2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Pharmacy Technician, Certificate
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This program is suspended and not enrolling new students as of November 2, 2018.
Purpose: This program prepares students to become employed as pharmacy technicians, who are skilled healthcare specialists, who, under the direction and supervision of pharmacists, assist in the varied activities of a pharmacy department in retail and institutional health care settings. Pharmacy Technicians are detailed oriented people who fill a central role in accurately providing medication to patients and other assigned functions, assisting with the safe and efficient operation of a pharmacy department. Pharmacy Technicians are trained to interpret physicians’ medication orders, fill orders to be checked by pharmacists, and deliver the orders. They prepare admixtures of intravenous solutions, prepare bulk formulations, stock inventory medications, maintain patient profile records, assist with over-the-counter drugs and health aids, answer patient questions, and perform clerical duties, including processing insurance forms required by third-party payers.
Completion of this program will prepare the student to sit for the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination.
Curriculum: The curriculum is divided into several areas of study and consists of lecture, laboratory and externship. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge and skills of a certified pharmacy technician to meet the needs of the healthcare industry to prepare medications for dispensing, maintain written and computerized patient records, prepare sterile intravenous mixtures, prepare prescription labels, file insurance claims, stock and inventory medications, and answer patient questions. Completion of this program will prepare the student to sit for the national pharmacy Technician Certification Examination. Pharmacy technicians are detail oriented people who fill a central role in accurately providing medication to patients.
Program Outcomes: Graduates of the Certificate Program in Pharmacy Technician will be able to:
- The technician should demonstrate appropriate knowledge and understanding of pharmacy’s role in the health-care industry, including quality improvement processes that may be used to monitor pharmacy’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities within a given health-care system.
- The technician should have a working knowledge of the pharmaceutical and medical terms, abbreviations, and symbols commonly used in the prescribing, dispensing, administering, and charting of medications.
- The technician should have a working knowledge of the general chemical and physical properties of drugs handled in the manufacturing and packaging operations used in the delivery of pharmaceutical services.
- The technician should be able to perform the arithmetical calculations required for the usual dosage determinations and solutions preparation.
- The technician should be able to perform the essential functions relating to drug purchasing and inventory control.
- The technician should demonstrate a working knowledge of drug dosages, routes of administration, and mechanical, automatic, or robotic drug delivery systems.
- The technician should have a working knowledge of the procedures and operations relating to the manufacturing, packaging, and labeling of drug products.
- The technician should have a working knowledge of the procedures and operations relating to aseptic compounding and parenteral admixture operations.
- The technician should exhibit the ability to perform the usual technician functions associated with contemporary drug distribution systems.
- The technician should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the duties and responsibilities of pharmacy technicians, including standards of ethics governing pharmacy practice; as well as, duties as allowed in the state of Maryland, and how those duties may vary in other states, along with discussion required responsibilities of life-long learning required for maintaining certification.
Admission Requirements: Admission to HCC does not guarantee admission to the Pharmacy Technician Program. The requirements below must be completed and submitted to the Office of Admissions and Enrollment Management before the first day of class.
- Students who are accepted into this program must submit to drug screening and complete a criminal background check with no record of felony or drug convictions.
- College placement test scores in English and Mathematics. Courses require that students have completed developmental English and Mathematics (ENG 100 and MAT 098) or have equivalent placement test scores.
- Proof of BLS for Healthcare Providers (CPR and AED) certification.
- Pharmacy technician students must maintain a “C” or better in all program courses.
- Students must be capable of performing the technical standards of the program.
Fact Sheet:
Program Pathways
Fall Admission Cohort:
| First Year Fall |
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First Year Spring |
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
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Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| BIO 116 |
Human Anatomy & Physiology for Allied Health |
4 |
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PHR 107 |
Professionalism, Law and Ethics |
3 |
| MAP 102 |
Medical Terminology |
3 |
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PHR 110 |
Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
5 |
| PHR 101 |
Introduction to Pharmacy Technician |
3 |
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PHR 112 |
Pharmacy Practice: Sterile Medication Preparation |
3 |
| PHR 102 |
Pharmaceutical Calculations |
3 |
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PHR 113 |
Pharmacy Operations and Trends |
3 |
| PHR 103 |
Pharmacy Practice: Dispensing Non-Sterile Apps |
3 |
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| TOTAL |
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16 |
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TOTAL |
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14 |
| First Year Summer (7.5 week) |
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| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
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| PHR 269 |
Pharmacy Practicum |
3 |
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| TOTAL |
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3 |
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Spring Admission Cohort:
| First Year Spring |
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First Year Fall |
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
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Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| BIO 116 |
Human Anatomy & Physiology for Allied Health |
4 |
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PHR 102 |
Pharmaceutical Calculations |
3 |
| MAP 102 |
Medical Terminology |
3 |
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PHR 103 |
Pharmacy Practice: Dispensing Non-Sterile Applications |
3 |
| PHR 101 |
Introduction to Pharmacy Technician |
3 |
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PHR 110 |
Pharmacology and Therapeutics |
5 |
| PHR 107 |
Professionalism, Law and Ethics |
3 |
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PHR 112 |
Pharmacy Practice: Sterile Medication Preparation |
3 |
| PHR 113 |
Pharmacy Operations and Trends |
3 |
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| TOTAL |
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16 |
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TOTAL |
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14 |
| First Year Spring (7.5 week) |
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| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
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| PHR 269 |
Pharmacy Practicum |
3 |
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| TOTAL |
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3 |
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Program Requirements (33 Credits)
Certificate Requirement (33 Credits)
Additional Program Requirements
Criminal Background Checks
All students who are offered admission to the Pharmacy Technician program will be required to submit to fingerprinting and a complete criminal background check. Based on the results of the fingerprinting, complete criminal background check and consultation with pharmacy licensing agencies, students may be ineligible for enrollment in the program.
Drug Screen
All students who are offered admission to the Pharmacy Technician program will be required to submit to a drug screen. Drug screen results are disclosed to clinical facilities as required. A random drug screen may also be requested at any time during the Pharmacy Technician program if a faculty member or a clinical facility representative has reasonable cause to suspect that a student is impaired and poses a safety concern to others. If a student is denied access by a clinical site because of drug screen results, and as such, cannot meet program requirements, the student will be recommended for dismissal from the pharmacy technician program.
Externship Site Placement
Student placement in externship sites is determined at a designed semester. Misconduct in the assigned externship site may result in loss of externship placement and/or recommendation for program dismissal.
Technical Standards
There are technical standards and skill requirements which students are expected to possess and demonstrate in order to be successful in this program. More information on these standards can be found on the Web page for this program.
*Note
*In order to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) candidates must satisfy the following eligibility requirements: high school diploma or equivalent educational diploma; full disclosure of all criminal actions; and compliance with all applicable PTCB Certification policies.
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