A Pharmacy Technician is trained in the technical aspects of supplying medicines and
medical devices to patients. Under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist,
pharmacy technicians can work in a community, retail, or hospital pharmacy, but
can also work for long-term care facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers, mail order
pharmacy, pharmaceutical research, in the government, the military, or education.
Skills Developed
Pharmacy skills include medical terminology, drug classifications, indications of use, and side effects; prescription interpretation, dosage calculation, and third-party billing; as well as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills aimed at legal and ethical interactions with other healthcare professionals and the community.
This course combines foundations of pharmacology, pharmaceutical care and knowledge with hands-on applications. Students will explore real-world application of a pharmacy technician working with a licensed pharmacist in a variety of clinical and retail settings. We explore pharmacy history and laws, federal and state regulations and ethics, medical and pharmaceutical terminology, pharmacy calculations and conversions, sterile and non-sterile compounding, and communicative customer service. Students will also examine essential medical topics such as body systems, common diseases and conditions, and medication errors. This course prepares students to sit for the nationally recognized Pharmacy Technician Certification Exams. This preparation includes learning the 200 most prescribed medications.
