Understand the profession of pharmacy
     You will understand how pharmacy got to the point we are at today, what is currently happening, and what the future may hold. You will also learn about the many career paths available to the pharmacy technician.

Identify & understand the regulatory agencies and laws that affect pharmacy
     You will learn how pharmacies, pharmacists, and technicians are regulated. You will identify the major laws affecting the practice of pharmacy and who is the enforcing agency. You will be able to understand the legal basis for negligence, ethical practice, and the standard of care as well as civil and criminal infractions of the law. State specific pharmacy law will be addressed.

Understand the process of bringing new drugs to market
     You will learn the process involved in bringing a new drug to market through the NDA approval process. You will learn how the government determines a drug's safety and effectiveness through clinical trials.

Understand the naming of drug products
     All drugs have at least two names. Some have three. You will learn why they have so many and what they can tell us about the drug. You will study about trademarks and brand name products.

Recognize and process drug orders
     You will learn the requirements and procedures for filling both retail and hospital drug orders. You will learn to use patient profiles and medical administration records. You will understand how drugs need to be packaged before dispensing to the patient or the nursing unit.

Order, maintain, and control pharmacy inventory and returns
     You will understand the process and paperwork involved in the acquisition, storage, and return of drug products. You will learn how drugs must be stored to retain their potency and how to comply legally with pharmacy law. The drug recall procedure will be studied, and the student will learn about the different levels of recall severity. You will also learn how to dispose of expired or returned medications.

Identify & understand the differences in handling controlled substances
     Controlled substances require different procedures in their handling and dispensing. You will learn what controlled drugs are, what the different schedules represent, and the differences involved in their ordering, storage, dispensing, returns, and destruction. You will learn the documentation requirements and learn about the DEA number that identifies anyone who is involved with controlled substances.

Completely cover pharmacy calculations
     Our program contains a complete pharmacy math course. You will start with a review of basic math principles and then progress through the calculations necessary for both retail and hospital technicians. Some of the math functions covered include, conversions, proportions, alligations, adult dosing, pediatric dosing, business calculations, concentration calculations, and IV calculations. Our classes are organized so that math is introduced a little at a time rather than one class where all of the math is thrown at the student at once.

Understand and participate in sterile product preparation
     You will learn about the equipment, principles, and techniques used in the preparation of IV fluids and other sterile dosage forms. You will learn the definition and importance of sterility as well as the methods used to minimize contamination of the product. Safety of both the patient and the technician will be emphasized when dealing with hazardous substances.

Provide a basic understanding of pharmacology & pharmacological classes
     You will learn the basic principles of pharmacology including definitions, classes, mechanism of action, potency, receptor theory, agonist vs antagonists, and more. You will learn about major disease states in the human population and how drugs are used to control the condition.

Provide a basic understanding of pharmacokinetics
     You will learn the basic principles of pharmacokinetics including definitions, factors that affect a drug's metabolism and elimination, and dosing considerations based on kinetic principles.

Prepare the student to participate in the administrative duties of the pharmacy
     You will have an understanding of pharmacy management duties such as pricing, inventories, inspections, paperwork completion and retention, work flow, quality assurance, and more.

Identify and understand how to support the pharmacist in their duties
     One of the prime functions of the technician is to free the pharmacist to participate in patient centered activities such as counseling. We will look at different ways to allow technicians to support the pharmacist.

Provide the student with the knowledge necessary to pass the PTCE
     We encourage all of our students to take the national pharmacy technician certification examination (PTCE). When the student has satisfactorily completed our course, they should have the ability to pass the examination on their first try.