Greetings Pharmacy Technician Students!
As some of you may know, pharmacy practice is currently undergoing significant change. These changes are affecting and will continue to affect the way pharmacy technicians practice. Each state has a State Board of Pharmacy that regulates pharmacy practice for that state. Originally only pharmacists were required to be licensed to practice, however many State Boards of Pharmacy now require pharmacy technicians to be registered or licensed. Many states are now also requiring pharmacy technician students to register or obtain a license with their State Board of Pharmacy prior to placement in the
externship practice site.
Penn Foster has an optional CVS Externship open to currently enrolled students who successfully complete the course. Previously, we encouraged interested students to contact the externship coordinator, Kathy Walker-Graves, when they had completed approximately 75% or the course. This was to allow enough time for processing the application paperwork. Unfortunately, because some states now require licensure or registration prior to placement in an externship, this does no allow adequate time to process the paperwork.
Please note at this time:
I hope that all pharmacy technician students will consider the CVS Externship as an opportunity for hands on experience in the retail pharmacy practice setting. CVS currently has no pharmacies located in the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. Therefore, CVS Externships are not available to students who are residents of those states.
If you have interest in the CVS Externship, please contact me when you have successfully completed approximately 50% of the course. This should allow enough time to process the externship paperwork, including (if required) your registration/license.
Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions. Best to all of you as you move forward in your career!
Kathy Walker-Graves