Pharmacy technicians are critical members of the healthcare team and are essential to providing patients with safe and effective medication therapy. A pharmacy technician works closely with pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in diverse settings such as hospitals, clinics, and community pharmacies. Technicians perform vital functions to support the patient care efforts of the pharmacy team with roles and responsibilities that continue to expand and evolve.

Diverse career opportunities exist for full-time and part-time work as a pharmacy technician.

• Health services are one of the largest industries in the country, with more than 11 million jobs, including the self-employed.
• Ten out of 20 occupations projected to grow the fastest are concentrated in health services.
• Healthcare occupations are projected to grow more jobs than any other occupational groups from 2018 to 2028.

Pharmacy technicians are currently in very high demand and this demand is expected to continue. As pharmacies expand patient care services, the role of and need for pharmacy technicians will also grow.

Pharmacy technician employment is anticipated to develop quickly because of the growing use of medications as a treatment for patients. Additionally, a larger amount of middle-aged and elderly people — who typically use more healthcare services — will drive the need for technicians in all practice surroundings.

With the appropriate amount of training and experience, pharmacy technicians may be promoted to supervisory roles, may seek specialization (e.g., sterile compounding, informatics), or may pursue further education and training to become a pharmacist. Technicians can gain specialized skills in areas such as sterile compounding, pharmacy automation, hazardous drug management, revenue cycle management, health (including telehealth) information systems, and vaccine administration. An ASHP survey of pharmacy practice managers revealed 56 percent of organizations offer career advancement opportunities for technicians. In an ASHP survey of pharmacy technicians, 81 percent indicated they expect to perform duties of a pharmacy technician for five or more years.

Learn more about salary potential for pharmacy technicians in Virginia for entry-level here and supervisor roles here.

Accreditation is a system for declaring that a program or institution meets established quality standards to provide assurance and confidence to the public.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)/Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is the only nationally-recognized, non-governmental, non-profit pharmacy association that accredits pharmacy residencies and pharmacy technician training programs in the United States.

The Virginia Board of Pharmacy requires all pharmacy technician candidates in Virginia to complete an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited course as of July 1, 2022.  Bremo Pharmacy updated our technician training curriculum to meet new ASHP requirements.

After passing the course, a diploma will be issued and students will be eligible to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam.

• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists(ASHP) has an entry level and an advanced level accreditation. Bremo Pharmacy's technician training course is an entry-level program only. 
• The entry-level program prepares students for practice as entry-level pharmacy technicians in a variety of contemporary settings (e.g., community, hospital, home care, long-term care) and has students acquire knowledge, skills, behaviors, and abilities needed for such practice. The advanced-level program prepares students for practice as advanced-level technicians, in a broad range of advanced roles in a variety of contemporary settings and has students acquire additional knowledge, skills, behaviors, and abilities beyond those of the entry-level technician, needed for such advanced practice.

Bremo Pharmacy's Pharmacy Technician Training Course is designed and maintained by our own experienced pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. We've been an independent pharmacy operating in Richmond, VA since 1976.  We believe our experience is valuable to pharmacy technicians pursuing a career. Education is an important part to our company, as we also provide other courses in our training center and have had our Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) approved pharmacy technician training course since 2001. It is our goal for each student to succeed throughout the training program and into their career.

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists(ASHP) has an entry level and an advanced level accreditation.

Bremo Pharmacy's technician training course is an entry-level program only. 

The entry-level program prepares students for practice as entry-level pharmacy technicians in a variety of contemporary settings (e.g., community, hospital, home care, long-term care) and has students acquire knowledge, skills, behaviors, and abilities needed for such practice. The advanced-level program prepares students for practice as advanced-level technicians, in a broad range of advanced roles in a variety of contemporary settings and has students acquire additional knowledge, skills, behaviors, and abilities beyond those of the entry-level technician, needed for such advanced practice.

The experiential internship is an in-person training in a pharmacy.

Bremo Pharmacy is the primary approved training site. If you are a pharmacy in the State of Virginia looking for new-hire training or interested in being an approved internship training site, please contact our course director by sending a message here or calling 804-285-8055 ext 130.

You may also complete the site application and someone from our training center will follow up regarding more information and a virtual site inspection.

Technician candidates are allowed to work in a pharmacy while enrolled in the training course, however, those hours do not count towards internship hours. Virginia Board of Pharmacy Technician in Training Registration Information

If a student must miss time at an experiential site, it is the student’s responsibility to schedule make-up time with the site.

Payment policy: Students may complete the Pre-enrollment program, including the reading and math comprehension assessments prior to payment.

A payment plan is available with the following parameters:

• Payment Plans are 0% interest and are an easy way to break up tuition payments.
• Bremo’s Payment Plan Allows:
  – Increased Affordability
  – Investment in Your Success
  
• Bremo Pharmacy accepts tuition payments from corporate sponsorships, employers, or other organizations on behalf of a student. Check with your employer for tuition assistance or employer-paid programs and opportunities.
• $1,500 total required to receive loginFull tuition amount of $4,000 must be paid before students can begin rotations
• If 2 payments are missed, student is not eligible for in-person learning

If a student has not received a login for the online didactic learning portion, tuition will be refunded minus a $100 administration fee.

If a student has received an online didactic learning login, tuition will be refunded minus $1,500.

Students are not eligible for a refund if they have completed any in-person learning (simulations or experiential rotations).

Herbert Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship was created in memory of long time Virginia Pharmacists Association member Daniel A Herbert. The objective of the scholarship is to help individuals in Virginia who wish to pursue a career as a pharmacy technician. It is intended to reduce the financial burden of advancing one’s career as a pharmacy technician. This $1000 education scholarship is awarded to eligible recipients to help fund attendance at a ASHP Accredited Virginia technician training course.