Pharmacy technician school at Overlook Medical Center becomes 1st to be accredited in New Jersey

SUMMIT, NJ – FEBRUARY 2023 – Atlantic Health System’s pharmacy technician school, based at Overlook Medical Center, has recently become the first and only technician program in New Jersey to be accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

The program, which received ASHP/ACPE’s maximum six-year accreditation, is part of a larger effort by Atlantic Health System to offer its team members opportunities to develop their careers through training needed for highly in-demand positions such as pharmacy technicians.

Launched in Fall 2021, the roughly 14-week “pharm tech” program is currently in its 3^rd class (cohort) and has had six students complete the program. Following the graduation of the first cohort in January 2022, ASHP and ACPE were able to visit Overlook to observe the program to evaluate it for accreditation.

The program is open to Atlantic Health System team members with high school diplomas or the equivalent, currently serving in other occupations who may be seeking different careers with the potential for growth. The organization is seeking to ultimately open the program to applicants outside of Atlantic Health System.

“As more health care workers pursue paths to become pharmacy technicians, this accreditation gives those who graduate our program added credibility as they enter this competitive field,” said Agnieszka Pasternak, PharmD, MBA, manager for pharmacy services at Overlook.

Pharmacy technicians, who work with pharmacists to dispense medication to patients or other clinicians, have become an in-demand field in part due to growing numbers of older people who typically use more prescription medications, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which estimated that demand for the job is projected to grow 5 percent from 2021 to 2031. As pharmacists take on more patient-care activities, pharmacy technicians will be needed to take on a greater role in pharmacy operations that were previously done by pharmacists, according to the government bureau.

About Atlantic Health System

Atlantic Health System is at the forefront of medicine, setting standards for quality health care in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New York metropolitan area. Powered by a workforce of more than 18,000 team members and 4,800 affiliated physicians dedicated to building healthier communities, Atlantic Health System serves more than half of the state of New Jersey including 12 counties and 6.2 million people. The not-for-profit system offers more than 400 sites of care, including its seven hospitals: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, NJ, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ, Newton Medical Center in Newton, NJ, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, NJ, Hackettstown Medical Center in Hackettstown, NJ, Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ and through its partnership with CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold, NJ.

Atlantic Medical Group, comprised of 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, represents one of the largest multi-specialty practices in New Jersey and joins Atlantic Accountable Care Organization and Optimus Healthcare Partners as part of Atlantic Alliance, a Clinically Integrated Network of more than 2,500 health care providers throughout northern and central NJ.

Atlantic Health System provides care for the full continuum of health care needs through 23 urgent care centers, Atlantic Visiting Nurse and Atlantic Anywhere Virtual Visits. Facilitating the connection between these services on both land and air is the transportation fleet of Atlantic Mobile Health.

Atlantic Health System leads the Healthcare Transformation Consortium, a partnership of six regional hospitals and health systems dedicated to improving access and affordability and is a founding member of the PIER Consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education, and Research – a streamlined clinical trial system that will expand access to groundbreaking research across five health systems in the region.

Atlantic Health System has a medical school affiliation with Thomas Jefferson University and is home to the regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers and is the official health care partner of the New York Jets.

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