Pharmacy Technician
The Pharmacy Technician program at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute consists of a total of 158 contact hours. This program is designed to train individuals to work under the supervision of a pharmacist in a variety of settings including community retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and infusion services. Course work provides the student with basic essential knowledge and skills required to work as a technician in the pharmacy.
Course work includes 108 hours of the following material: The profession and business of Pharmacy; State and Federal drug laws/regulations; drug forms and routes of administration; pharmaceutical abbreviations, measurements, and calculations; reading and interpretation of prescriptions; dispensing medications; community and hospital pharmacy practices; infection control; compounding; medication safety and dispensing; preparation of sterile IV products; and human relations.
Course work also includes 50 hours in a comprehensive pharmacology segment that allows students to acquire basic drug knowledge of medications commonly dispensed by technicians in pharmacy practice. An emphasis is placed on drug classes and the mechanisms of action in order to provide an understanding of why certain drugs are prescribed for specific disease conditions. Additionally, information is provided about the uses, dosages, side effects, and special precautions that technicians should be aware of when working with and dispensing these drugs to patients.
Admission Requirements:
- Orientation to Health Services
- Career Pathways Health Services
- 18 years of age
- High school diploma or high school equivalency – Official documentation is required even if applicant holds a two or four year college degree
- Social security card – name must match government issued photo ID
- Government issued photo ID – must match social security card
- Placement Testing:
- Reading placement test options and acceptable scores:
- TABE 10
- CPT/Accuplacer 70
- SAT 300
- Enhanced ACT 16
- ASSET 39
- COMPASS 73
- Math placement test options and acceptable scores:
- TABE 9.7
- CPT/Accuplacer 55
- SAT 340
- Enhanced ACT 15
- ASSET: 36-37
- COMPASS 29-32
- Criminal Background Check – clinical facility requirement – is done through Certified Background (www.certifiedbackground.com)
- Drug Screening – Only if required by clinical sites – Currently our clinical sites are not requiring drug screening.
In order to be successful in this course, the following is recommended:
- Keyboarding & computer skills
- Emotional and physical ability to carry out normal pharmacy activities (to include lifting, stretching, and standing for long periods)
Note: Students who successfully complete Pharmacy Technician training at CCC&TI will receive four (4) points toward competitive admission into the Physical Therapy Assistant program at CCC&TI.