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The Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program was developed in response to a rising need for trained technicians to work in either the hospital or retail pharmacy setting. In recent years, the Pharmacy Technician profession has become indispensable to the healthcare field. A nationwide shortage of pharmacists and a growing consumer demand for prescription medications have allowed pharmacy technicians the opportunity to play a continually more important role in today's pharmacy industry. With this growing opportunity, however, has also come increased responsibility, and this increased responsibility has made Pharmacy Technician Certification an important issue for many industry employers and some state legislatures. Some states now require all individuals who work as pharmacy technicians to become nationally certified.

A pharmacy technician is an individual who, under the supervision of a pharmacist, assists in the performance of those pharmacy-department activities not requiring the professional judgment of a pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians assist and support licensed pharmacists in providing health care to patients. Pharmacy Technicians have been called pharmacy helpers, pharmacy clinicians, pharmacy support personnel as wellas various other titles, depending on their location. In all parts of the country, pharmacy technicians must have a broad knowledge of pharmacy practice and must be skilled in the techniques required to order, stock, package, and prepare medications, but they do not need the advanced college education required of a licensed pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians may perform many of the same duties as a pharmacist; however, all of their work must be checked by a pharmacist before medication can be dispensed to a patient.

The Pharmacy Technician program also provides hands-on practice in retail pharmacy procdures via an online lab module. Students will learn what informaiton is necessary to process prescriptions and physician orders. They will apply knowledge gained to fill mock prescriptions. Each student will receive a lab kit to perform the assignments in the lab section of their program.

This program prepares students for entry-level pharmacy technician positions. Medical and pharmaceutical terminology will be introduced, and basic anatomy related to the pharmacology of medications will be a major component of the coursework along with pharmaceutical calculations. This program provides students the necessary information required to pass the National Certification Exam offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. GES does not guarantee that the Pharmacy Technician program will meet all state requirements. All states currently have a site with board of pharmacy information. You can access this information directly from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) website at http://www.ptcb.org/. If you cannot access this information via the Internet, you can always call the state board and ask for the current technician regulations.

As a part of the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program, students are required to perform Clinical rotations (also called an externship). Clinical rotations will be based on individual state board requirements. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the pharmacy externship program or they can opt to set up their own externship locally. In the event that clinical sites cannot be found, a research project for each area will be assigned.

The curriculum consists of:

• Ethics of Pharmacy Practice and Role of Pharmacy Technicians
• Prescription Medications
• Patient Care and Interaction
• Charges and Reimbursement
• Medical and Pharmaceutical terminology
• Pharmaceutical calculations

Upon registering, you are given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a 6-month extension at no additional charge.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the GES Pharmacy Technician Course, the student will be able to:

• Define the differences between the hospital and retail pharmacy setting.
• Demonstrate ethical conduct in all duties performed.
• Understand the laws that govern pharmacy, whether federal or state mandated.
• Interpret physician orders and prescriptions.
• Prepare and distribute medications.
• Define medical and pharmaceutical terms, and common abbreviations.
• Understand the pharmacology of medications in relation to the anatomy affected.
• Perform pharmaceutical calculations.
• Communicate effectively with patients and medical professionals.
• Understand the importance of confidentiality of all patient information.
• Process insurance billing and/or collect payments.
• Control inventory.
• Determine what information is necessary to process a prescription.
• Accurately fill a prescription.
• Determine what informaiton is necessary to fill a physician order.
• Accurately fill a physician order.
• Pass the National Certification Exam.

I. Orientation to Pharmacy

1. History
2. Hospital
3. Retail

1. Federal Law
2. State Law
3. Ethics

1. Introduction to Terminology
2. Abbreviations and Calculations
3. Organs
   1. Cardio
   2. Endocrine
   3. GI
   4. Integumentary
4. Organs
   1. Lymphatic
   2. Muscular
   3. Nervous
   4. Skeletal
5. Reproductive
6. Organs
   1. Respiratory
   2. Urinary
   3. Hearing
   4. Sight

1. Roman/Arabic Systems
2. Fractions and Decimals
3. Ratios and Percentages
4. Metric Measurements
5. Converting Household/Apothecary/Metric
6. Pharmacy Solutions
7. IV Flow Rates/Business Math

1. Basic Pharmacology
2. Classifications
3. Analgesics
4. Anesthetics
5. Anti-Infectives
6. Anti-Neoplastics
7. Cardiovasculars
8. Dermatologicals
9. Electrolyte Agents
10. Gastrointestinals
11. Hormones
12. Immunobiologic Agents
13. Musculosketetals
14. Ophthalmics
15. Psychotropic Agents
16. Respiratory Agents
17. Vitamins
18. Natural Products

1. Interpreting Prescriptions
2. Counting, Measuring & Filling Containers
3. Filling Prescriptions

1. Hospital (Institutional) Pharmacy
   1. 10 Hours - IV Room
      1. aseptic technique
      2. IV admixture
      3. TPN compounding
   2. 10 Hours
      1. Inventory Control
      2. Drug Distribution (delivery and stocking)
      3. order entry
      4. compounding/prepackaging
      5. computers
2. Retail (Community) Pharmacy
   1. 10 Hours
      1. Billing
      2. Inventory
      3. 3-party/Insurance
      4. Cash Register
   2. 10 Hours
      1. Dispensing Refills
      2. Compounding
      3. Computer Entry
      4. Phone