Program Objectives

1. To prepare the licensed graduate to function at entry-level competency as an assistant to a licensed pharmacist in both retail and hospital settings. This training encompasses a thorough understanding of the responsibilities and duties of pharmacy technicians, including the standards of ethics and law, as they pertain to the
2. practice of pharmacy.
3. To provide the student with a sufficient knowledge base in pharmaceutical and medical terminology, abbreviations, and symbols used in prescribing, dispensing, and documenting medications. The student will attain a working knowledge of trade and generic names, dosages, frequently used routes of administration, and dosage forms of medications. The student will be prepared to perform the necessary calculations used in dosage determination and preparation of drugs.
4. To prepare the student to perform the essential functions related to drug procurement and inventory control.
5. To provide the student with a working knowledge of manufacturing and packaging operations, including the physical and chemical nature of drugs used in a pharmacy. Packaging and labeling requirements as well as manufacturing techniques used for drug dispensing will be covered.
6. To provide the student with a working knowledge of aseptic technique, parenteral admixtures, compounding procedures, and microbiology as it applies to disease and the use of aseptic techniques in the health field. Institutional drug distribution methods used in hospitals such as Sure-Med, Pyxis, and Robot-Rx machines will be surveyed.
7. To equip the student with a working knowledge of computers for entry-level employment in a pharmacy setting.
8. To provide the student with an understanding of how medications work to promote health and to treat disease.