Your future, our focus
POWELL, Wyo. - Big Horn Basin residents interested in pharmacy technician as a career choice are invited to a free information session Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 135 of the Orendorff Building at Northwest College in Powell.
A representative of Boston Reed College (BRC) will talk in depth about this fast-growing career, with special emphasis on a training program starting soon in Powell to prepare individuals to enter the field.
A pharmacy technician assists pharmacists with mixing and packaging prescriptions, handles inventory control and purchasing, refers clients to the pharmacist for counseling, collects payment and coordinates billing.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, starting pay for pharmacy technicians averages between $12-20 an hour nationally. The need for pharmacy technicians is expected to grow 32 percent by 2014.
To help meet that need locally, Northwest College teamed up with BRC to offer a pharmacy technician training program that provides 182 hours of class instruction and 120 hours of pharmacy externship.
The program starts January 11, with classes meeting from 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The externship requirements are fulfilled separately at area pharmacies.
Graduates receive a certificate of completion and are prepared to take the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam.
Financial aid is available, including need-based tuition waivers from the Northwest College Center for Training and Development. Various financial assistance options will be discussed at the information session.
Follow the Pharmacy Technician link for more information about the program, or e-mail or call Stacy Gilman at 307-754-6062.