Corewell Health Academy of Pharmacy Technicians

The Pharmacy Technician Preparatory Academy is an ASHP (American Society of Heath-System Pharmacists) accredited program and recognized by the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board).

The program is offered at two locations in Michigan: Southfield campus (Southeast Michigan) and Grand Rapids campus (West Michigan).

The objective of this program is to address the shortage of pharmacy technicians throughout the health system and in Michigan. The goal is to train, license and certify individuals to perform the job duties of an entry level pharmacy technician. These individuals will then be responsible to obtain a job within the Corewell Health system with the help of the instructor. This will also provide an excellent opportunity for entry level employees to advance their healthcare careers.

This 10-week training program will take a total of 400 hours to complete. There will be a total of 200 hours of classroom training and 200 hours spent completing an internship at one of the Corewell Health pharmacies. The course will cover pharmacology, pharmacy law, medication safety, pharmaceutical calculations, insurance, third party billing processing, sterile and non-sterile compounding. This program will walk the students through the process of obtaining a temporary license in the State of Michigan, administer a state-approved licensing exam, and prepare the students for the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam.

Corewell Health hires both internal and external candidates. Candidates require a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Candidates must undergo pre-employment screening, including a background check and drug test.

During the didactic training, the students will attend classroom training Monday through Friday. When the student is interning, the schedule will be determined in collaboration with the pharmacy leader. These shifts may include mornings, afternoons, or weekends. As part of the program, students will be full-time employees and will be required to work a total of 40 hours every week. 

The location of the Corewell Health site for the internship portion will be determined by location of the student, site availability, and anticipated pharmacy technician openings at the site.

This is a full-time paid position. The students will also be eligible for medical, dental, and optical benefits and paid time off. 

The students will be required to sign an agreement stating they will work for Corewell Health full time for 2 years following the training program. If they do not meet these expectations, they will be required to pay back the cost of the program in the amount of $4,000.  

There is a selection process for each cohort. Anyone interested in learning more should first attend an informational meeting. Please use the contact information below to reach out to the campus you would be interested in attending for informational meeting dates.

Southeast Michigan – Southfield Campus
Stephanie Stansberry
Stephanie.Stansberry@corewellhealth.org 

West Michigan – Grand Rapids Campus
Rob Kratz-Hahn
Robert.Kratz-Hahn@corewellhealth.org