Pharmacy Technician Certification
Program
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy Technicians work in pharmacies under the
direction of a pharmacist. Their main responsibility is
filling prescriptions according to doctors' orders.
Pharmacy Technicians prepare medications for dispensing
to patients. This generally includes retrieving drugs in
the correct dosage form and strength, measuring the
appropriate amount of drug and producing a prescription
label. Pharmacy Technicians work with drugs to be
administered orally, topically, for the eye, nose, etc.
Depending upon the practice setting, a Pharmacy
Technician is also involved in the admixture of drugs
for intravenous use. Other duties include:
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checking inventories and ordering
supplies
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receiving and checking in supplies
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assisting customers
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keeping pharmacy work areas clean
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complete insurance forms
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preparation of
“bingo cards” for nursing home patients
Pharmacy Technicians – Employment &
Education
Pharmacy Technicians may work in
retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, home infusion
pharmacies, long term care facilities, hospitals,
clinics, pharmacy benefit managers and large industrial
complexes. The demand for Pharmacy Technicians continues
to grow with demand expected to increase substantially
through 2008. This high demand is the result of the
constant availability of new drugs, the national
shortage of registered pharmacists, the establishment of
certified pharmacy technicians and the aging population.
Educational Requirements
Students should have taken math and science in high
school. A high school diploma or GED is required to sit
for the PTCB exam.
Pharmacy Technician Certification Program
This comprehensive 50 hour course will prepare students
to enter the pharmacy field and to take the Pharmacy
Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam.
Technicians work in hospitals, home infusion pharmacies,
community pharmacies and other health care settings -
working under the supervision of a registered
pharmacist. Course content includes medical terminology
specific to the pharmacy, reading and interpreting
prescriptions and defining drugs by generic and brand
names. Students will learn dosage calculations, I.V.
flow rates, drug compounding, dose conversions,
dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control and
billing and reimbursement. The Pharmacy Technician
Certification Program includes a graded final exam to
help prepare students for the PTCB exam.
PTCB Detailed Course Information:
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role of the pharmacy technician
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pharmacy history/discussion of various
practice settings and the technician
certification process
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recruiting by pharmacy specialty
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“Evolution of Pharmacy”
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review of hospital pharmacy setting,
retail practice, regulatory agencies
involved with a pharmacy practice, long
term care practice setting, mail order
pharmacy, home care pharmacy practice
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pharmacy measures, roman numerals,
abbreviations
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review of generic drugs, basic
biopharmaceuticals, dosage forms,
patient profiles
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prescription label requirements, order
transcription, ordering and inventory
control, drug pricing, third party
reimbursement
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formularies, unit dose systems,
emergency and crash carts, house
supplies, automatic stop orders,
calculating number of doses required
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all major classes of drugs including top
brand names and generic drugs
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aseptic technique, handling of sterile
products including antineoplastic agent
considerations
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basics of IV solutions, calculating 24
hour supply of IV solutions, percentages
and electrolytes preparations
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the metric system
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apothecaries’ and avoirdupois systems of
measurement
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children’s doses
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allegation method, math review
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Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN),
demonstration of TPN admixture, hands-on
practice of IV admixture and parenteral
medication preparation.
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