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Contact: (336) 334-4822, ext. 50407
Limited Enrollment Associate Degree & Diploma. Contact the Enrollment Services Office for program admission requirements and program application deadlines.
The Pharmacy Technology program prepares individuals to assist the pharmacist in duties that a technician can legally perform and to function within the boundaries prescribed by the pharmacist and the employment agency.
Graduates will prepare prescription medications, mix intravenous solutions, and other specialized medications, update patient profiles, maintain inventories, package medication in unit-dose or med-card form, and gather data used by pharmacists to monitor drug therapy.
Graduates may be employed in retail, hospitals, nursing homes, research laboratories, wholesale drug companies, and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Graduates from the program may be eligible to take the National Certification Examination to become a certified pharmacy technician.
Graduates of the Diploma program are encouraged to take the National Certification Exam administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician. Students interested in the AAS degree year must graduate the Diploma year, pass the PTCB examination, and maintain a 3.5 GPA in the Diploma program to be considered for admission into the AAS year. The curriculum is considered a 1+1 meaning that all students must complete the Diploma curriculum first and can stop there or apply for admission into the AAS year if they meet the admission criteria stated above. Both the Diploma and AAS programs are limited enrollment and require special admission procedures. Admission into the Diploma program does not guarantee admission into the AAS program.
The program outcomes listed below apply to both the Diploma and AAS curriculum, however the AAS curriculum is taught from an advanced perspective pertaining to specific advanced levels of employment. At this time, AAS degrees are only recognized in specific hospital settings.
These competencies are designed to meet the requirements of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) Standards of Pharmacy Technician Training Programs.
Program Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the program, the student should be able to:
- Demonstrate the written and oral communication skills required for safe and legal practice in the role of pharmacy technician
- Demonstrate the critical thinking skills necessary for safe preparation and distribution of medication
- Explain policies and other print materials related to safe preparation and distribution of medication
- Compute mathematical calculations needed to safely prepare medications and solutions
- Manipulate current technologies to prepare, store, inventory, and distribute medications
- Demonstrate the academic knowledge and technical skills necessary for safe preparation, storage, and distribution of medications
- Associate effectively with others by displaying a positive attitude, working as a team member, and showing initiative and responsibility
- Apply knowledge in a legal and ethical manner
In addition to the above diploma level outcomes, AAS graduates will also be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to function in a supervisory role of diploma level technicians.
- Demonstrate the skills necessary to work as a validating technician in the hospital setting.
- Apply knowledge of medications to the role of medication reconciliation in the hospital setting.
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