Pharmacy Technician

The need for Pharmacy Technicians continues to grow with demand expected to increase substantially through 2026. 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. With nearly 500,000 pharmacy technicians employed nationwide, the field continues to offer strong opportunities, including about 49,000 openings each year.

This comprehensive course will prepare learners to enter the pharmacy field and take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam. Content includes pharmacy terminology, reading and interpreting prescriptions, defining generic and brand names drugs, and much, much more.  This program will prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and to pursue certification including the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam.

Program Objectives

After completing this program, learners will be able to:

• Define the difference between retail and hospital pharmacy settings
• Demonstrate ethical conduct in all duties performed
• Explain the laws that govern pharmacy, whether federal or state mandated
• Interpret physician orders and prescriptions
• Prepare and explain the administration of medications
• Define medical and pharmaceutical terms and common abbreviations
• Explain the pharmacology of medications in relation to the anatomy affected
• Perform pharmaceutical calculations
• Communicate effectively with patients and medical professionals
• Recognize the importance of confidentiality of all patient information
• Process insurance billing and/or collect payments
• Control inventory
• Discuss important milestones and leaders in the history of pharmacy practice
• Identify the requirements, behaviors, characteristics, and career options for the pharmacy technician
• Describe how advances in technology and research impacts pharmacy practice
• Describe the commonly used drug reference resources including the major reason for use and the organization
• Describe the drugs in the current Top 200 Drug List including brand and generic name, drug classification, and uses

Certification Opportunities

After completing this program, learners will have the option to take the leading national/industry-recognized certification exam(s) essential to entry-level employment in this fast-growing field.

	Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)
	National Workforce Career Association (NWCA) Pharmacy Technician Associate Certification (PTAC)

Job and Externship Placement Services

Regardless if you elect to pursue national certification or not, if you enroll and successfully complete this program, assuming you pass a background check and drug screen, you will have guaranteed access to our Ready to Work (RTW) Job and Externship Placement services. All students who successfully complete this program (and pass a background check and drug screen) will have access to the RTW Externship or Job placement services at no additional cost.

Please note that if you choose Ready to Work (RTW) Externship Placement, you must be available to attend your RTW Externship on a full-time or part-time basis, Monday through Friday, between 7am – 5pm (minimum of 4 hours per day) for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days per week. Evening and weekend externships are not available, with the exception of Pharmacy Technician, which may have evening and weekend opportunities. Externships must be completed in person at the employer facility during the scheduled hours. With the exception of Medical Billing & Coding (MBC) students, remote externships are not available. Additionally, remote RTW Job Placements are very limited. Students have 6 months from course completion to request RTW placement services. After 6 months, a refresher course is required to be eligible for RTW placement services.