Pharmacy Technician

Overview

The Pharmacy Technician Profession
The need for Pharmacy Technicians continues to grow with demand expected to increase substantially through 2014. Technicians work under the supervision of a registered pharmacist in hospitals, home infusion pharmacies, community pharmacies and other healthcare settings. This high demand for pharmacy technicians is the result of a multitude of factors including the constant availability of new drugs, the national shortage of registered pharmacists, the establishment of certified pharmacy technicians, and the aging population. Approximately 400,000 technicians will be employed by the year 2018 to meet our nations growing healthcare demands.

Pharmacy Technician Program
This comprehensive course will prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Boards PTCB exam. Course content includes pharmacy medical terminology, reading and interpreting prescriptions and defining generic and brand names drugs and much, much more! Program also includes an optional clinical externship at a local healthcare provider!

This program will prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and to pursue certification including the Pharmacy Technician Certification Boards PTCB exam. This course covers the following key areas and topics:
Pharmacy calculations
Medical terminology specific to the pharmacy
Skills to read and interpret prescriptions
Review of the top 200 drugs
Skills to identify drugs by generic and brand names
Dosage calculations, I.V. flow rates, drug compounding, and dose conversions
Dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control, and billing and reimbursement

Pharmacy Technician Detailed Course Information:
The history of pharmacy and healthcare
Pharmacy technician role and responsibilities
Pharmacy technician certification and registration process
Types of pharmacies including the hospital pharmacy, retail practice, long-term care practice, mail order pharmacy, home care pharmacies, and others
Drug regulation and control
Pharmaceutical terminology and related anatomy
Parts of the prescription and labeling
Pharmacy calculations and math review
Pharmacy measures and abbreviations
Routes and formulations
Parenterals and compounding
Basic biopharmaceutics
Aseptic technique and the handling of sterile products
Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)
Basics of IV solutions and calculating 24-hour supply of IV solutions
Factors affecting drug activity
Information and pharmacy resources
Inventory management and financial issues
Brand names and generic drugs
Drug names and drug classes

Languages

English

Course Access Time

Students are given 6 months to complete the program. Extensions are available if needed, fees may apply.

Instructor

Patrice Arevalo Patricia has a degree in Medical Assisting from The Career College of Northern Nevada, Dental Assisting from the Community College of the Air Force, and is currently working on her B.S. in Criminal Justice Studies from Grand Canyon University in Arizona. She has over 10 years of experience working in doctors offices and has been an Air Force Reservist since 2009. She has worked as an instructor for multiple schools over the last 4 years teaching medical and dental assistant curriculum, as well as OSHA safety requirements and career development.

Prerequisites/Audience

Students should have or be pursuing a high school diploma or GED.

Students should confirm the requirements to work in their state as not all will accept online schools.

Requirements

System Requirements:
Windows Users:
Windows 7, XP or Vista
56K modem or higher
Soundcard & Speakers
Firefox, Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mac OS User:
Mac OS X or higher (in classic mode)
56K modem or higher
Soundcard & Speakers
Apple Safari
iPad Users:
iPad iOS 5.1 (or latest)
Screen Resolution:
We recommend setting your screen resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels.
Browser Requirements:
System will support the two latest releases of each browser. When using older versions of a browser, users risk running into problems with the course software.

Windows Users: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer
Mac OS Users: Apple Safari, Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox

Students will recieve these textbooks with their program:
The Pharmacy Technician Foundations and Practices,Custom Edition Package
Pharmacy Technician Program Student Workbook
The Pharmacy Foundations and Practices Lab Manual and Workbook