Welcome, Pharmacy Technician students!
This page will provide specific details and resources for Pharmacy Technician externships.
Please feel free to contact lheredia@euhsd.org with questions regarding the Pharmacy Technician externship process.
Students, please be advised all answers to questions regarding externships can be found on this website. If you have further clarifying questions please email lheredia@euhsd.org.
We will not respond to voicemails or phone calls regarding externship questions. All questions must be submitted via email and contain a detailed description of what it is you need to be clarified. If you have not filled out the Externship Request form you will not receive a response. Students are serviced in the order their Externship Request form submission is received.
*Please read all sections below to understand essential externship procedures and standards of practice specific to pharmacy technician externships.*
If you have not read ALL of the requirements listed on the EAS Externship website "Home" page, GO BACK and read the Home page FIRST before continuing.
Pharmacy Technician students are required to complete a 120-hour on-site externship under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
There are FOUR steps students need to complete to satisfy externship requirements. Please see each step detailed below.
You can review the Pharmacy Tech Externship Orientation if you'd like a brief overview but nothing supplants all of the information provided on this website.
Please note students are NOT eligible for an externship or to begin the externship process UNLESS:
The student has paid their tuition in full.
The student has completed the minimum attendance hours required for their program.
It has been less than a year since the student completed their coursework.
You have filled out the Externship Request Form.
The student has submitted an appropriate resume in their Externship Request Form. See the EAS Employment Skills Course available through CANVAS.
The student has reasonable availability. Most of our business partners require externs to be available for shifts anytime Monday-Friday (sometimes Saturdays) and anytime between their business hours; typically 8am-5pm with the exception of some sites that have earlier or later hours. Schedules vary based on individual supervisor and location needs. If you have limited availability, please specify in the EAS Externship Request Form and depending on your availability you may have to seek out your own externship placement. See the "Home" page for details on how to set up your own externship placement.
All externships must be started and completed in one continuous block of time. Students cannot begin an externship, take time off (for any reason) and then restart an externship. If a student misses an externship shift three times (for any reason) you will be removed from the externship and we will not place you in any additional externship. Our business partners may have their own policies and may request you be removed if you miss any of the shifts you are assigned. Please plan accordingly.
EAS has the right to refuse externship placement services to any student that does not comply with EAS Externship protocols, does not demonstrate professional behavior, or does not meet acceptable health & medical industry working standards.
Contact the Externship Coordinator to verify requirements have been met before pursuing an externship placement. It is the responsibility of your instructor to digitally record your attendance hours.
(ONLY APPLICABLE FOR CVS)
CVS requires a series of clearance procedures, protocols, and attestations prior to accepting a student's externship placement.
PRIOR to filling out the Externship Request Form, you need to decide whether you would like to pursue an externship at a CVS location. These externships are dependent on availability so we need to know BEFORE you start the process if you are interested in these facilities.
If you are NOT completing your externship at a CVS location, skip this step and go to Step 3 "During Your Externship".
STEP 2.1: Use the CVS Pharmacy Tech Clearance Guide to complete all of the necessary requirements prior to beginning your PT externship.
Please understand you will be solely responsible for the fees associated with the on-boarding/clearance process.
The Clearance guide provides a step-by-step checklist and links to the required documents for ALL the criteria for your CVS externship application.
Completing this clearance packet does not guarantee externship placement. You still have to follow through with all of the EAS requirements listed on this website and adhere to the protocols and practices we outline beyond this initial phase.
STEP 2.2: Once all Complio verification is received, you will need to request that your Complio package be cleared by EAS.
Access the Complio Clearance & Start Date Request Form to request your Complio package to be reviewed for EAS clearance and to request an externship start date. DO NOT FILL OUT THIS FORM UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR COMPLIO PROFILE CLEARED!
The date you request must be no EARLIER than 20 days and no LATER than 60 days from when you request Complio Clearance.
For example, if you submitted this request form on Wed. Jan. 1st, then the EARLIEST you can begin your externship is Mon. Jan 20th and the LATEST you can begin your externship is Mar. 1st.
You should receive an email with either confirmation of compliance or rejection, with steps to clear your profile in 3-5 business days. Your start date will also be confirmed or rejected depending on your clearance status.
(ONLY APPLICABLE FOR ALBERTSONS/SAVE-ON, & WALMART EXTERNSHIPS)
Sav-on and Walmart insist students fulfill a series of clearance requirements prior to accepting a student's externship placement.
PRIOR to filling out the Externship Request Form, you need to decide whether you would like to pursue an externship at one of the pharmacy locations listed below. These externships are dependent on availability so we need to know BEFORE you start the process if you are interested in these facilities.
If you are NOT completing your externship at one of the facilities listed below, skip this step and go to Step 2, "During Your Externship".
Students will need to complete the following requirements if they choose to accept an externship at the following locations:
Albertson's/Sav-on Pharmacies (must be a current employee or have established contact with manager)
Walmart Pharmacies (must be a current employee or have established contact with manager)
STEP 2.1: Use the EAS Pharmacy Tech Clearance Guide to complete all of the necessary requirements prior to beginning your PT externship.
Please understand you will be solely responsible for the fees associated with the on-boarding/clearance process.
The clearance guide will provide all of the specific information as to how to satisfy each component of the clearance process.
Two out of three students have their profiles rejected because they do not follow directions. Be sure to READ every word of the clearance guide before starting your profile and then continue to check off every component of the guide as you go to avoid missing essential deadlines or details required.
Completing this clearance packet does not guarantee externship placement. You still have to follow through with all of the EAS requirements listed on this website and adhere to the protocols and practices we outline beyond this initial phase.
Documents linked in the EAS Pharmacy Tech Clearance Guide
STEP 2.2: Once all Complio verification is received you will need to request your Complio package be cleared by EAS.
Access the Complio Clearance & Start Date Request Form to request your Complio package to be reviewed for EAS clearance and to request an externship start date.
The date you request must be no EARLIER than 14 days from when you request Complio Clearance.
For example, if you submitted this request form on Wed. Jan. 11th then the EARLIEST you can begin your externship is Mon. Jan 30th.
You should receive an email with either confirmation of compliance or rejection with steps to clear your profile in 3-5 business days. Your start date will also be confirmed or rejected depending on your clearance status.
You may not begin your externship until the Externship Coordinator has verified your placement.
If you are scheduled to begin an externship you must complete the "Current Externship Form".
Once students secure an approved externship placement they will need to:
Download and read thoroughly, all the required externship documents provided.
Ask for clarification or any questions regarding requirements detailed in the externship documents provided.
Properly complete and attain all signatures each document requires in order to receive externship certification.
Print and/or fill out each document digitally or using a pen. All signatures required must be hand-signed.
All documents requiring a signature must be returned to the Externship Coordinator for verification and processing of certification.
Students must use the official EAS externship documents provided below. No other documents will be accepted. You may make as many copies as needed.
The Pharmacy Technician Externship Packet contains all the documents you need conveniently combined for easy printing and reference. Below are links to each specific document for quick reference or if you need to print individual extra pages.
Pharmacy Technician Externship Packet contains:
Students and supervisors are expected to:
Use the occupational competencies document as a guide for hands-on practice of the knowledge, skills, protocols, and procedures a working employee would be expected to perform or understand on the job.
Ask their supervisor to provide when appropriate, hands-on training or experience for each competency listed.
Review the occupational competencies listed
Develop a schedule and plan to discuss or practice each competency during their scheduled shifts over the course of the 120 hours externship.
The Pharmacy Technician Training Plan is required for students to use to:
Document when a student experiences each competency and whoever provides the student their training.
Although a student might have one supervisor for their externship, different medical facility employees can provide students training to meet the expectations for the competencies listed in the training plan.
Log each competency experience with:
The trainer's full name
The date when the experience occurred
The supervisor's initials for each competency listed.
Sign and date the training plan document
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
The Pharmacy Technician Training Evaluation is required for the externship supervisor to use to:
Evaluate a student's externship performance.
Preview each of the evaluation criteria with the student before they begin their externship.
Keep an open dialogue regarding the evaluation expectations.
Students should:
Ask your supervisor to communicate any concerns they have regarding your performance as they occur. This will give you the opportunity to adjust or improve your performance before your externship ends.
Ask your supervisor throughout your externship if you can do anything to improve your performance.
Be open to constructive criticism.
If you have any concerns regarding your experience during your externship, please contact your Externship Coordinator immediately. This will give us the opportunity to assist you with any issues that may arise.
Students are required to:
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
The Pharmacy Technician Training Time Sheet is for the student to:
Log the scheduled shifts throughout the 120 hours of the externship term.
Students should:
Discuss their weekly availability as well as the availability of hours they can schedule monthly with their supervisor prior to beginning their externship term.
Although not required, students should try to work out a schedule with their facility that allows them to complete their externship in 10 weeks. This would allow students a minimum of 15-20 hours a week and provide a steady schedule to meet the goals of the 120-hour externship.
When a schedule is agreed upon, students are required to:
Complete the externship time sheet weekly with the required signatures for their supervisor.
Make sure to use the "Time Sheet Instructions" document to correctly fill in the hours worked.
You may make as many copies of this document as necessary to log all of the hours and weeks you complete throughout your externship.
All externship hours must be logged and signed using the official EAS pharmacy technician time sheet. Nothing else will be accepted.
Attain their supervisor's signature and date of signature.
Students are responsible for completing all of the steps outlined in the externship process.
Once all hours are completed, competencies are met, all documents are filled out appropriately, and all signatures required attained; students will need to:
Send their completed documents to lheredia@euhsd.org via email
OR, students can drop them off at our Escondido Crest campus in a sealed manilla envelope with their full name and program name clearly labeled on the front.
Please fill out the Post Student Externship Survey and provide us with your valuable feedback.
Once all documents are received and verified you will be eligible to request a Pharmacy Technician Externship Certificate here: Health and Medical Certificate Request Form
Please allow 7-10 business days to process your externship certificate request.
Any documents not signed or completed in their entirety will not be accepted and returned at our convenience and discretion to the student for completion.
Once you have received your externship certificate you are eligible to request an affidavit from our registrar, Juan Vargas required to begin the State Licensing process.
Please email your request for an affidavit to Juan Vargas at jvargas@euhsd.org
Please make sure you include your full name, the date you completed your Pharmacy Tech class, and the date you completed your externship.
Please indicate if you would like a .pdf copy of your affidavit emailed to you OR if you would like to schedule an appointment to pick it up in person.
YOU WILL NOT BE GRANTED AN AFFIDAVIT UNTIL ALL CLASS AND EXTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS ARE COMPLETED AND VERIFIED.
To pursue the State of California Pharmacy Technician License see the steps outlined here at the CA.gov website: https://www.pharmacy.ca.gov/applicants/tch.shtml
Our office does not assist with the State of California Licensing process.
You must complete all licensing processing through the state's website. Please do not call our office with questions regarding the state's process. We will not be able to assist you.
Your application does require LIVE SCAN Fingerprinting. Our school typically uses our state-approved vendor: (you are welcome to choose your own)
Luna Live Scan & Notary Address: 2170 S. El Camino Real, Suite #103, Oceanside, CA 92054 Phone: (760) 537-5911
Email: jmiller@lunalivescan.com Mobile Services Available