Texas A&M adds pharmacy tech program as response to medical personnel shortage

Texas A&M University said Tuesday it is expanding as a response to a shortage of medical personnel across Texas.

KINGSVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Texas A&M University said Tuesday it is expanding as a response to a shortage of medical personnel across Texas.

The university's Irma Lerma Rangel School of Pharmacy said it will add a pharmacy technician program, called Aggie PTP, in early 2024.

According to the school, pharmacy technicians work with pharmacists in hospitals, clinics, as well as in independent and community pharmacies to prepare and dispense medications, manage inventory, administer vaccines and facilitate communication with patients and health care providers.

"A shortage of pharmacy technicians can result in reduced pharmacy business hours, backlogs of unfilled prescriptions, delays in patients receiving their medications and suboptimal health outcomes. Texas is experiencing a shortage and is in dire need of pharmacy technicians," said Andrea Mora, Aggie PTP program director, clinical associate professor and associate department head of pharmacy practice.

The 17-week Aggie PTP curriculum is shorter than many other programs, the school said, and is based on the apprenticeship model where students practice in retail or hospital pharmacies what they learn in the classroom and lab.

"We are working with various pharmacy partners to create paid apprenticeship opportunities for our Aggie PTP trainees. This will mean that during the last five weeks of the curriculum, our trainees will be able to earn while they learn," said Asim Abu-Baker, clinical professor and associate dean for clinical and professional affairs.

The program also provides American Pharmacists Association Immunization Delivery training for technicians. Students who complete the training will be certified to administer certain immunizations, the school said.

Tuition will cost half as much as the average cost of other technician programs in Texas, the school said. The WoodNext Foundation, which manages the philanthropy of Roku CEO Anthony Wood and his wife Susan, gave the Rangel School of Pharmacy $1 million to create the program and support incoming students in various ways, including scholarships, according to the school.

The Aggie PTP is now accepting applicants, with an application deadline set for Jan. 1, 2024. The first cohort of students will begin in Spring 2024, the school said.