February 19, 2016 | SharkAdmin Coming this fall, Northwest Vista College will be able to offer students an Associate of Applied Science in Pharmacy Technology. Pharmacy, a billion-dollar industry in the U.S., is a field that is expected to have a 28 percent job growth locally over the next 10 years, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The AAS degree, housed out of NVC's Workforce Education & Training's technical programs, provides students with the technical knowledge and practical skills required of a technician in either community or hospital pharmacy settings. In addition to the 28 percent job growth, Indeed.com – a job searching tool, recently yielded over 200 job openings within a 25-mile radius of the San Antonio area. And, according to Coyne College's “Evolution of Pharmacy,” pharmacy and drug store sales in the U.S. represent a $236 billion dollar industry. It also said seven out of 10 Americans are taking one or more prescription drugs. The NVC program will offer a comprehensive curriculum of instruction as well as hands-on training in prescription filling, inventory packaging, patient profiling, sterile products preparation, and pharmacy calculations. The new AAS degree has been approved by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) and compliments the current Level 1 Certificate currently offered by NVC. The Alamo College Board of Trustees will vote on acceptance of the program at its next meeting, and then it goes to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for final approval within the next 45 days. Students interested in pursuing a career in Pharmacy Technology should contact Marlena Lomas-Moreno at 210-486-4839 or simply e-mail her for additional information at [email protected]. A formal application process is in place, so don’t wait to apply for this exciting program.”
