Partnerships
Pharmacy Technology Students to be Trained to Administer Vaccines
College Partners with Campbell University on Immunization Course
RALEIGH, N.C. (February 8, 2021) – With COVID-19 vaccines on the way to retail pharmacies, Wake Tech pharmacy technology degree students will soon be trained to administer them. The college is teaming up with the Campbell University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences to train and certify students so they can administer vaccines under the supervision of a pharmacist.
Beginning in April, Campbell will provide a four-hour Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) training course at Wake Tech’s Perry Health Sciences campus. The Wake Tech Foundation will cover the cost of the course for the initial group of students thanks to the generosity of private donors.
The training is timely for pharmacy technicians as the federal government just announced that retail pharmacies across the country, including here in North Carolina, will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks.
“This is a huge step in advancing the role of pharmacy technicians,” said Shannon Natale, department head for Wake Tech’s Pharmacy Technology program. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to partner with Campbell University to provide immunization training to our students. We know our graduates will be playing a vital role in getting the COVID-19 vaccine out to the citizens of North Carolina.”
“Campbell University has been training pharmacists to vaccinate for nearly 20 years, and we look forward to providing the same level of dedication and knowledge to train these future pharmacy technicians,” said Dr. Beth Mills, clinical associate professor of Pharmacy Practice at Campbell University. “Pharmacies are positioned to play a vital role in access and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine during this public health crisis. We are committed to training pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to become certified vaccinators to get vaccine into the arms of North Carolinians, which will bring us one step closer to putting an end to this pandemic.”
Wake Tech and Campbell University formed the partnership after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expanded the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act in December 2020. Under the revised PREP Act, qualified pharmacy technicians are permitted to administer vaccinations under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Prior to this revision, pharmacy technicians were not permitted to administer vaccinations in North Carolina.
A qualified technician is one who is registered with the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy (NCBOP), CPR certified, and has successfully completed an ACPE immunization course.
The partnership between Wake Tech and Campbell will allow pharmacy technicians to join nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers and members of the National Guard in vaccinating people against the coronavirus. Wake Tech is also working to get faculty certified so the college can offer the certification course in the future.
Pharmacy technicians were already in high demand prior to the pandemic. They work under the supervision of licensed pharmacists to provide patients with prescription and over-the-counter medication, medical equipment and supplies, and other health-care products and services.
For more information on Wake Tech’s Pharmacy Technology program, visit http://pharmtech.waketech.edu.
