从2021年秋季开始，莱克郡学院(CLC)的药学技术人员证书课程将帮助学生面对快速发展的职业领域的挑战，同时也帮助雇主填补对该职位日益增长的需求。TheBureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) predicts the field will grow by four percent over the next decade. However, CLC’s pharmacy technician program director Dr. Derek Leiter, who has been in the pharmacy field for 15 years, believes it will be much higher.
“Pharmacy has always been a part of the treatment through medications, and then about a decade ago we became part of the prevention which is immunizations,” said Dr. Leiter. “COVID is pushing regulators to change their view of pharmacy and they are going to be part of the diagnosis with all of these swab tests. The economics of pharmacy do not support the pharmacist being the main lever that will be pulled to land those. It will be the pharmacy technician.”
随着角色的演变，所需的培训也在发生变化。虽然通过药剂技师认证考试(PTCE)一直是一项要求，但负责管理该考试并颁发证书的药剂技师认证委员会(PTCB)已经开始要求考生首先完成PTCB认可的教育或培训计划。CLC accomplishes this through an 11-month, for-credit program at the college’s Southlake Campus(pictured).
“The Board of Trustees applauded and praised our efforts for continuing to produce high-level, high-demand programs such as this one,” said CLC Vice President of Education and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Sonya Williams. “Educational affairs is looking forward to developing more short-term certificates like this one with high-value impact for our students and the communities we serve.”
该项目将培养学生在五个核心模式:人际交往技能，基础专业知识，处理和处理药物和订单，高质量的患者护理和监管合规。根据美国劳工统计局2019年的统计数据，通过PTCE后，学生将进入一份年薪中位数为33950美元的工作，或每小时16.32美元的工作。这个认证项目的启动是两年多努力的结晶，包括与莱克县社区的利益相关者举行多次会议，以真正了解未来的药学技术人员需要知道什么，以及他们如何继续成长。
“The pharmacy technician certificate program was developed with input from theprofessional developmentarea of the college that has been offering a non-credit pharmacy technician program for years, as well as input from the College of Pharmacy at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science,” said CLC Dean of Biological and Health Sciences Division Jeet Saini. “The idea is to create an intentional career pathway for students, allowing them to earn a short-term credential and secure gainful employment with the option of pursuing their long-term educational goals close to home.”
The partnership with Rosalind Franklin University goes beyond simply getting input. When Dr. Leiter was going through his college pharmacy program, he had the chance to work with doctoral students. This led to a shared understanding and culture of collaboration between these future pharmacists and doctors. He hopes to give CLC students a similar experience.
莱特博士说:“我们正在与他们进行战略合作，这样我们的药学专业学生就能够与他们开发的药学候选人合作。”“我对提供这样的桥梁很感兴趣，这样我们就能确保药剂师和药学技术人员以一种支持性的方式真正合作。”
About College of Lake County:
College of Lake County is a comprehensive community college committed to equitable high-quality education, cultural enrichment and partnerships to advance the diverse communities it serves in northeastern Illinois. Offered at three campuses in Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Waukegan or online, college classes are affordable and accessible to help each student achieve academic, career and personal goals. More than 70,000 students graduated with degrees and certificates since the college opened in 1969. The College of Lake County is the only higher-education institution ranked among the top 15 best places to work in Illinois by Forbes and is a national leader in many areas, including sustainability and conservation.