Spring 2019 Dates TBD
Tuesday & Thursday Evenings
6:00pm - 9:30pm
Room 143, Cordelia Camp Building
Cost: $1,099.00 (all materials included)
Total Hours: 50
Registration for the Fall 2018 course is now closed.
Please check back in Spring 2019 for additional courses. Contact hensley@wcu.edu for more details.
Interested in an online version of this class?
Learn More
The Pharmacy Technician Profession
The need for pharmacy technicians continues to grow with demand expected to increase
substantially throughout the year. Technicians work under the supervision of a registered
pharmacist in hospitals, home infusion pharmacies, community pharmacies and other
healthcare settings. This high demand for pharmacy technicians is the result of a
multitude of factors including the constant availability of new drugs, the national
shortage of registered pharmacists, the establishment of certified pharmacy technicians,
and the aging population. Approximately 400,000 technicians will be employed by the
year 2018 to meet our nation’s growing healthcare demands.
The Pharmacy Technician Program
This program will prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and to pursue certification
including the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam. This course covers
the following key areas and topics:
- Pharmacy calculations
- Medical terminology specific to the pharmacy
- Skills to read and interpret prescriptions
- Review of the top 200 drugs
- Skills to identify drugs by generic and brand names
- Dosage calculations, I.V. flow rates, drug compounding, and dose conversions
- Dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control, and billing and reimbursement
Education and Certifications
- Students should have or be pursuing a high school diploma or GED.
- The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s (PTCB) is the national certification
exam.
- Numerous states now require PTCB certification to work as a pharmacy technician.
- Certain national and state pharmacy technician certification exams are available.
Detailed Course Topics Covered
- The history of pharmacy and healthcare
- Pharmacy technician role and responsibilities
- Pharmacy technician certification and registration process
- Types of pharmacies including the hospital pharmacy, retail practice, long-term care
practice, mail order pharmacy, home care pharmacies, and others
- Drug regulation and control
- Pharmaceutical terminology and related anatomy
- Parts of the prescription and labeling
- Pharmacy calculations and math review
- Pharmacy measures and abbreviations
- Routes and formulations
- Parenterals and compounding
- Basic biopharmaceutics
- Aseptic technique and the handling of sterile products
- Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)
- Basics of IV solutions and calculating 24-hour supply of IV solutions
- Factors affecting drug activity
- Information and pharmacy resources
- Inventory management and financial issues
- Brand names and generic drugs
- Drug names and drug classes
About CCI
For over 12 Years, Condensed Curriculum International, Inc., has been partnering with
Colleges and Universities to help offer Innovative Allied Health Programs in communities
nationwide. CCI has relationships with over 300 schools in more than 40 states nationwide
CCI’s executive team includes health care and business professionals with extensive
experience in consumer and corporate educational programs through partnering with
public institutions Through working with college partners, CCI offers programs to
the Military, Job Training Agencies, One Stops, WIB’s, National Health Care Organizations,
Hospitals and other organizations.
