Pharmacy Technician

The Pharmacy Technician training program at North-West College is a hands-on, career-focused program designed to educate and teach you the fundamental skills needed begin a new career working as a Pharmacy Technician.

The program is divided into eight class course modules plus a 240-hour clinical internship where students apply the skills they learn in the classroom in an actual practice setting.

Courses for this program include:

• Seminar for Success – Orientation and success building course for Career Students. Review of basic math, language, vocabulary, and writing skills. Introduction to core career classes, availability of community resources, outlining, summarizing, managing credit, and other life skills

• Drug Distribution – Trade/Generic Drugs, Basic Math Review, Use of Electrolytes in the Pharmacy, Drug Dosage Forms, Compounding Products, Use of Balances, Measuring Devices and other Pharmacy Equipment; Filling Cassettes, Different Drug Distribution Systems (Unit Dose vs. Traditional)

• Admixture I – Trade/Generic Drugs, Basic Math Review, Working Conditions and Types of Schedules for Technicians, Miscellaneous Tasks the Technician is Expected to Perform, Aseptic Technique, Introduction to Working with the Vertical & Horizontal Flow Hoods

• Admixture II – Trade/Generic Drugs, Basic Math Review, Aseptic Technique, Miscellaneous Tasks the Technician is Expected to Perform, Manufacturing of Sterile IV Additives, Chemotherapy Drug Administration, Working with the Vertical & Horizontal Flow Hoods

• Pharmacology – Trade/Generic Drugs, Basic Math Review, Theory of Molecular Combination, Basic Anatomy, Where Different Classes of Drugs Act on the Body, Usual Reason for the Use of this Classification of Drug, Usual Dose of the Drug, Medical Terminology, Arabic and Roman Numerals

• Retail/Communications – Trade/Generic Drugs, Basic Math Review, History of Pharmacy, Effective Communication Techniques and Theories, Methods of Speaking with Professionals and Patients; Pharmacy Law; Information Regarding the Uniform Controlled Substances Act and Drug Schedules, Introduction to the Apothecary, Avoirdupois and Metric Systems, Transcribing Physicians’ Orders, Typing Pharmacy Labels, Pricing Prescriptions, Third Party, Medi-Cal, and Medicare Insurance Billing for Prescriptions, Insurance Verification, Keeping Accurate Records in the Pharmacy

• Home Health/Closed Door – Trade/Generic Drugs, Basic Math Review, Significant Numbers, Diabetes Drugs and Treatment, Celsius and Fahrenheit Temperature Conversions, Types of Durable Medical Equipment Pharmacies Supply, Drugs and Treatment for AIDS, Configuring Body Surface Area, Compounding, Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Career Seminar – Internship Workshop, Career Readiness Workshops, New Student Orientation, and CPR Certification

• Clinical Internship – Internship to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in an actual practice setting