WVU Parkersburg receives $139,500 grant to develop state's first pharmacy technician program.

CONTACT:  Joseph L. Badgley, executive dean of academic affairs, 304-424-8242.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is the recipient of a $139,500 grant to develop the state's first pharmacy technician program.

The grant was awarded to WVU Parkersburg by the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education.

The pharmacy technician program will prepare graduates to perform general pharmacy technician skills under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist.  The two-semester certification program will be designed so graduates meet the qualifications to be eligible to sit for the national certification exam for pharmacy technicians. 

"The expectation is that we will accept 20 to 25 students per year when the program is fully operational," said Joseph Badgley, executive dean of academic affairs, who noted that area health care providers supported the need for the program.

"In addition, area retailers polled indicated they currently provide on-the-job training for their pharmacy technicians but would prefer a pool of technicians with clinical training and certification," he added.

The $139,500 grant covers program development, equipment purchases and faculty costs for the first three years of the program.  Following a year of curriculum development, the program will be implemented and the first class will be admitted in the summer of 2008.

Included in the program will be classroom and clinical instruction.  The clinical portion will allow students to have hands-on experience in hospitals, long-term care settings and retail pharmacies, Badgley noted.

A pharmacy technician works under the direction of a licensed pharmacist and assists the pharmacist in providing medication and other health care products to patients.  An aging population, who uses more prescription drugs, and the scientific advances in the development of more medications are expected to increase the demand for technicians.

"This program will respond to the need for increased pharmacy services in West Virginia," Badgley added.

The WV Council for Community and Technical College Education has allocated $1 million toward new technical program development by its system institutions.  The council's goal is to develop technical programs that are in high demand and lead to high-wage careers as well as complement economic development efforts of the state. 

WVU Parkersburg's pharmacy technician program is a part of the CTC's technical program development project. 

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For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203, Office)
(304-424-8315, Fax)

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