. They will learn pharmacy law, how to combine and distribute drugs, and how drugs work and interact.
Jackson Community College
Community colleges are a good place to begin looking for pharmacy technician training. At Jackson Community College, for instance, prospective pharmacy tech students can find training through the allied health offerings.
This school provides a two-year applied science associate’s degree that includes all the core requirements of a college degree, plus technical classes in health care technologies, medical terminology, and pharmacology. For this career track requisites in the core curriculum include biology, microbiology, and anatomy.
Henry Ford Community College
Other community colleges, like Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, offer a 37-credit program, which may be completed in a year to become a certified pharmacy technician. This program begins each fall semester and includes externships in community pharmacies in the spring for lots of hands-on training.
Students become proficient through classes in pharmacology, pharmacy technology, pharmaceutical calculations, medical terminology, and use of computers in healthcare. The initial externships here require eight hours a week of clinical commitment for eight weeks. A second externship lasts from 10-12 weeks and carries a commitment of 24-32 hours per week in a pharmacy.
Mid Michigan Community College
Mid Michigan Community College in Harrison offers a year long credentialing for prospective pharmacy technicians that includes a 320-hour practicum. Tech schools are another place to look for this type training.
The Michigan Career and Technical Institute
The Michigan Career and Technical Institute trains a variety of technical and trade skills, and began offering suitable training in pharmacy tech in the 2009-2010 school year. This tech school is specifically designed to serve the disabled community.
Before taking a certifying exam, students in Michigan should know that the state does not regulate pharmacy technicians at this time. Michigan’s licensing department recommends students seek certification through a national agency such as the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.
Students can apply for the exam online, where they are scheduled to take the exam at a Pearson Vue testing facility. In Michigan there are three facilities to choose from in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Marquette.
According to the Department of Labor job statistics, pharmacy technicians have a sunny outlook with jobs in this area increasing much faster than average.
A wide variety of choices for pharmacy technician schools in Michigan exists through the community college system, tech schools, and universities. Interested students should do their homework, decide what amount of money they want to spend and what they want to take away in skills and credentials, and they’re sure to find the perfect fit.
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