Pharmacy Technician Academy

Purpose

The Frederick County Public Schools Pharmacy Technician Academy, supported by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, teaches students the skills necessary to become a pharmacy technician and  work closely with pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in diverse settings such as hospitals, clinics, and community pharmacies. Pharmacy technicians perform vital functions to support the patient care efforts of the pharmacy team with roles and responsibilities that continue to expand and evolve, to include immunizations, inventory management, IV preparation, and many others.

Program Overview

The FCPS Pharmacy Technician Academy  is accredited with the ASHP/ACPE Technician Accreditation Commission as required by Virginia Code, and there are specific program requirements that must be met. Accepted students will register as pharmacy technician trainees with the State of Virginia and complete the year-long program that includes 400 total hours broken down as follows: 120 hours of didactic instruction, 130 hours of experiential in a local pharmacy, 50 hours of simulation, and 100 additional hours spread across any of these areas. Students will have to provide their own transportation for field experiences. Many sites require students to be 18 years of age for experiential hours. Drug screenings and criminal background checks are also required. 

After the above requirements are met and toward the end of the course, students will have the opportunity to take a practice PTCE exam. After passing the practice test, students are eligible to take the national pharmacy technician exam, PTCE,  approved by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and Virginia Department of Education as long as the student has NOT graduated. 

Program Requirements

In order to apply to the program, applicants must: 

• Applicants must be a senior in high school 17 years of age before experiential hours begin in October.
• Applicants must be proficient in reading, writing and speaking the English language as determined by successful completion of English 9 and English 10.
• Applicants must have taken or be taking Chemistry I and Algebra II and successfully passed or passing.
• Applicants must not have been convicted of or found guilty of any crime, offense or regulatory violation, or participated in any other prohibited conduct identified as unacceptable by the School Board.  Background checks will be initiated by the CTE Supervisor after student acceptance into the program and communicate with students via email before school starts.
• Applicants must not be under the influence of any drugs or intoxicating substances that impairs ability to perform while in class or in field experiences. Students must have a negative drug screen to register as a trainee, participate in field experiences and sit for the final exam per site and state regulations.  All students are expected to adhere to the Frederick County Public Schools Code of Conduct.
• Applicants must comply with immunization requirements of experiential sites.

Students who complete all coursework and field experiences of 130 hours will receive 2 credits. With parental and principal permission, students may be released early from school to participate in field experiences in an approved pharmacy location; however it is expected that at least some of those hours will be outside of the school day including weekends. Students completing all program requirements will receive an official Certificate of Completion.

The national pass rate of the PTCE as of December 31, 2023 was 69%.  The FCPS Pharmacy Technician Academy  percentage pass rate from 7/9/2020 to 8/8/2024 is 62%.  The 2023-2024 school year pass rate is 100%.

Requirements to Becoming a Pharmacy Technician in Virginia and Maintaining Registration

1. Successful completion of a Virginia Board of Pharmacy approved training program
2. Evidence of successfully passing a national certification exam administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or the National Healthcareer Association
3. Completion of the online application and fee (currently $35) on the Virginia Board of Pharmacy website to become a registered pharmacy technician.
4. A pharmacy technician shall be required to have completed a minimum of 0.5 CEUs or five contact hours of approved continuing education for each annual renewal of registration. Hours in excess of the number required for renewal may not be transferred or credited to another year.

Requirements for Obtaining and Maintaining National Pharmacy Technician Certification (via PTCE)

1. Applicants must complete a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program (or completion within 60 days of application submission)
2. Candidates are required to pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination to earn the CPhT credential
3. Once becoming a CPhT, technicians must renew their certification every 2 years (current fee is $55). 
4. The CPhT renewal requirements are:
   1. Total CE hours required is 20 hours every 2 years
   2. One hour must be in the area of pharmacy law
   3. One hour must be in the area of patient safety

Pharmacy Technician Employment Outlook

Quick Facts: Pharmacy Technicians

Category	Statistic
2023 Median Pay	$40,300 per year $19.37 per hour
Typical Entry-level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-Job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs (2023)	463,900
Job Outlook (2022-33)	7% (Faster than average)
Employment Change (2023-33)	33,300

 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Pharmacy Technicians, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/pharmacy-technicians.htm (visited September 04, 2024).

Program Dismissal

All students are expected to adhere to the Frederick County Public Schools Code of Conduct.

Class Fee

A class fee (currently $75) is associated with this program.  FCPS supplements costs not covered by class fees including scrub top, drug and criminal background screenings, testing, and consumable supplies.