Pharmacy Technician

Hours: 330 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Online, Self-Paced
Retail Price: $1,395.00

Course Overview:

This program prepares students to be professional Pharmacy Technicians dedicated to assisting Registered Pharmacists in quality pharmacy operational procedures. Graduates are equipped to assist the Pharmacist filling prescriptions according to doctor’s orders. Pharmacy Technicians also participate in ordering products and inventory control, as well as billing and receiving payments. Trained graduates that pass this course are eligible to sit for a national certification exam.  Once students pass the course and certification exam they can submit an application to participate in an internship program with national affiliation partners like CVS and Walgreens, or local pharmacy operations near their residence. This internship is what many employers in this industry want to see that tells them the student is job ready for this high demand job.

State regulations will vary by state, and this course does not specifically prepare students to meet all states’ regulations.  Potential students are highly encouraged to research what the regulations are in the state that they intend to work in.

Students will:

• Explain the role of the pharmacy technician and identify the elements that make up the pharmacy.
• Explain the role of math in the pharmacy and identify pharmaceutical measurements and dosage calculations.
• Explain basic medication safety and identify the different types of drug and drug references associated with them.
• Explain the role of the community pharmacy and identify the activities that occur within the community pharmacy.
• Explain non-sterile compounding and identify the procedures associated with non-sterile compounding.
• Identify the services, structure, procedures and techniques that are part of an institutional pharmacy.
• Identify the sterile procedures and practices that are the responsibility of a pharmacy technician.
• Identify the career options available to pharmacy technicians and identify the steps necessary to obtain employment.

This course prepares a student to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) certification exam.

Course Outline:

Lesson 1: Overview of the Pharmacy and the Role of the Pharmacy Technician

In this lesson, you will learn about the pharmacy and the role of the pharmacy technician. You will learn about the laws, regulations, and standards governing pharmacies and the legal obligations of pharmacy technicians.  You will also learn the basic concepts of pharmacology, including drugs and their sources, the national drug code, and the regulation of drugs. Finally, you will learn about the role of the pharmacy technician as part of the pharmacy team, as well as the importance of communication in the pharmacy. Upon completion of this lesson, you will have a thorough understanding of the pharmacy and the role of the pharmacy technician.

Lesson 2: Pharmacy Math, Dosage Calculations, and Drug References

In this lesson, you will learn about pharmacy math and dosage calculations.  You will receive a basic math review to ensure you are prepared for pharmacy calculations.  Then, you will learn about dosage forms, routes of administration, and dispensing medications. You will also learn about pharmaceutical measurements and calculations. In the second section, you will learn about the different types of drugs and the drug references associated with them. Upon completion of this lesson, you will be fully prepared to perform basic math and dosage calculations as part of a pharmaceutical team.

Lesson 3: Pharmacy Practice Settings

In this lesson, you will learn about the various pharmacy practice settings. You will receive an overview of the community pharmacy and the specific activities that occur in a community pharmacy, including the business practices in the community pharmacy. From there, you will learn about the institutional pharmacy and how it differs from the community pharmacy. The lesson will provide an overview of the institutional pharmacy and describe the structure, services and personnel that comprise an institutional pharmacy. You will also learn about the specific techniques and procedures that are part of an institutional pharmacy.

Lesson 4: Compounding

In this lesson, you will learn about compounding. You will learn the rules and standards that apply to compounding, and you will also learn the techniques and procedures for compounding. Upon completion of this lesson, you will understand how to properly perform the procedures associated with compounding and you will be prepared to apply this knowledge to a pharmacy setting.

Lesson 5: Pharmacy Management and Medication Safety

In this lesson, you will learn about pharmacy management practices and basic medication safety.  You will learn the skills necessary to properly manage a pharmacy, including inventory, billing, insurance, and ordering.  You will also learn proper drug storage procedures.  In the second section, you will learn about medication safety and error prevention, including the various medication errors and their causes, reporting strategies, and error tracking.

Lesson 6: Therapeutic Agents: Nervous - Cardiovascular System

In this lesson, you will learn about the therapeutic agents that are used with the following body systems: Nervous, Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, and Cardiovascular. In each section, you will learn about the body system and the conditions associated with it. You will also learn about the drugs used to treat conditions in each body system.

Lesson 7: Therapeutic Agents: Respiratory - Reproductive System

In this lesson, you will learn about the therapeutic agents that are used with the following body systems: Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Renal, and Reproductive. In each section, you will learn about the body system and the conditions associated with it. You will also learn about the drugs used to treat conditions in each body system.

Lesson 8: Therapeutic Agents: Immune - Hematological System

In this lesson, you will learn about the therapeutic agents that are used with the following body systems: Immune, Eyes/Ears/Nose/Throat, Dermatological, and Hematological. In each section, you will learn about the body system and the conditions associated with it. You will also learn about the drugs used to treat conditions in each body system.

Lesson 9: Over-the-Counter and Complementary Medicine

In this lesson, you will learn about over-the-counter and complementary medications.  You will learn about the different types of medication and the conditions they treat.  You will also learn how to manage and distribute these medications.

All necessary materials are included.

Certification(s):

This course prepares a student to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) certification exam.

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:

• Cable, Fiber, DSL, or LEO Satellite (i.e. Starlink) internet with speeds of at least 10mb/sec download and 5mb/sec upload are recommended for the best experience.

NOTE: While cellular hotspots may allow access to our courses, users may experience connectivity issues by trying to access our learning management system.  This is due to the potential high download and upload latency of cellular connections.   Therefore, it is not recommended that students use a cellular hotspot as their primary way of accessing their courses.

Hardware Requirements:

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher.  1920x1080 resolution is recommended for the best experience.
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone for Webinar or Live Online sessions.

Operating System Requirements:

• Windows 7 or higher.
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions
  

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is described in the above course outline.