Seniors at Davies start CVS Pharmacy training
LINCOLN — On Tuesday, Oct. 4, Health Careers seniors at William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School took their first step towards pharmacy careers by participating in the first of two orientation sessions for CVS Health’s LearnRX Pharmacy Tech Training Program. To be admitted to the LearnRX program, seniors had to undergo both an application process and interviews with CVS representatives. Seven students were accepted into the program.
The program runs over two semesters and is comprised of CVS training modules (provided by CVS), which are taught onsite at Davies by Health Careers instructor Lynn Thibeault, CVS Pharmacy Technician trainers, and offsite training at local CVS pharmacies. In December 2013, Davies worked with CVS to build and open a mock pharmacy, the first of its kind in the nation, within the school to enhance classroom training.
“A huge part of our program’s success is not only our students, but the strong industry partners, like CVS, who support our program and students’ needs.” — Health Careers instructor Lynn Thibeault, herself a Davies’ Health Careers graduate who participated in the CVS training program
The program is designed to fulfill CVS Health’s eligibility requirements to become a pharmacy technician. Students who successfully complete the LearnRX program at Davies have the opportunity to apply to CVS. When hired, CVS will pay for the costs of the national pharmacy technician certification exam.
“Each year, CVS directly hires some of our students into their pharmacy settings,” Thibeault said. “A huge part of our program’s success is not only our students, but the strong industry partners, like CVS, who support our program and students’ needs.”
Thibeault herself is a Davies’ Health Careers graduate who also participated in the CVS training program. She said the program offers several career directions.
“I followed the nursing pathway, but learned a great deal through my pharmacy experience with CVS. Through our current pharmacy training, students not only learn the ‘soft skills’ needed for today’s workforce, customer service skills, and basic pharmacology, but students network and build relationships with other multidisciplinary members within the healthcare field.”