It took me a while to finally understand the value of the Career Step Pharmacy Technician Course: EXTERNSHIP! In addition to training and Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) prep, Career Step offers an externship available through Walgreens and CVS.

How it works:

After you complete the Pharmaceutical Calculations section of the training course (which is section 9 of 14), you are eligible for the externship. You will need to contact an instructor at 1-888-657-5752 or [email protected] to work with you to find an externship in your area. You should note that externships are currently only available through Walgreens and CVS so hopefully you have one of these pharmacies nearby so you can take advantage of this great opportunity.

What is an externship?

An externship is similar to an internship however they are for shorter amounts of time and generally offered through career colleges. The Career Step Pharmacy Technician externship is 180 hours of hands-on experience in a local pharmacy.

Why choose an externship?

The #1 main reason why you would want to do an externship is to gain real world, hands-on experience in a pharmacy. Then when you apply for jobs, you can have that on your resume. If pharmacies in your area are asking applicants to have pharmacy experience, an externship can count. Another benefit is networking- getting to know local people in pharmacies.

If you want to learn more about Career Step's Pharmacy Technician Externship, you can visit their website at http://www.careerstep.com/pharmacy-technician-externships.

One last thing to note is that you should know your state's requirements for pharmacy technicians. Since some states require certain certifications and training, you should know the requirements before you enroll in a pharmacy technician course. You can look up requirements by state at http://pharmtechtraining.net/state-requirements.html.