Program Description
This course series prepares students to take the national PTCB certification exam to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician. Pharmacy Technicians assist pharmacists in hospitals or freestanding pharmacies. They are typically involved in customer interactions, insurance claim processing, maintaining inventories and filling prescriptions.
Program Outcomes
Successful Completion:
CCBC Credential: Students will be awarded a Continuing Education Workforce Training Certificate, and have access to a Continuing Education academic record (transcript). Students will be prepared to take the national certification exam through PTCB-Pharmacy Technician Certifying Board to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician.
Certifying Organization: Pharmacy Technician Certifying Board (PTCB)
www.pharmacytechnician.org
Certification exam cost: $129.00
Financial Aid and Payment Options
- Continuing Education Opportunity Grant
- Partial Payment Option (through Nelnet Business Solutions)
- Tuition Waiver for Senior Citizens and Individuals with Disabilities
- Employer/Sponsor Paid Tuition
- Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
- Local Office of Workforce Development
Program Length
40-70 weeks
Prerequisites begin monthly at various campuses.
Pharmacy Technician training begins in October at CCBC Essex (Thursday evenings), and in May at CCBC Randallstown (daytime on Fridays).
Program Requirements
High School Diploma or GED. All students must be computer literate and have Internet access.
Application Process
Open Entry – No screening or documentation required.
Program Course Sequence
HIPAA Training, CPR and First Aid classes REQUIRE 100% attendance. Students arriving late to class will not be admitted. Late arrival to, or early exit from, class will also result in a failing grade and no refund. Students will then be required to retake the class at their expense.
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Course Number
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Course Title
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Course Hours
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Costs
T=Tuition/F=Fees
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Textbook Information
(approximate cost; subject to change)
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Prerequisites:
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AHE 534
Or
AHE124
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Medical Terminology for Health Occupations
Or
Medical Terminology Online
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30
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$329
T-$147/F-$182
Or
$339
T-$147/F-$192
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Medical Terminology – A Short Course in Medical Terminology 3rd edition. Publisher Wolters Kluwer. Author C. Edward Collins. ISBN 978-1-4511-7606-3
$67.75
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AHE 519
Or
AHE 672
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Anatomy and Physiology
Or
Anatomy and Physiology Online
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30
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$329
T-$147/F-$182
Or
$355
T-$159/F-$196
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Anatomy & Physiology – The Human Body in Health & Disease 7th edition. Publisher Elsevier. Author Patton & Thibodeau. ISBN 978-0-323-402118
$74.60
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WOS 064
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Basic Math for Health Care
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10
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$145 T-$55/F-$90
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Handouts online
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AHE 805
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CPR for Health Care Providers
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7
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$109
T-$52/F-$57
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Included in course cost
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AHC 360
Or
AHL 719
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HIPAA Training
Or
HIPAA Training Online
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4
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$89
T-$21/F-$68
Or
$109
T-$21/F-$88
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Handouts online
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Prerequisite Totals:
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81
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$1001 - $1057
T-$422-$434
F-$579-$623
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$142.35
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Course Series:
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AHE 739
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Pharmacy Tech I
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60
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$1295
T-$687/F-$608
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Three Pack: The Pharmacy Technician, 6th; Workbook for the Pharmacy Technician, 6th; and Pharmacy Calculations, 5th; published by Morton; 2016; 9781617316029 (soft cover); available at campus bookstores; $166.52
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AHE 740
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Pharmacy Tech II
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60
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$685
T-$440/F-$245
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Same as AHE 739
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AHE 131
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Introduction to Electronic Health Records (EHR)
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6
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$99
T-$39/F-$60
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Handouts
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AHE 475
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Pharmacy Technician Externship Part I
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80
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$155
T-$39/F-$116
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Handouts online
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AHE 476
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Pharmacy Technician Externship Part II
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80
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$155
T-$39/F-$116
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Handouts online
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AHL 913
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PTCB Exam Review
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15
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$79
T-$28/F-$51
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Same as AHE 739
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Course Series Totals:
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301
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$2468
T-$1272
F-$1196
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$166.52
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Course Series & Prerequisites Totals:
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382
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$3469 - $3525
T-$1616-1706
F-$1775-1819
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$308.87
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Additional Information
Additional Course Offering:
Available as an advanced skill: AHL096 -Compounding Sterile Preparations; 30 hours; $935 (T-$383/F-$552). Text: Sterile Processing for Pharmacy Technician, 1st; Karen Davis; published by Elsevier; 2014; ISBN 9781455711277 (soft cover); available at campus bookstores; $53.95
Course Substitutions:
Medical Terminology AHE 534 can be substituted with OFAD 141, or ALHL 115, or AHL 717;
Anatomy and Physiology AHE 519 can be substituted with AHL 672, or AHL 715, or BIOL 109, or BIOL 220; and BIOL 221
HIPAA AHC 360 can be substituted with AHL 719 or AHC 356; Basic Math WOS 064 can be substituted with AHL716 or MATH 083.
Skills for Success:
See Technical Standards at the of this document.
Career Opportunities:
In a retail pharmacy setting, Pharmacy Technicians can advance through different levels of responsibility that vary by employer. In an institutional pharmacy setting, Pharmacy Technicians can be selected for additional training in specialized areas such as medication history reconciliation or compounding sterile preparations. A criminal history background check and registration with the state board of pharmacy are usually required for employment.
Program Contact Information
Administrative Assistant:
Carole Parlett
cparlett@ccbcmd.edu
443-840-1887
RAC
Program Specialist:
Shauna Bullard
sbullard@ccbcmd.edu
443-840-1180
Essex, HTEC 001
Technical Standards
Technical Standards for CCBC’s Pharmacy Technician Training Series
The primary goal of The Community College of Baltimore County’s Pharmacy Technician Training Series is to adequately prepare students for an entry-level position in the pharmacy profession functioning as a Certified Pharmacy Technician in a variety of employment settings including retail, hospital, and long term care and government facilities.
They must have the ability to communicate with patients, family, and health care providers concerning inventory, insurance, medications, and the human body. Efficient computer, basic math, study skills, and test taking skills are desirable. Being multi-lingual is useful.
The duties of a Pharmacy Technician require the ability to stand or sit for long hours while constantly being focused on the task at hand. They need to exercise safe practices while exposed to a work environment that may include unpleasant sights, odors, materials and communicable diseases. Their duties also require them to be detail oriented, to work accurately, quickly and utilize computers and telephones frequently. A high level of manual dexterity, psychomotor skills, communication skills, analytical skills, and integrity are vital.
A criminal history background check and registration with the state board of pharmacy are usually required for employment.
Following is a partial listing of the types of skills typically required for adequate job performance:
Physical Requirements:
A. Sufficient strength and mobility to:
- Lift or otherwise maneuver cartons weighing up to 30 pounds
- Stand or sit in one area for long periods of time
- Work quickly and accurately to meet prescription delivery deadlines
- Clean and maintain pharmaceutical preparation areas
B. Fine motor coordination sufficient to perform precise tasks such as:
- Handle delicate pharmaceutical preparation instruments
- Safely handle pharmaceutical ingredients including controlled and toxic substances
- Handle instruments and ingredients that may be costly to replace if damaged
C. Adequate vision to:
- Read and interpret digital displays on robotic equipment or paper documents such as hand written prescriptions
- Adequate distinction of colors to read and interpret pharmaceutical container labels
- Read instruction sheets, protocols, procedure manuals and computer screens
D. Sufficient hearing to:
- Hear and understand verbal instructions in person and over the telephone
- Interact successfully with professional colleagues, patients and customers
- Hear alarms, alerts and other operating sounds of equipment
Interpersonal Skills and Professionalism:
A. Have the ability to:
- Work in a professional manner under sometimes extremely stressful situations
- Pay close attention to detail and recordkeeping, including keeping accurate inventory, and insurance and patient records
- Commitment to learning and understanding new nomenclature, technologies, instrumentation and procedures
- Commitment to following approved standards, guidelines, policies and procedures
- Interact in a professional manner with many personalities and attitudes and with people from many different backgrounds
- Respect and protect patient rights and confidentiality without regard to personal beliefs and judgments
- Maintain proper certifications required to perform the duties of the profession
- Commitment to professional morality in the application of prescription filling techniques and delivery of pharmacological patient care
- Complete any career development training needed for obtaining and/or maintaining employment
- Work with independent agencies such as the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, and the Maryland Board of Pharmacy
- Participate in any liability insurance coverage that may be required
- Willingness to precept (train) others
- Commitment to working shifts as assigned; may include on-call, holidays and weekends
B. Sufficient communication skills to:
- Give and receive accurate written and verbal instructions
- Carry out all written and verbal instructions
- Follow proper channels of communication
- Communicate in a calm and professional manner
- Communicate clearly and effectively to any team members regarding issues that may be difficult to address (i.e. problem with prescription accuracy that could affect the patient, admission of own errors, etc.)
- Provide efficient customer service to patients, family members, coworkers and others
Intellectual Ability and Emotional Stability To:
- Use critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Accurate use of pharmacologic math
- Exercise independent judgment to properly perform approved tasks at hand
- Accurately utilize all resource material available (in print, digital, and online formats) to perform assigned tasks
- Understand pertinent laws and which tasks can and cannot be legally performed by a Pharmacy Technician
- Work calmly and efficiently in a fast-paced, stressful environment
- Maintain calm during emergency situations
- Perform duties while exposed to communicable diseases and unpleasant sights, odors and materials
- Accept feedback from others
Environment Requirements:
The Pharmacy Technician profession may involve risks and/or discomforts that require special safety precautions including, but not limited to:
- Wearing gowns, caps, masks, gloves and eye protection
- Working in an environment that may be noisy at times
- Working in an environment that exposes one to potentially hazardous materials, such as cleaning agents and chemicals, cytotoxic agents, radiopharmaceuticals and blood borne pathogens
- Providing proof of recent immunizations against infectious diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella
- Receiving Hepatitis B vaccine and annual testing for exposure to tuberculosis
- Submit to periodic drug screening
- Complete any blood borne pathogen, universal and standard precautions training as needed
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