PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) is honored to highlight Navy hospital corpsman Sailors exceeding average scores on the nationally recognized pharmacy technician certification exam.



COOL provides active duty and Reserve Sailors, whether forward deployed, underway or ashore, a way to map their Navy education, training, experience and competencies to civilian credentials and occupations. It also allows Sailors to pursue credentials throughout their military life cycle, from completion of technical training until they become eligible for transition opportunities.



Numerous Sailors, through COOL, prepared for and completed their pharmacy technician certification tests in 2017. The Sailors scored above the national average of other participating groups, distinguishing the successful effectiveness of the overall certification process.



Pharmacy technician certification recognizes that an individual has met predetermined qualifications in a professional area of practice. Before graduation, Navy students are encouraged to become nationally certified by taking the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PCTE). Certification enables technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer safe and effective patient care and service.



“In a finding from a 2016 public perception survey released by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), consumers feel so strongly about certification that 76% say that they would seek out a different pharmacy if they knew technicians working in their current pharmacy were not certified,” said Cmdr. Randy Martinez, program director and Navy service lead for the Department of Defense Pharmacy Technician Training Program, Medical Education and Training Campus. “Our student pass rate on the PTCE consistently exceeds the civilian national average, and this is a testament to the quality of our accredited program and our Sailor's commitment to excellence in patient care.”



The end result of the pursuit of a civilian certification is that the Sailor’s individual professional knowledge and skill set usually increases due to the extra preparation time required for certification examinations and ongoing maintenance of that certification. Professional credentialing is also a key component of the Navy’s Enlisted Learning and Development Strategy and is integrated into every enlisted Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR).



"Our Sailors have an indomitable spirit in striving for success and it shows once again with our pharmacy technicians challenging their certification exam on Navy COOL, scoring well above the national average,” said Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Chuck Hickey, deputy director, Navy Hospital Corps. “I think this success is also contributed by the effectiveness of their ‘C’ school training and the direct tutelage of the pharmacists and senior pharmacy technicians at their commands, helping them increase their knowledge, skills and abilities.”



National Healthcareer Association (NHA) worked closely with Navy COOL to recognize hospital corpsman career training and experience as an eligible pathway to participate in accredited, nationally recognized certification testing. Sailors with medical training are eligible to earn up to eight credentials recognized for employment in the private sector.



“The success of allied health certification within Navy COOL programs can be evidenced in its impressive exam results collected throughout 2017,” added Nicki Bell, certification specialist with NHA. “In the end, NHA’s goal is to connect qualified hospital corpsman Sailors with their Navy COOL program to ensure a smooth transition into the allied health civilian workforce.”



Together, Navy COOL and NHA provide access to the resources necessary to build upon the knowledge and skills gained during Navy service. Ultimately, this collaboration brings relevant employment opportunities to hospital corpsman Sailors and works to improve the overall quality of patient care.



"I would recommend other pharmacy technicians to complete this course and to earn their certificate because it really gave me some extra confidence doing my daily job,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Eric King, a pharmacy technician at Naval Hospital Pensacola. " It brought up scenarios that were very relevant to my job as a pharmacy technician."



Navy COOL is located with the Center for Information Warfare Training, which delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services, enabling optimal performance of information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.



For more information about Navy COOL, visit www.cool.navy.mil/ or call (850) 452-6683.



For more news from the Center for Information Warfare Training organization, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid/, www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt, www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT



For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

NEWS INFO Date Taken: 12.07.2017 Date Posted: 12.07.2017 08:27 Story ID: 257753 Location: FL, US Web Views: 825 Downloads: 0 Podcast Hits: 0 PUBLIC DOMAIN This work, Navy COOL Touts Hospital Corpsman Above National Average Certification Scores, by Glenn Sircy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.