Freedom High School will begin offering a new pharmacy technician program to students in fall 2025. This four-year career and technical education (CTE) program will help students explore and apply the fundamentals of pharmacy practice, pharmacy law, regulations and ethics, prescription interpretation, and pharmacy calculations. Additionally, students will learn advanced pharmacy practice, sterile compounding, non-sterile compounding, and inventory management skills through clinical experiences in various pharmaceutical settings (e.g., hospital and retail) within the local community. This coursework will fulfill the requirements of the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and prepare students for industry credentials and certification examinations.
The four-year program includes the following courses: Introduction to Health and Medical Sciences, Medical Terminology, Pharmacy Technician 1, and Pharmacy Technician 2.
Edmar Fonseca, a second-year medical coding and billing teacher at Freedom High, will lead the school’s pharmacy technician program. He currently teaches 100 students and has seen immense student interest in the new program. He shared the program's goal to cultivate partnerships with local pharmacies, aiming to provide students with invaluable, hands-on work experience.
"We are collaborating with the CTE department to establish partnerships with local pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens,” said Fonseca. “Our goal is to create a system where students can gain valuable experience by working and shadowing professionals in these environments. This hands-on approach will allow them to interact with people and immerse themselves in the field, which is one of our primary objectives."
Applications for this program are open to rising 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2025.