Hospitals get serious about pharmacy technician training.

Abstract

Hospitals are starting to take a do-it-yourself approach by developing their own accredited pharmacy technician training programs with the goal of hiring these skilled workers and advancing pharmacy practice. John Armitstead, system director of pharmacy services at Lee Health in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, Florida, said the multihospital system recently hired all 7 graduates of the organization’s inaugural pharmacy technician class. “We’ve already got another class started, and that’s got 6 students in it,” Armitstead said. Lee Health’s technician training program is one of 15 in the state with full or candidate accreditation status from ASHP and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). It’s the only such pharmacy technician training program in Florida that’s operated by a health system. Nationally, just 5 of the 261 ASHP–ACPE-accredited or candidate-status technician training programs are classified as operated by a health system or hospital, said Lisa Lifshin, director of pharmacy technician accreditation and residency services in ASHP’s Accreditation Services Division.