The Central Texas College (CTC) Continuing Education department is currently holding registration for its Pharmacy Technician program which starts Monday, September 28. The program consists of 200 hours of live online instruction and small group, hands-on lab training on campus. The program prepares students for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board national test required by the state of Texas. Pharmacy technicians help the pharmacist package or mix prescriptions, maintain client records, refer clients to the pharmacist for counseling, assist with inventory control and purchasing and collect payment and coordinate billing. The need for pharmacy technicians is expected to grow 12 percent by 2026 with an earning potential between $12-20 per hour.
The CTC program consists of four courses in which students will learn about law, ethics, terminology, body systems, calculations, purchasing, inventory, communication and professionalism in the workplace. The classes must be taken as a cohort in the order they are offered. First is Introduction to Pharmacy which provides an overview of the job qualifications, operational guidelines and the duties performed by a pharmacy technician. It is followed by Pharmacy Law which details federal and state laws governing the practice of pharmacy. It also includes the code of ethics, the role of the pharmacy technician and the pharmacist and their associated responsibilities.
The third class in the program is Pharmaceutical Math. Students will solve pharmaceutical calculation problems encountered in the preparation and distribution of drugs. It is followed by the fourth class, Community Pharmacy Practice, which covers the skills needed to process, prepare, label and maintain records of prescriptions. Also covered in this class are pour techniques, prescription calculations, drug selection and preparation, over-the-counter drugs, inventory management, legal parameters and customer service.
Based on instructor approval, students can also participate in the clinical Institutional Pharmacy Practice which starts midway through the program. It includes an in-depth coverage of hospital pharmacy organization, work flow and personnel, safety techniques, data entry, packaging Repor and labeling operations, in-patient drug distribution systems including investigational drugs, continuous quality improvement and inventory control.
Upon completion, students will have acquired numerous skills and be able to prepare medications for distribution; distribute medications in multiple pharmacy settings; assist the pharmacist in the identification of clients who desire or require counseling to optimize the use of medications, equipment, devices and maintain the pharmacy equipment and facilities; assist the pharmacist in preparing, storing and distributing investigational medications; and assist the pharmacist in monitoring medication therapy.
New to the Pharmacy Technician program is the addition of private (one student-one instructor) and semi-private lessons (two students-one instructor) for a variety of medical math and pharmacy technician topics such as drug calculations, law, pharmacology, IV calculations and other topics. Private lessons are geared toward students and medical professionals looking to further their understanding of dosage calculations needed for the pharmacy, nursing and EMT fields.
To enroll in the Pharmacy Technician program, students must be at least 18 years of age at the time of enrollment. They should also be competent in basic computer operations and will be required to have access to the internet, printing capabilities and an email address. Application packets must include a high school diploma/transcript or G.E.D or official transcripts of higher t education. Also, two references (relatives may not be used) must be completed on the forms available through the CTC Continuing Education department or on the CTC website at <www.ctcd.edu/myctcd/assets/File/Students/ CE/ ApplicationReferences. pdf>.
The CTC Pharmacy Technician program runs September 28 through April 26 with classes on Monday/Wednesday evening from 5-9 p.m. The program costs $2,595 plus the cost of textbooks and supplies. The optional clinical is an additional $649 while private tutoring is $199 and semi-private tutoring is $119. Payment options including MyCAA benefits, a Sallie Mae loan and installment plans are available. For more information or to register, contact the CTC Continuing Education department at 254-526-1586.