OAKWOOD, VA (AUGUST 1, 2025) — The deadline to apply for the Appalachian College of Pharmacy’s Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) program is August 15. To learn more and to apply, interested students may visit https://www.acp.edu/cpht/.
Pharmacy technicians work closely with pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in diverse settings such as hospitals, clinics and community pharmacies. Technicians support patient care efforts of the pharmacy team with roles and responsibilities that continue to expand and evolve.
Recognizing the current shortage of certified pharmacy technicians in the Appalachian region, as well as Virginia Board of Pharmacy requirements for new pharmacy technicians to be trained in accredited training programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP) teamed up with Food City last year to establish the online Certified Pharmacy Technician program.
“Studies show that healthcare occupations are projected to grow more jobs than any other occupational groups through 2028 and as pharmacies expand patient care services, the role of and need for pharmacy technicians is also projected to grow,” said ACP Provost and Dean Susan Mayhew.
The ACP CPhT program is accredited by the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP). Students completing the program are eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Board Certification (PTCB) exam to become certified as pharmacy technicians.
Five modules are featured in the curriculum, which follows the ASHP textbook. Healthcare communications and professionalism; mathematics for pharmacy; pharmacy law and ethics; basic pharmacology and current pharmacy practice standards; and sterile and non-sterile drug compounding are the key components.
The curriculum is delivered through online access to lectures, learning activities and simulations under the supervision and evaluation of qualified faculty and practicing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from Food City and other partners. A simulation lab for the program is located at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
The program is offered twice each year – in the fall term and in the spring term. Students are able to finish the program within 26 weeks, which includes six weeks of experiential rotations.
In addition to offering the CPhT program, ACP also offers programs leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in the only three-year accelerated program offered in the state of Virginia; and a Doctor of Public Health degree.
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy is the only three-year Doctor of Pharmacy program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded in 2003, the college accepted its first students in 2005. It is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its mission is to cultivate a learning community committed to education, community outreach and the professional development of pharmacists. Its graduate pharmacists are now practicing throughout the United States.
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