Pharmacy Technician
Partnered with Gatlin Education
GES 117 -- 300 hours
The Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program was developed in response to a rising need for trained technicians to work in either the hospital or retail pharmacy setting. In recent years, the Pharmacy Technician profession has become indispensable to the healthcare field. A nationwide shortage of pharmacists and a growing consumer demand for prescription medications have allowed pharmacy technicians the opportunity to play a continually more important role in today's pharmacy industry. With this growing opportunity, however, has also come increased responsibility, and this increased responsibility has made Pharmacy Technician 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.
A pharmacy technician is an individual who, under the supervision of a pharmacist, assists in the performance of those pharmacy-department activities not requiring the professional judgment of a pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians assist and support licensed pharmacists in providing health care to patients. Pharmacy Technicians have been called pharmacy helpers, pharmacy clinicians, pharmacy support personnel as wellas various other titles, depending on their location. 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 do not 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.
The Pharmacy Technician program also provides hands-on practice in retail pharmacy procdures via an online lab module. Students will learn what informaiton is necessary to process prescriptions and physician orders. They will apply knowledge gained to fill mock prescriptions. Each student will receive a lab kit to perform the assignments in the lab section of their program.
This program prepares students for entry-level pharmacy technician positions. Medical and pharmaceutical terminology will be introduced, and basic anatomy related to the pharmacology of medications will be a major component of the coursework along with pharmaceutical calculations. This program provides students the necessary information required to pass the National Certification Exam offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. GES does not guarantee that the Pharmacy Technician program will meet all state requirements. All states currently have a site with board of pharmacy information. You can access this information directly from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) website at www.ptcb.org. If you cannot access this information via the Internet, you can always call the state board and ask for the current technician regulations.
As a part of the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program, students are required to perform Clinical rotations (also called an externship). Clinical rotations will be based on individual state board requirements. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the pharmacy externship program or they can opt to set up their own externship locally. In the event that clinical sites cannot be found, a research project for each area will be assigned.
The curriculum consists of:
Upon registering, you are given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a 6-month extension at no additional charge.
NEW Pharmacy Externship with Gatlin Education Services!
Gatlin Education Services has reached a nationwide agreement with several national pharmacies that will give our Pharmacy Technician students an important leg up in the job market. These pharmacies will offer their renowned externship programs to students taking Gatlin’s Pharmacy Technician online career training program provided basic qualifications are met.
These pharmacies will supply externs with 20 to 40 hours of hands-on experience that includes assisting pharmacists with prescriptions, answering patient questions about medications and a bevy of administrative duties.
In order to qualify for a pharmacy externship, you will have to pass a drug screening, obtain general liability insurance, and a background check/employment verification will be required. Additional forms may be necessary when using certain pharmacies. Information is sent over to our contacts once a week, 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 into the program. Positions in the externship program are contingent on availability at each pharmacy location. Students are also allowed the option to set up their own externship at any other retail or hospital facility or you may complete a research assignment in lieu of completing an externship.
**Walgreens is not currently able to place externship students in Arizona and Florida because they are piloting a POWER project in those states. Therefore Walgreens is unable to support the educational needs of pharmacy tech training students. An alternate externship with CVS is still available in these states.
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Upon completion of the GES Pharmacy Technician Course, the student will be able to:
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I. Orientation to Pharmacy
II. Pharmacy Law and Ethics
III. Medical and Pharmaceutical Terminology
IV. Pharmaceutical Calculations
V. Pharmacology (OTC drugs discussed under their appropriate classification)
VI. Communication Skills
VII. Insurance and Inventory Procedures
VIII. Lab Module
IX. Clinical Rotations
X. Final Comprehensive Exam
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This course is compatible with Windows Vista Operating System.
This course can be taken on either a Mac or a PC; however, most medical offices currently use PCs. A high speed internet connection is recommended.
Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Acrobat Reader are required for this course.
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GES will provide the required materials for this program. They include:
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Lorraine C. Zentz CPhT, PhD, has been a pharmacy technician since 1981. She lives in the small mountain town of Mesa, Colorado – population 400, and currently works on-call at the regional hospital in the oncology pharmacy in Grand Junction, Colorado. She has worked in all pharmacy arenas (retail, home health, hospital, oncology, and training/education) during her pharmacy career. Lorraine received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in chemistry, and her Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction (the design and implementation of educational materials). She also completed her doctorate studies in adult education. She has held the position of Colorado State Coordinator for NPTA and Chairman of the Colorado Pharmacist Society Technician Academy and has been certified since 1985. In 2004 she was the recipient of the “Outstanding Leadership Award” and also named “Technician of the Year” for the state of Colorado. Lorraine conducts continuing education programs for technicians throughout Colorado and nationally at the annual NPTA convention.
Betty Stahl has a doctorate in Pharmacy from Shenandoah University. She has taught pharmacy technician courses at ASA College in New York City and ACT in Arlington, Virginia over the past several years. Betty has also worked as a pharmacist at CVS and in hospital settings. She looks forward to working with you in the course.
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Click here to view a demo of this class.
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