Program specifics about earning a Pharmacy Technology A.A.S. Degree at Northland.
The Pharmacy Technician works as an assistant to a Registered Pharmacist, assisting or relieving the Pharmacist in routine technical and clerical duties and functioning in strict accordance with standard written procedures and guidelines under the supervision of the professional Pharmacist. A.A.S. graduates have enhanced potential for upward progression in the career of Pharmacy, as the general education component gives the student a well-rounded foundation of knowledge. Students, using their own laptop computers, learn how to access patient profiles, input drug orders, and print prescription labels. They learn how to fill prescriptions and aseptic techniques for intravenous drug admixture in the College’s state-of-the-art teaching lab.
Program Learner Outcomes
1. Student will complete all assigned tasks and duties according policies and procedures governing hospital, retail, and industrial pharmacy.
2. Student will perform proficiently and professionally as a Pharmacy Technician in hospital, retail, and industrial environments.
3. Student will prepare and interpret pharmacy orders accurately and proficiently.
4. Student will exhibit work ethic characteristics of professionalism, responsibility, and dependability.
5. Student will apply principles of basic sciences to the practice of pharmacy technology.
6. Student will communicate effectively with patients, physicians, and colleagues based upon respect for the dignity and worth of each person.
Licensure & Certifications
Graduating from a ASHP accredited Pharmacy Technology program is to provide academic and clinical training in pharmacy technology that will allow the student to prepare to successfully pass the national Pharmacy Technology Certification Board (PTCB) exam and be nationally recognized as an CPhT.
Eligibility Requirements
- Completion of a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program or equivalent work experience
- Full disclosure of all criminal and State Board of Pharmacy registration or licensure actions
- Compliance with all applicable PTCB Certification policies
- A passing score on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam® (PTCE®)
- Beginning in January 2020, candidates must complete a PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program OR equivalent work experience in order to be eligible. To be eligible for the PTCE, a candidate must complete one of the following two pathways:
- Pathway 1: A PTCB-Recognized Education/Training Program (or completion within 60 days). Candidates choose from more than 1,400 recognized programs.
- Pathway 2: Equivalent work experience as a pharmacy technician (min. 500 hours). This alternative secondary path serves experienced technicians who were not in a position to attend a PTCB-recognized program. PTCB accepts work experience across pharmacy practice settings that pertains to certain knowledge requirements.