Program Description
Pharmacy technicians assist and support licensed pharmacists in providing health care to patients. The Pharmacy Technician Online Certification Training Program was developed in response to a rising need for trained technicians to work in hospital or retail pharmacies. The pharmacy technician profession has become indispensable to the health care field. With this growing opportunity, however, has also come increased responsibility, and this increased responsibility has made certification an important issue for many industry employers and some state legislatures. Some states now require all individuals who work as pharmacy technicians to become nationally certified.
In all parts of the country, pharmacy technicians must have a broad knowledge of pharmacy practice and must be skilled in the techniques required to order, stock, package, and prepare medications, but they don't need the advanced college education required of a licensed pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians may perform many of the same duties as a pharmacist; however, all of their work must be checked by a pharmacist before medication can be dispensed to a patient.
This program will prepare you for entry-level pharmacy technician positions by teaching you medical and pharmaceutical terminology, basic anatomy related to the pharmacology of medications, and pharmaceutical calculations. The Pharmacy Technician Program will give you hands-on practice in retail pharmacy procedures through an online lab module. You'll learn what information is necessary to process prescriptions and physician orders and apply that knowledge to fill mock prescriptions. The curriculum also includes the ethics of pharmacy practice and education about prescription medications, patient care and interaction, and charges and reimbursement.
You'll learn everything you need to know to pass the National Certification Exam offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. However, you'll need to make sure that the Pharmacy Technician Program will meet your state's requirements. To check, visit your state's Board of Pharmacy site for more information. You can access this information directly from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Web site at www.ptcb.org. You can also call the state board and ask for the current technician regulations.
As a part of the Pharmacy Technician Online Certification Training Program, students are required to perform clinical rotations (also called an externship). Clinical rotations are based on individual state board requirements. Learn more about externships below!
Upon registering for this program, you're given an initial six months to complete it. Should you need more time, you may request a six-month extension at no additional charge.
Pharmacy Externship with Medical Aesthetic Training of California.
Once our students have completed 300 hrs of Online training and provided they meet basic qualifications, our Pharmacy Technician Program Externs will get hands-on experience. The externship training includes assisting pharmacists with prescriptions, answering patient questions about medications, and a bevy of administrative duties.
In order to qualify for externship, you'll have to pass a drug screening test, complete a background check and employment verification, meet current immunization standards, conform with and complete any State mandates such as registration, fingerprinting, licensing etc. Additional forms may be necessary for externships with certain pharmacies. It may take up to 12 weeks to find an available opening.
*Disclaimer: An externship with these pharmacies is not guaranteed. All students must apply to the program and complete the prerequisite criteria before being accepted. Positions in the externship program are contingent on availability at each pharmacy location. Students may also set up their own externship at any other retail or hospital facility or complete a research assignment in lieu of an externship.