Clark’s Pharmacy Tech ranked No. 1

Pharmacy Technician students in the Columbia Credit Union Simulation Pharmacy

Clark College’s Pharmacy Technician program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by Washington Monthly in its annual “College Rankings” issue.

The issue, which is published in September, traditionally ranks four-year colleges and universities based on a range of criteria. However, this year marks the first time the Washington, D.C.-based magazine ranked vocational certificate programs, using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s “gainful employment” database.

Clark College’s Pharmacy Technician program is based in the college’s location at Washington State University Vancouver. Students learn in the program’s state-of-the-art Columbia Credit Union Simulation Pharmacy, as well as in externship placements with local employers. Local employers were also consulted in building the program’s curriculum, so that graduates learn the skills needed in today’s health care marketplace.

“We were already confident of our Pharmacy Technician program’s reputation in this region, but are tremendously proud to see its excellence recognized on a national level,” said Brenda Walstead, dean of business and health sciences. “Our faculty work hard to create a program that produces the kind of skilled technicians that modern pharmacies need.”

The full Washington Monthly article may be viewed at https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018college-guide.

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley