Applying for a job as a pharm tech

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jeyremc

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I am 18 years old and never worked at a pharmacy, or have any job experience. My question is, can I work as a pharmacy technician at cvs without any previous experience or schooling? Are there any specific educational requirements in becoming one? I will be attending a 6 year pharmacy school in the fall.

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I am 18 years old and never worked at a pharmacy, or have any job experience. My question is, can I work as a pharmacy technician at cvs without any previous experience or schooling? Are there any specific educational requirements in becoming one? I will be attending a 6 year pharmacy school in the fall.

i think you need a liscence.. but since you will be a pharm student.. that might be different. bc i know for some schools, if you are a student, you are considered a tech.. but i dont know about a 6 year program...
 
I'm in the same situation and from my experience...you can. The pharmacy that you are hired to can train you...the pay is a little higher if you get certified, but most pharmacies don't really require it.
 
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I think it depends on the state. Check your state's requirements.
 
I am 18 years old and never worked at a pharmacy, or have any job experience. My question is, can I work as a pharmacy technician at cvs without any previous experience or schooling? Are there any specific educational requirements in becoming one? I will be attending a 6 year pharmacy school in the fall.

i agree with the above posts... but i am wondering if you asked a more specific question than you intended. if you would like to gain experience in a pharmacy-- even without prior experience-- you can definitely begin working in a pharmacy assisting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. as time goes on, you may learn many things that will qualify you to work as a tech. depending on where you live you will need to be certified by a test and/or acquiring X amount of hours in a pharmacy.

many pharm tech education courses require not only a lot of time, but are costly and imo you don't really learn much in the end. once again is your goal to have some extra cash or to gain experience? as a pharmacy student you can also work in a pharmacy. we hire all the above mentioned in our pharmacy =) best of luck :luck::luck:
 
Jeyremc, I am in the same boat as you! I am also 18, wanting a job at a local pharmacy(although i do not know if i want to work in an independent or chain pharmacy), and planning to attend a 6 year pharmacy program....that is, if i get accepted:scared: . I know it takes 18 months to certify with walgreen's training program for a tech...i don't know about cvs. See, i want to work at that local pharmacy for a few months and through the summer, but once fall comes around, i am going to have to leave for college. I don't know if I should work as a pharm tech in training for such a short time.... Anybody have any suggestions??

Also, Atreyu Rocks: What is the position where you help the pharmacist and pharmacy technician called? I have never heard of such. Do you think that a service clerk at the front of cvs or walgreens would have as much exposure to any pharmacy experience?
 
The pharmacy workers that are not actually licensed technicians but still help with the register and entering prescriptions are called clerks at the CVS I work at in Nevada. They have to work 1500 hours in order to become qualified to become a licensed pharmacy technician. The people that work the front store at CVS don't get any experience in the pharmacy.
 
At CVS you can work as a Pharmacy Sales Associate. You are beneath a pharmacy tech but you still get involved depending if the pharmacists you work with are cool and are willing to teach you, especially if you tell them that you are starting pharmacy school soon. But you main job is to do "pick-up" cashier stuff including the drive thru.
 
I didn't know there was something beneath a pharm tech in a pharmacy. I learn something new every day.
 
Also, Atreyu Rocks: What is the position where you help the pharmacist and pharmacy technician called? I have never heard of such. Do you think that a service clerk at the front of cvs or walgreens would have as much exposure to any pharmacy experience?

own an independent pharmacy... no position per say, but at an independent pharmacy you have much better chances of learning a lot. especially at ours... we compound...
 
To the OP, you should relax and enjoy your summer if you've already been accepted to a school. Basically, you're going to have to apply for a pharmacy student internship license (better not have any felonies), which enables you to pretty much do ALMOST everything the pharmacist does (which is not the same as being a pharmacy technician regardless of what anyone says). Once you receive this license, you're golden to get started into a myriad of different training pipe-lines that different pharmacies have to offer. They will take the time to train you because they know that in the end, if they put time and money into you, then you'll ultimately decide to come on board with them when you receive your PharmD. If it's the free experience you're after, then get involved with your local area's hospital, because that's your best bet to get behind the pharmacy counter without having to go through a lot of red tape (especially at VA hospitals). Hope this helps.
 
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