Online education is appealing to people to people who can’t fit attending school in person into their schedule or who would just rather study at home for one reason or another. But can that really work if you want to learn to be a pharmacy technician? Is it possible to get good training for such a hands on job online?

It’s possible, although there are disadvantages. You have to decide how much you need hands on practice before you sign up for any training online.

Much of the training a pharmacy technician needs can be done online. You don’t absolutely have to have any training at all in order to become a pharmacy technician in many states, but it’s always an advantage when looking for a job. This means that even if you haven’t handled a lot of prescriptions, the knowledge you gained while studying online is a major advantage.

Another advantage of an online program is that it may be recognized by potential employers nationally. Local programs will usually just be known in their area, but an online program has more of a chance to have graduates work for employers all over the place, and this builds their reputation with potential employers if the program is any good.

One concern with any online training program is whether or not you’ll have any interaction with your instructor. It’s important that you have someone you can talk to from the school when you have problems. May sure any online school you choose offers that much to you at least.

The ability to go on your own time is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It’s wonderful that you don’t have to wait for a new semester to start with most online programs. It’s wonderful that you can decide when you can study. That’s also the problem.

Not everyone is motivated enough as a student to do well in a self paced program, as most online pharmacy technician training is. It takes drive. On the plus side, if you’ve got that drive, that’s something potential employers will like to see. No employer likes having employees who can’t get themselves going. If you aren’t self motivated, you will probably be better of getting trained elsewhere. But if you have that drive, you may love the flexibility.

Get free information from Career Step about how to train for a career as a pharmacy technician.