Vaccine Pharmacy Technician Immunization Training Available

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States and vaccine distribution begins, the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA), a provider of ACPE-accredited continuing education and advanced training programs for certified pharmacy technicians, is announcing the launch of a nationally-recognized vaccine pharmacy technician training program.

Developed under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NPTA’s Immunization Administration Training Program is reported to be affordable, accessible and scalable. According to the company, the program has been designed to train hundreds of thousands of technicians within weeks, enabling the rapid deployment of vaccines to the public. 

Unlike other comparable vaccine pharmacy technician training programs—which may charge a high-fee per technician trained—the NPTA program charges one low, fixed cost per pharmacy to provide the program to an unlimited number of technicians, including new hires, without incurring additional costs.

Designed for both large-scale chains and independent pharmacies, NPTA’s program enables businesses to train more technicians in less time, at a lower cost. For the general public, this means that more vaccines can be administered in less time, potentially limiting the spread of COVID-19 and saving lives.

“The faster we administer vaccines, the more lives we can save,” said Mike Johnston, CPhT, Founder & CEO of NPTA. “Pharmacy technicians will be vital to administering COVID-19 vaccines to the public. It’s critical to the public health that we train a large number of technicians in a matter of weeks, so we can efficiently distribute and administer vaccines across the nation. That’s exactly why NPTA created this program.”

In October, as part of the federal government’s “Warp Speed” vaccine development, production and distribution initiative, the HHS issued guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act authorizing qualified pharmacy technicians and interns to administer COVID-19 vaccines. NPTA’s Immunization Administration Training Program was developed to train hundreds of thousands of technicians in a matter of weeks, fulfilling a pivotal role in the country’s pandemic response. 

“Pharmacists and their staff are critical to the COVID-19 response,” said Assistant Secretary for Health ADM Brett P. Giroir, M.D. in an October statement. “Together with pediatricians and family physicians, they are ensuring that Americans receive the vaccines they need where they need it.”

Companies interested in vaccine pharmacy technician training can learn more at www.pharmacytechnician.org/immunizations

Material provided by the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) 
The National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA), which was founded in 1999, is the largest professional trade association for pharmacy technicians in the world. The association represents over 80,000 individuals practicing in a diverse variety of practice settings, including community pharmacy, health-system pharmacy, federal pharmacy services, purchasing, and education, among others. NPTA is committed to advancing the pharmacy technician career through education, advocacy, and support. www.pharmacytechnician.org