Jun 26, 2025

Author(s): Key Takeaways PharmStart is a fully funded program by Walgreens to help pharmacy technicians pursue pharmacy school by overcoming cost and time barriers. The program addresses prerequisite confusion by offering tuition-free completion and flexible online learning through a partnership with Guild Education. Launched in six states with 300 candidates, PharmStart has received positive feedback and aims to build a talent pool within Walgreens. The initiative originated from the Walgreens Deans Advisory Council, identifying key challenges for technicians aspiring to become pharmacists. SHOW MORE PharmStart will address financial barriers and time limitations. Walgreens has announced PharmStart, a first-of-its-kind, fully funded program designed to enable pharmacy technicians within the company to pursue pharmacy school. According to an interview with Chief Pharmacy Officer Rick Gates, the program will address key barriers, including cost and time limitations.1 Image credit: Tada Images | stock.adobe.com PharmStart will “help our technicians in our stores really understand prerequisites for pharmacy school to help them get those prerequisites accomplished in a tuition-free way,” Gates explained. “So, it’s a partnership, really, to help build that pool of talent within our stores to get into the pharmacy profession.” Prerequisite requirements for colleges and schools of pharmacy vary, which can create significant confusion for prospective students. Researchers have noted that although prerequisites can ensure that students are prepared, excessive requirements can create unnecessary challenges.2 According to a survey of pharmacy school applicants, 57% of respondents said they enrolled in an extra term during their undergraduate studies to complete prerequisites for their desired pharmacy program, potentially increasing their education costs. Furthermore, 24.9% encountered challenges in completing course prerequisites because their college or university did not offer the necessary courses, and 27% of respondents did not apply to a particular pharmacy school because they could not complete the required prerequisites.2 Helping potential students navigate these challenges could encourage pharmacy school applications and benefit those who apply. Gates said the idea for the program came from the Walgreens Deans Advisory Council, which Walgreens launched in 2024. Three primary barriers were identified for technicians who wish to pursue pharmacy degrees: understanding the prerequisites, affording pharmacy school, and achieving work/life balance. By partnering with Guild Education, the PharmStart program addresses the financial barrier while students obtain the prerequisites, and the online platform allows for flexibility.1 “That’s where PharmStart really comes in to help individualize the prerequisite understanding for each individual, help them actually have a customized way to get their prerequisites done, and it’s funded on behalf of them, which does take down the cost burden,” Gates said. Thus far, the program has been launched in 6 states and opened to approximately 300 candidates. Gates said the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with technicians in other states inquiring about when the program will be open to them.1 “I can just tell you from personal experience—I’m a pharmacist. I worked in our stores for 8 years, and the best pharmacists I worked side by side with, a lot of them were actually technicians in our stores,” Gates said. “So, when I look back at it now, we think about how we get the next generation of pharmacists. We’ve got to tap our own talent, so that’s why I’m really excited about going to our technicians [who want] to go into pharmacy school and saying, ‘How can we help you?’" REFERENCES 1. Walgreens debuts PharmStart to strengthen the tech to pharmacist pipeline. News release. Walgreens. April 23, 2025. Accessed May 9, 2025. https://investor.walgreensbootsalliance.com/news-releases/news-release-details/walgreens-debuts-pharmstart-strengthen-techpharmacist-pipeline 2. Chesnut R, Anderson GW, Buncher O, Dietrich MA, Rosenberg JM, Ross LJ. Are prerequisite courses barriers to pharmacy admission or the keys to student success? Am J Pharm Educ.2022;86(10):ajpe8920. doi:10.5688/ajpe8920