Pharmacy Technician

The objective of the Pharmacy Technician program is to prepare students for the roles, responsibilities, and expertise  needed to be a successful pharmacy technician. During this program, students have the opportunity to learn didactically as well as experientially. Students  will learn medical terminology, basic pharmacology, pharmacy laws and ethics, and how to handle administrative care, including communicating professionally, dispensing various forms of medication, operating patient profiles, filing insurance claims, accepting prescription orders, and more. Quality technicians are necessary for a pharmacy to run efficiently and to provide opportunity for association with other community/retail pharmacies, hospitals, specialty pharmacies, mail-order facilities, and compounding pharmacies.

Students will prepare to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) given by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Candidates who successfully complete the certification exam will earn the CPhT designation and Certified Pharmacy Technician credentials. All certified pharmacy technicians are required to complete continuing education and recertify every two years. Pharmacy Technician requirements vary by state. It is the student’s responsibility to verify these requirements.

Externship hours are a part of a student’s required coursework in the Pharmacy Technician program at Bryan University. Students are not usually paid for the work performed during practicum/clinical course activities. All school rules apply to externship course hours. Students participating in externship course hours are reminded that they are acting as representatives of Bryan University and are  expected to be professional at all times.

Externship hours are offered during regularly scheduled business hours at an approved healthcare facility. Bryan University does not guarantee the availability of night/weekend externships hours. Students are expected to complete externship course hours within the grading period as outlined in the course description and requirements.

Depending on the pharmacy location students choose for their externship, CoVid vaccines and drug screenings may be required.

Following the completion of the program, a graduate should have:

• Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pathology, and pharmacology
• Knowledge of basic computer applications and healthcare information technologies
• Knowledge of pharmacy science as it pertains to the different branches of medicine and what is involved with its use, effect, and action
• Ability to communicate, query, and collaborate with healthcare stakeholders such as pharmacists, physicians, and other healthcare staff
• Ability to work in pharmacy environments

The following is a list of occupations and organizations that one could pursue for employment:

• Hospitals (inpatient, outpatient, intravenous pharmacy technician).
• Ambulatory Care Settings.
• Pharmacies (community, specialty, compounding).
• Work from home positions (insurance adjudication, customer support, medication therapy management).

include, but are not limited to, the following:

• 31-9095 – Pharmacy Aides
• 31-9099 – Healthcare Support Worker

*Detailed information surrounding these classifications can be found at the following website: https://www.bls.gov/soc/2018/major_groups.htm.

In order to graduate and receive a Pharmacy Technician Certificate, a student must earn a minimum of 24 credits for the courses in the curriculum and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better. Students who elect to do so may also sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE); completion of certification exams are not required to graduate.

Each semester is 16 weeks, split into two 8-week terms. The following term schedule is subject to change.