If you're in high school and you're planning your future, talk to your guidance counselor about becoming a pharmacy technician. When you're a pharmacy technician, you can work in a wide variety of pharmacies, including those in hospitals, clinics, and retail stores. If you're interested in becoming a pharmacy technician, here are four steps you can take while you're still in high school. These steps will help you achieve your goals.
Take the Right Courses
If you're interested in becoming a pharmacy technician, you can begin your training while you're still in high school. If you want to do that, you need to make sure that you take the right courses. In most cases, you'll need to take the usual courses, such as math and science. However, when signing up for science classes, make sure that you take chemistry and biology too. Those classes will help you with your pharmacy technician training. If you're not sure which classes will help you in your program, be sure to ask your guidance counselor.
Volunteer Your Time
Now that you've decided to become a pharmacy technician, you want to gain as much experience as you can. One way to do that is by volunteering your time. Many pharmacies offer volunteer programs that allow you to shadow pharmacists and pharmacy technicians while you're in your training program. Volunteering your time will help you familiarize yourself with the pharmacy setting and can provide you with a much-needed network once you're ready to go to work.
Begin Your Training
If you want to start working as soon as you graduate high school, the best thing you can do is start a training program while you're still in school. Many high schools and vocational schools provide pharmacy technician training for high school students. In some cases, you can complete your training in about a year. That means you can complete your pharmacy tech training and earn your certification before you graduate.
Plan for the Future
If you want to continue your education once you graduate high school, visit your local college and talk to a counselor about becoming a pharmacist. Your pharmacy technician training will provide you with the experience you need to move toward becoming a licensed pharmacist. As a pharmacist, you'll be able to help other high school students gain the experience they need to start out in their own careers as pharmacy technicians.
If you're thinking about what you'll do once you graduate from high school, talk to a counselor about becoming a pharmacy technician, and reach out to pharmacy companies to learn more.