Total Credit Hours: 31 credit hours

Major Credit Hours: 28 credit hours

Offered to students enrolled at the St. Augustine College location only.

Description of Program: A Pharmacy Technician is an Allied Health Professional whose practitioners work in hospital, institutional and retail pharmacies assisting pharmacists as well as pharmacy patrons.

The Pharmacy Technician Program prepares students for practice as Pharmacy Technicians, performing a wide variety of tasks in both retail and hospital pharmacies under the supervision of a pharmacist. Students develop skills in areas of pharmacy practice such as computer order entry, pharmaceutical calculations, record keeping, inventory management, insurance billing and adjudication, mixing intravenous solutions, and compounding of products to be dispensed. Special emphasis is on product knowledge and learning detailed information regarding drugs. Externship experience in retail or hospital pharmacies is included.

The occupational demand and employment opportunities available to graduates of the Pharmacy Technician program are immense. Employment of pharmacy technicians is projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. The role of pharmacy technicians has also expanded, and they are now administering vaccines to pharmacy patrons. Demands for pharmacy services are expected to increase because of the large number of older people, who typically use more prescription medicines than younger people. Higher rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, among all age groups also will lead to increased demand for prescription medications. In addition, pharmacy technicians will be needed to take on a greater role in pharmacy operations because pharmacists are increasingly performing more patient care activities. Technicians will need to perform tasks – such as collecting patient information, handling prescription transfers, and verifying the work of other technicians – that were previously done by pharmacists.

Program Learning Outcomes: At the end of the program, students shall:

1. Perform computer order entry in the pharmacy for the purpose of delivering medications to patients
2. Demonstrate effective pharmacy technician practice including an understanding of product knowledge of drugs, insurance billing and adjudication, pharmaceutical calculations, inventory management, and record keeping.
3. Adhere to legal principles and the code of ethics for pharmacy technicians.
4. Implement the principles of cultural sensitivity and respect when administering patient care.
5. Demonstrate safe and effective pharmacy technician practice as well as performing appropriate pharmacy procedures and activities.
6. Use of appropriate pharmacy terminology for the purpose of delivering medications to pharmacy clients.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
General Education
ENGL 11100	College Writing 1	3
Program Core Requirements
HUPR 19500	Medical Terminology	3
HLSC 10100	General Anatomy and Physiology	3
HLSC 10200	General Anatomy and Physiology Lab	1
PHMT 10500	Law and Ethics and Principles of Pharmacy	4
PHMT 11500	Hospital Pharmacy Practice	5
PHMT 12500	Billing, Records, and Inventory Management	4
PHMT 14500	Pharmaceutical Calculations	4
PHMT 21000	Pharmacy Technician Externship (Retail- or Hospital-Based)	4

Admission Requirements:

1. General Admission Requirements
   1. Be 17 years of age or older
   2. Be a high school graduate or hold an official transcript of the General Education Development (GED) test.
   3. St. Augustine College at Lewis University requires all students to take placement exams in English and Mathematics as part of the admission process. These no-pass, no-fail tests are designed to ensure that students are ready to enroll in the English and Mathematics courses that are required in the Pharmacy Technician program.
2. Other Program Requirements
   1. A Criminal Background Check is required before externship. Student externs should be advised that any felony and some misdemeanor convictions may prevent them from being accepted as an extern, securing employment in a retail or hospital pharmacy, or getting a state Pharmacy Technician license from IDFPR. Most background checks may include drug and alcohol screening and health physicals.
   2. Physical Examination form will be provided by the Pharmacy Technician Program Director, which will be filled out by the student’s primary care physician.
   3. The vaccinations and tests that will be required by clinical sites are the following:
      1. Hepatitis B vaccine – 3 series; at lease the first dose of the three series have been administered before the start of externship
      2. COVID-19 vaccines – primary doses as well as the booster doses
      3. TB testing – Quantiferon or PPD test