Nov 23, 2024

Catalog 2018-19

Catalog 2018-19 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Pharmacy Technician

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.ptcb.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 those who qualify
Baltimore County College Promise
Workforce Development Sequence Scholarship
Employer/Sponsor Paid Tuition
Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
Local Office of Workforce Development
Students may apply for a career training scholarship through Central Scholarship (http://www.central-scholarship.org/)

Program Length

Pharmacy Technician training begins in October at CCBC Essex (Thursday evenings), and 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

To apply, go to ccbcmd.edu/apply and complete the CCBC Non-Credit Workforce Training Certificate application. An email will then be sent with program information and any additional requirements necessary to apply for the program.

Open Entry – No screening or documentation required.

Recommended Program Course Sequence

Course Number	Course Title	Course Hours	Costs T=Tuition/F=Fees	Textbook Information (approximate cost; subject to change)
AHE 739	Pharmacy Tech I	60	$1295 T-$687/F-$608	Three Pack: The Pharmacy Technician, 6^th; Workbook for the Pharmacy Technician, 6^th; and Pharmacy Calculations, 5^th; published by Morton; 2016; 9781617316029 (soft cover); available at campus bookstores; $166.52
AHE 740	Pharmacy Tech II	60	$685 T-$440/F-$245	Same as AHE 739
AHL 913	PTCB Exam Review	15	$79 T-$28/F-$51	Same as AHE 739
*Course Series Totals:*		135	$2059 T-$1155/F-$904	$166.52*

All courses must be finished for successful program completion

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

Students who have completed the Pharmacy Technician program courses have the option to apply for an unpaid Pharmacy Technician externship in order to get hands-on experience. Contact the Pharmacy Program Director for more information.

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.

Career Coach

Research your career interests, explore live job postings, take a career assessment, discover which companies in the Baltimore region are hiring, and more. View a brief tutorial video on how to use Career Coach at: https://youtu.be/C7KpznbPYfA . Explore career and training opportunities at: https://ccbcmd.emsicareercoach.com/.

Program Contact Information

Administrative Assistant: Claire Loeblein | cloeblein@ccbcmd.edu | 443-840-1389 | Essex

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