The Springdale Job Corps pharmacy went “live” to help students prepare for the real situation.

Instructor Tami Morris played the part of the head pharmacist. She wrote fake prescriptions for staff volunteers who then came in to drop off their prescriptions and later pick them up.

Students worked through the whole process with staff. They accepted the prescriptions, went through the required patient paperwork, entered the information into the computer, counted the pills (actually dried beans), and finally rang up the customer.

Other students practiced calling staff patients to let them know when their prescriptions were ready for pick up and yet others used computer programs to verify insurance coverage.

Morris encouraged staff to test students’ abilities to handle all sorts of customers and customer issues. Some staff patients lost their prescriptions or had expired prescriptions; others had insurance problems.

“These are all situations they’ll face on the job,” said Tami. “I wanted to give them the opportunity to practice in a low-consequence setting.”

Springdale Job Corps Center is proud of its pharmacy technician program and consistently places students in high-paying jobs.