Now Enrolling For 2024!

Pharmacy-Based

Community Health

Worker Training

Cohorts will meet via Zoom® every Tuesday from 6:00pm-8:00pm CENTRAL TIME. Choose from one of the following 16-week trainings:

  • April 9, 2024 – July 30, 2024 (no class July 2, 2024)
  • July 9, 2024 – October 22, 2024
  • August 13, 2024 – December 3, 2024 (no class November 26, 2024)

Pharmacy-Based Community Health Workers are an important resource for communities, connecting individuals and families to services and information they need.

  • Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline public health workers who are trusted members of the community served. This trusting relationship enables CHWs to serve as a liaison between health & social services to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.
  • CHWs also build individual and community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through various activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.
  • Community Health Workers are increasingly recognized for their powerful potential role in improving the health care system. Recent studies have demonstrated that CHWs can help to reduce costs and improve care – key goals of most states’ health care priorities.

Benefits

  • Enhance and expand patient care
  • Elevate the patient experience at your pharmacy
  • Equip yourself to be a service differentiator
  • Increase efficiencies in workflow
  • Operate at top of your license or certification
  • Address health equity issues in your community
  • Engage in practical experiential learning
  • Earn ACPE Continuing Education credit

Schedule

  • This training program is a 16-week commitment
  • Classes are held via Zoom® every Tuesday evening from 6:00pm-8:00pm CENTRAL TIME
  • Trainees must follow the course attendance policy; only two absences are allowed with approval by the instructor

Cost

  • This 16-week certificate training program is valued at more than $1500

Certificate Training Program

Throughout the 16-week certificate training program, you’ll participate in topic discussions, engage in shadowing experiences, complete patient case reviews, and build a community resource portfolio that will serve as a toolkit for your work as a Pharmacy-Based Community Health Worker. As part of this course, you’ll complete 60 hours of experiential learning related to your studies.

Pharmacy Technicians who complete this course will learn to:

  • Effectively communicate with patients
  • Identify and connect with local community resources
  • Provide patient education
  • Document patient encounters
  • Oversee referral processes, including follow-up and monitoring

Read the Reviews

"Being a CHW, I have learned more about disparities. As a technician, we can see medication savings for them but we may be unable to take the extra step to identify alternative cost savings and resolve gaps in care (by referring for classes such as blood pressure or diabetes). As a technician/CHW, I can fill medications and also help impact patients’ health long term. I am not a CHW 1 day and a technician the next day, I am always a CHW/Tech. When I call a doctor’s office, saying “I am a CHW for this patient” they are able to understand and address the given need that may not directly involve medications."

Michell P.

"As a CHW, I have learned to teach patients about high blood pressure. I learned how to take blood pressure and what the numbers mean. I have shown patients how to take their blood pressure, record it, and educate patients on the importance of taking their medications. Additionally, I have received training to teach a class, “Walk with Ease”. This class is designed for patients with pain or arthritis to help cope with their pain by walking. It provides you with goals to aim for and teaches you how to exercise and stretch properly, along with the dos and don’ts of exercising. I am preparing for my first class. I am excited and ready to get started!”

Robin S.

"I would recommend the Certificate Training Course because there is a lot of material that is covered as far as recognizing what your scope is. There is a lot of helpful information with subjects that may come up that are touchy, that as a technician you may not hear about much or know how to address. I enjoy knowing that customers are aware that you try to do everything you can instead of just doing what is required and sending them on their way. I appreciate the many “thank yous” we get from our customers."

Erika J.

Course Requirements

Before enrolling in this certificate training program, please review the following course requirements. Participants must:

Be working as a registered pharmacy technician

Be working at their pharmacy practice as a registered pharmacy technician in their state or a nationally certified pharmacy technician.  

Submit an active email address for a Dedicated Supporter

Submit an active email address for a Dedicated Supporter (pharmacist, pharmacy manager, or owner) who will engage with the CHW candidate and provide resources and support for the candidate for the entire length of the program, including any post-reporting or inquiries from program administrators (Dedicated Supporters will be emailed a letter stating they have been identified as such).

 

Commit to completing all coursework

Commit to completing all coursework, including readings, assignments, and 60 hours of experiential learning.

Provide contact and demographic information

Provide any required contact and demographic information.

Agree to receive program communications

Agree to receive program emails, texts, and other communications to ensure ongoing engagement with the program to assist in continuous improvement of the program and amplification of the impact that the program has in local communities.

Have access to computer and internet

Have access to a computer, tablet, or other device with a camera, microphone, speakers, and internet access to facilitate active engagement during live sessions and completion of all course requirements. 

0