Recession and economic uncertainities have made a lot of people question if their full-time job is secure. Amongst all the industries, healthcare is one niche that just doesn’t get affected by such changes.
However, you do need a college degree and a lot of hands-on experience to enter the field. If you don’t have years to spend in a university classroom, you can become an allied healthcare professional, a pharmacy technician to be precise.
This is because it is among the easiest entry points into healthcare, and demand for pharma techs is also stable.
However, the biggest question you may have is how to learn the skills while having a full-time job? Well, enrolling in an online pharmacy technician program is your answer.
But the next follow-up question is always: how do I learn hands-on skills? Don’t worry, this blog will answer all your questions.
Addressing the Online Learning Myth
When it comes to online learning, a majority of people are still under the impression that you’d be just going over hours upon hours of videos in isolation. While that was the case, modern pharmacy technician online courses are teacher-led, i.e., they are structured and live, so that you can learn in real-time, just like a regular class.
What You’ll Actually Learn In Your Sessions
Before you actually get behind a pharmacy counter, you need to learn the fundamentals of a pharmacy. A high-quality training course should teach you the following:
- Medical Terminology: This is the language of the healthcare industry, and knowing this will help you communicate effectively with pharmacists, doctors, and nurses.
- Pharmacy Law and Ethics: You’ll learn the state and federal regulations that keep patients safe and keep the pharmacy compliant.
- Dosage Calculations: You’ll understand different measurements first and then learn how to calculate the correct amount of medication based on a doctor’s prescription.
- Drug Classifications: You will learn to identify different types of drugs, what they treat, and which ones should never be mixed together.
Why You Should Choose an Online Course With Externship
Now, the biggest concern a student might have is “how will I practice my skills?”
The answer to that question is externship.
You see, while you can learn the theory of pharmacy online, you cannot learn the flow of a pharmacy without being in one.
So, what exactly is an externship? It is a series of sessions where you’ll go to an actual pharmacy (as a student, of course), and you’ll learn how a real pharmacy operates. You’ll under the supervision of a pharmacist in such settings.
During your externship, you’ll learn the “soft skills” that you simply can’t learn online, which are:
- Customer Service: How to help a patient who is worried about their medication.
- Inventory Management: How to physically organize and track stock.
- Speed and Accuracy: How to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment without making mistakes.
NOTE: An externship is essentially a clinical “test drive.” Once you have completed your online coursework and understand the fundamentals, you are placed in a real-world pharmacy setting. This is where the magic happens. You take the knowledge from your online modules and apply it under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
The Power of National Certification
One of the biggest concerns for non-medical readers is whether an online education “counts” in the eyes of an employer. The answer lies in national certification. Most top-tier pharmacies look for the CPhT (Certified Pharmacy Technician) designation, which is earned by passing a national exam like the PTCB.
A high-quality online pharmacy technician program is specifically designed to prepare you for this exam. Think of the online coursework as your study guide and the externship as your lab. By the time you sit down to take the test, you aren’t just reciting facts you read on a screen; you’re drawing on real-life experiences you had during your hands-on training.
Earning your certification proves to hospitals and retail chains that your skills—though learned partially online—meet the exact same rigorous national standards as any traditional classroom program. It’s the “gold seal” on your resume that turns a student into a professional.
Is an Online Program Right for You?
Well, it depends.
Now, if you are someone who doesn’t have other commitments like a full-time job or family responsibilities, then you can obviously enroll in a traditional program (in-person). But do keep in mind that those are typically more expensive.
On the other hand, if you are someone who needs to juggle a job, family responsibilities, and other priorities, choosing an online pharmacy training course is a no-brainer. You get to learn from the comfort of your own home (or office, if applicable), you save commuting time, and you save a lot on tuition fee as well.
Endnote
So, can you really learn pharmacy skills online? Yes, you can absolutely learn the essential knowledge, the laws, and pharmacy calculations online. But hands-on experience is equally important, so make sure you are choosing a program that offers an externship as well.