Please fill out the following form if you are applying to the UW Health Pharmacy Technician Training Program as a student. There is a separate form to fill out if you wish to apply as a new or current UW Health employee. If both applications apply, you may fill out both applications. 

Apply as a Student

Individuals who prefer to pay tuition with no commitment to work for UW Health, please fill out the application below. If the field is required and does not apply to you, please enter “NA.”

What is the cost of the program if I am accepted into the program via the student route?

The cost of the program is $3,400. This fee is all-inclusive, though additional parking fees may apply during experiential training. Tuition includes the following:

• Required textbooks
• All lab fees, equipment, materials and resources
• Scrubs (for experiential hours in our sterile products area)
• One-time PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board) exam fee
• CPR Certification
• One free year membership to the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW)
• Metro Transit bus pass – valid for duration of program 

What are my payment options? 

• A $400 down payment is required upon acceptance to the program. The $400 payment will be applied to the $3,400 tuition. Payment can be paid in full prior to the start of the program, or $1,000 payments must be worked out upon acceptance into the program. We accept cash, check and credit/debit cards. 

If you have any questions after applying for a student position, please call (608) 890-8057.

Apprentice position
Call Human Resources at (608) 263-6500

Student position
Call JoAnna Gollmer Stremick at (608) 890-8057

Address
749 University Row

Madison, WI 53705-1313

Jennifer Lawrence
CPhT-Certified Pharmacy Technician

“The Pharmacy Technician Training Program really helped me properly prepare for the exam. I felt very comfortable taking the test and was able to answer the questions without too much difficulty. I also feel more comfortable in my job as I am better able to identify if any orders for patients do not seem correct.”

Veronica Drinka
CPhT-Certified Pharmacy Technician

“I feel a step ahead, having taken the program. It gave me insight to all the different roles that a pharmacy technician can do. In addition, it helped me prepare for the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board) exam, which I was easily able to pass.”

Peter Ranola
CPhT-Certified Pharmacy Technician

“The program allowed me to get hands-on training in the various pharmacies that we learned about in the program. I was then able to get a feel for where I wanted to work, set a goal, and pursue that goal immediately.”

There are two avenues to apply to the program – as a UW Health employee (either current or new) with a 2-year work agreement and no cost for the program, or you may apply as a student with no commitment to work for UW Health and a $3,400 program fee.

Apply as a New/Current Employee

To apply to the Pharmacy Technician Training Program as an UW Health employee (either current or new), please complete the following steps:

Apply to the program as an EMPLOYEE

1. Return to careers.uwhealth.org
2. Type “Pharmacy Technician” in the keyword box
3. Click on “Pharmacy Technician Training Program”

If you are accepted into the program as an employee:

• There is no cost for the program
• You are paid 40 hours a week while in the training program
• There is a two-year work agreement
• Additional costs may apply (i.e. parking or purchasing of books – both optional)

If you have any questions after applying for an employee position, please call Human Resources at (608) 263-6500.

There are two avenues to apply to the program:

Apply as an apprentice

This applies to those seeking new employment or to current UW Health employees.

• There is no cost for the program
• You are paid 40 hours a week while in the training program
• There is a two-year work agreement
• Additional costs may apply (i.e. parking or purchasing of books — both optional)
• Current UW Health employees must apply internally via Oracle. They must be employed within UW Health for a minimum of six months. Employees must remain in good standing (not on probation or under a performance improvement plan for written discipline) for at least 12 months and for the duration of the program.

Apply as an apprentice

(Note: This position will close if it is outside of the application window.)

Apply as a student

Individuals who prefer to pay tuition with no commitment to work for UW Health, please fill out the application linked below. If accepted into the program via the student route, the cost of the program is $3,400. This fee is all-inclusive, though additional parking fees may apply during experiential training.

Apply as a student

(Note: this position will close if it is outside of the application window.)

What are the employment outlook and average earnings?

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 5% percent growth in the need for pharmacy technicians from 2021 to 2031. The growth rate is ranked as “as fast as average” by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  
• Certified and formally trained pharmacy technicians tend to have a higher pay and greater opportunity in more areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
  
• Salary.com reports the national median salary in February 2023 was $37,937 per year across the United States
  
• On average, Salary.com calculates the total compensation package for a pharmacy technician at $57,130 per year. This includes healthcare/disability, paid vacation time, retirement, and bonuses.

• Pharmacology for technicians
• Pharmacy law and regulations
• Sterile and non-sterile compounding
• Pharmaceutical calculations
• Medication safety and quality assurance
• Hospital pharmacy
• Pharmacy inventory management
• Retail pharmacy
• Professional development 

What is it like to be a UW Health pharmacy technician?

The UW Health Pharmacy Technician Training Apprenticeship Program in Madison, Wis., has been designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills to be successful in your career as a pharmacy technician. Our 18-week program is accredited through the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Our philosophy is to learn in a classroom environment, practice through simulated labs and do in actual patient-centered pharmacies.

There are already multiple career paths and advancements to choose from, as the role of the pharmacist continues to evolve, it continues to create more opportunities for the advancement of the pharmacy technician.

Accreditation/recognition

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists	Pharmacy Technician Certification Board

Recruitment timeline

• Applications due: December 2024
• Interviews: December 2024
• Official notification of acceptance: December 2024
• Class begins: January 2025

Summer class:

• Accepting applications: April 2025
• Applications due: June 2025
• Interviews: June 2025
• Official notification of acceptance: June 2025
• Class begins: July 2025

Minimum qualifications

• Applicants must be 18 years of age (or 17 with requirements)
• Possess a high school diploma or equivalency certificate
• Typical physical requirements: (Medium) Ability to lift up to 50 pounds maximum with frequent lifting/and or carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds. Technicians may be required to stand for long periods of time.

Program overview

The training program, located in our pharmacy-specific training center, is an 18-week program, including didactic/classroom time, lab time and experiential training.

Our program is designed to teach our students everything they need to know in order to be a skilled pharmacy technician.

Our program passing rate since August 2016 is 91 percent. Upon successful completion of the program, our students sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam and our program passing rate is 90 percent.