While the course duration can vary from school to school, pharmacy technician training takes very little time, indeed. Within a few weeks or months, you can quickly earn a certificate that will impress any employer; or, you may wish to commit to an associate degree program, which can take eighteen months or more. You can also apply for voluntary national certification by taking an exam from The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. National certification must be reinstated every two years.

Learning to be a pharmacy technician includes both laboratory and academic studies. Classes will cover topics such as medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, record keeping, working with insurance companies and HMOs, techniques used by pharmacists, administrative duties, and the laws and ethics of the field. Students will be expected to know and understand the names, actions, uses, and doses of various medications. Upon course completion, graduates are granted a diploma, certificate, or an associate degree (depending on the specific program). If you already have a background or experience working in a pharmacy or a health care setting, so much the better.

Today’s online pharmacy technician schools are affordable and convenient, and the best ones are accredited by a health care organization that is approved by the Department of Education. Accreditation is proof that your education and certification will more than qualify you for hire with pharmacies, clinics and hospitals across the nation.

It’s never too late to begin a new career path, and with online pharmacy technician schools, the way to success is clear!

The dropout rate at American universities is about 50% for traditional students and 60% for online learners. (National Dialog on Student Retention, 2008)

Validity and Reliability

As any statistician or graduate student can tell you a statistic is meaningful only when it satisfies two important criteria:  Validity (both “construct” and “content”), and Reliability. Validity, the most critical of the two, simply means that the test “measures what it purports (is supposed) to measure”.  And Reliability means that it consistently does this over time.

How valid is this measure?

With attrition, there are several concerns.  If the retention rate is calculated programmaticaly, it fails to account for inter-program transfers.  If it is applied to the institution as a whole, it still has problems.  For example, do we really want to measure if a student completes their education at a particular institution, or should our primary concern be that the students obtains their degree or diploma?  It could be easily argued that the latter measure is most important.  When the Census Bureau reports on the percentage of “college graduates” they aren’t particularly concerned about how many schools the graduate attended.  Whether the student graduated from “Podunk U” or “Retention College” is of no consequence.  The important number is the percentage who graduates.

The institution perspective

Of course colleges are always looking for ways to measure their success.  Is it quality, quantity, reputation, faculty/student ratios, etc.?  All of these measures, and more, are incorporated into the College Rankings which are so eagerly consumed by prospective students, parents, graduates, administrators and the college community.  Just take a look at the most recent U.S. News College Rankings.

But how meaningful are these measures and rankings?  Probably not very.  From one perspective, especially at the two-year (Community College) level, success could mean that there are large numbers of transfers to four-year colleges.  This would be true whether or not the student completed their Associates degree. A broader view of institutional success may involve a longer perspective. Longitudinal studies, tracking students throughout their total academic life might provide a better perspective. For example, if a student attends “Lousy U” and has such a horrible experience that he is turned off from education for the rest of his life, that would clearly be a negative. If, on the other hand, students at “Success College” gain confidence and experience academic success, but due to increased confidence and broadened perspectives move on to other schools prior to completing their program of studies, this could be considered extremely positive.

Student Retention Research

The converse of student attrition is student retention. Perhaps the best model of student retention comes from research and a theoretical perspective provided by Vincent Tinto (Tinto V, ). Although there is limited empirical evidence to support Tinto’s theories, his work clearly identifies the complexities of the issue. Some of the factors in the retention equation include: academic integration, teaching, learning, support, facilities, [student] qualifications/preparation/motivation, individual attributes, family attributes [e.g., mother's education], finances, debt, medical, family events, social integration, etc. When interacting with the principal factors of Goal Commitment and Institutional Commitment, dropout decisions are made (or not made).

According to Tinto the different reasons for departure boil down to two categories: 1) Voluntary (student decision) and, 2) Involuntary (poor academic [and/or attendance] performance). Tinto, (and other researchers) further refine this model by emphasizing two overarching decision markers: 1) Academic Integration, and 2) Social Integration.. In other words: 1) how is the student performing academically, how much do they enjoy their subjects, and how they view themselves as a student; 2) how many friends the student has at the school, quality of interaction with faculty and staff, and how much they enjoy being at the school.

What can We Learn?

The admission of students who are not ready, inadequately prepared, or don’t have sufficient commitment to succeed in a College program will clearly increase the attrition rate, and although intervention can help mitigate the problem, the stage is set for failure. And, many students lack the self-motivation to perform adequately in the less-structured post-secondary setting.

Students leave school for a number of reasons. They may not do well academically, or they may have competing priorities which cause attendance problems. They may feel socially isolated at school or feel disconnected from the institution. They could have financial problems, family problems, learning disabilities, transportation, childcare or persistence issues. They can have a combination of problems, and even all of the foregoing could apply. If they are minority, foreign, adult learners, re-entry students, low income students, single-parents, etc., they have further complications. Students may not feel supported by the institution or do not relate well with its staff. A primary factor is students’ relationship with their teachers.

Merely measuring attrition may not tell the whole story. And, some factors are beyond administrative or faculty control. However, establishing a supportive culture and a welcoming environment can help.

What can be Done to Improve Student Retention?

The literature provides a number of suggestions, and intuitively we know some approaches that work. Here are some ideas:

• Provide student services emphasizing a support system for the student (e.g., orientation, advising, counseling, student organizations, social events, carpooling assistance, tutoring, etc.)
• Establish systems to proactively identify problems and quickly intervene to resolve them (e,g., grades, attendance, distraction, etc.)
• Enlist the support of the faculty in improving student retention. Inform them of the problem, offer recommendations, and most importantly solicit their input. –Encourage student input, e.g., student satisfaction surveys.
• Allow students to gain some success before enrolling them in “weed out”/ bottleneck courses (e.g., math and science). –Arrange student events (e.g., Charitable events, pizza sales, celebrations)
• Promote “belongingness” through student government, associations, clubs, etc.
• Recognize student achievements and success (attendance and academic awards) –Keep students regularly informed about their academic progress.
• Gather and analyze student attrition data. Benchmark data and compare with comparable institutions.
• Link with employers and potential employers of students and graduates. Provide superior Career Placement Services for all students. –Assign student mentors to assist incoming students.
• Develop, nurture and maintain a friendly, customer service oriented atmosphere.
• Constantly review, analyze and upgrade programs and services.
• Make every student feel welcome and necessary.

Finally…

Students leave college for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the institution is powerless to influence these decisions. However, the ideas presented in this article may be valuable to administrators looking to reduce attrition. It’s definitely worth a try.

1. Be sure you are reasonably happy with the essay before you show it to anyone. This doesn’t mean that you think it’s perfect and won’t be open to making changes. Instead, it assures that you will be able to analyze feedback from a position of strength, not insecurity, thus maximizing its benefits.

2. Be very careful about whose opinions you seek, Many people consider themselves accomplished writers or editors and, although their intentions may be good, they simply aren’t. Even worse, they don’t fully understand what makes a successful college application essay. This won’t stop them from offering an opinion if asked so please, choose wisely. Remember, not all opinions are equal.

If possible, ask for feedback from people familiar with the application process, teachers or tutors, professional writers, college students who are attending good schools, or someone whose perspective you highly respect. These readers will offer more perceptive, valuable, and ultimately more achievable input about your essay.

3. Get three opinions per draft. One is too few, more than three will only be confusing.

Generally, if all three of your readers, or two out three, give you similar feedback, then there is obviously an issue in your essay that needs to be addressed. Make your revisions, further polish the essay, then look for three different readers to comment on the next draft. Continue in this manner until the feedback is almost unanimously positive. That’s when you’ll know that your essay is almost finished.

4. Don’t be defensive. Listen carefully to everything your reader has to say, without rushing to defend why you used that turn of phrase or what you really meant in that paragraph. Stay objective about your work, as if you’re discussing someone else’s essay. This will allow you to truly hear what your reader is saying and to decide whether you agree with it, which is still your prerogative, or not.

5. Ask questions. If you think a particular bit of feedback is accurate and valuable, ask the reader why he or she feels that way, what is it in the essay that provoked that opinion? Sometimes a reader will have a feeling about the essay (”something is missing, I’m not sure what”) that he can’t quite articulate. By asking genuine questions, you can often pinpoint what the issue is, and fix it.

6. Trust yourself. Readers will sometimes suggest sweeping changes that are good, but not compatible with what you want to say. They might also be coming from a more adult, rather than a high school student, perspective. Remember that you worked hard to develop an essay topic that reflects your values and personality. While other ideas certainly exist, this is the one you’ve chosen – the one you believe in – and it’s okay to stick with it.

People who give feedback on your college application essay are clearly doing you a favor, and it’s important to be appreciative. At the same time, however, keep in mind that your ultimate commitment is to writing the most effective application essay possible and to do that, you’ve got to use that feedback wisely