Pharmacy Technician
FIND YOUR FUTURE AS A
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
Complete Your Pharmacy Technician & Lab Procedures Training in as Little as Nine Months
With courses offered in a combination of in-person and virtual environments and with daytime and evening schedules available, you have the power to choose a schedule that suits your family and work commitments.
Students work collaboratively with classmates and gain hands-on experience under the supervision of qualified, experienced instructors who also provide remote support for online coursework.
CCI Training Center pharmacy technician students gain the knowledge required to:
- Operate the equipment used in the preparation of prescription medicines, including capsules, creams, solutions, and coloring/flavoring.
- Learn how to properly handle supplies such as needles, fillers, and syringes.
- Process prescription requests from patients and doctors’ offices.
- Measure medication amounts accurately.
- Package and label prescriptions for patients, hospital staff, doctors, etc.
- Establish and maintain records relating to patients’ prescriptions.
- Take payments for prescriptions and process insurance claims.
- Assist with the pharmacy’s inventory
- Participate in an externship that is designed to help students put their skills to the test in a real-world work environment and build a network of valuable contacts.
- Sit for pharmacy technician certification exams and register to work in the state of Texas.
Flexible Class Schedules
The Pharmacy Technician and Lab Procedures program at CCI is structured to allow students with family, work, and/or other responsibilities the opportunity to get the necessary career training to pursue a successful pharmacy career. A few of the benefits:
- Online bookwork lets you coordinate study around childcare, work, and other obligations.
- Flexible class schedules provide you with more options for continuing your education.
- Accelerated training allows you to complete your course of study in as little as seven months (depending upon the employer side of the externship).
Becoming a pharmacy technician requires earning a high school diploma or GED, and most states require that the successful completion of a pharmacy technician exam. Completion of a formal training program such as the Certified Pharmacy Technician and Lab Procedures program offered at CCI is often a pre-requisite.
Pharmacy Technician Program Coursework
Required Coursework
Covers math skills essential to the health care professional. Students will refresh, learn and practice basic math skills including consumer mathematics, decimals, percentages, fractions, and the metric system.
Students learn the therapeutic agents and their effects on the human body and their role in the management of disease. The course provides information regarding drug dosages, side effects, interactions, toxicities, and incompatibilities. Students will learn the administration of drugs to pediatric, neonatal, and geriatric patients. Students will leave the class with the ability to make informed decisions when assisting the pharmacist in dispensing drugs. These skills make graduates invaluable to pharmacy operations by recognizing how to avoid costly errors.
CPR and Basic Life Safety Training using the American Heart Association guidelines. Students will master CPR and techniques to assist a choking victim.
An introduction to the technician’s role in pharmacy. Students learn or are introduced to:
- the laws and regulations associated with pharmacy
- details of community-based and health-system-based operations
- inventory management processes
- compounding and preparation of sterile products
- reading prescriptions in the community pharmacy and medication orders in the hospital pharmacy environment
Prepares the student to become certified in Compounding Techniques. This course covers Extemporaneous and non-sterile pharmaceutical compounding. Students also learn about the equipment, supplies, quality assurance, and record-keeping requirements associated with compounding in a pharmacy.
Upon completion of the classroom portion of the Pharmacy Technician and Lab Procedures program, students participate in an Externship at an approved facility. The Externship enables students to work and apply the principles and practices learned in the classroom. Externs work under the direct supervision of qualified personnel with instructor credentials in participating facilities.
Pharmacy Technician students in our program learn to use pharmaceutical mathematics including reading, interpreting, and solving calculations problems encountered in the preparation and distribution of drugs. You will also master apothecary and metric system conversions with an emphasis on weights and volume using the metric systems. The course requires students to use percentage, dilutions, and concentration, milliequivalents, units, intravenous flow rates, as well as solving dosage problems.
Students learn the therapeutic agents and their effects on the human body and their role in the management of disease. The course provides information regarding drug dosages, side effects, interactions, toxicities, and incompatibilities. Students will learn the administration of drugs to pediatric, neonatal, and geriatric patients. Students will leave the class with the ability to make informed decisions when assisting the pharmacist in dispensing drugs. These skills make graduates invaluable to pharmacy operations by recognizing how to avoid costly errors.
Students are trained to perform a variety of blood collection methods using proper techniques and precautions. The course also covers the use of vacuum collection devices, syringes, capillary skin punctures, butterfly needles, and blood culture specimen collection on adults, children, and infants. Students will have hands-on training in specimen handling, processing, and accessioning. Emphasis is placed on the practice of infection prevention, proper patient identification, accurate specimen labeling, and quality assurance. Students will learn the theory and principles of CLIA waived tests and how to perform them in a laboratory setting.
Covers federal state and health care legislation and regulations with specific attention placed on the HIPAA legislation. Students will be prepared to maintain confidentiality, document accurately, use appropriate guidelines for information release, and comply with established risk management and safety procedures.
Prepares students to become certified in IV Sterile Products. They will learn the need for sterile products, the importance of parenteral administration route sterilization, aseptic techniques, and how to manipulate supplies such as needles, filters, and syringes.
A review course covering PTCB’s 3 function areas for pharmacy technicians, as well as testing tips and time competency. Skills assessments include both pre and post-subject matter evaluations.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Students must verify that they meet the background-check requirement in the State of Texas to sit for the state certification exam.
Computer Training for Pharmacy Technicians
Computer Fundamentals: Students will receive introductory training in business computer fundamentals, including how to use Microsoft Word to write letters, create forms, and format documents, how to print documents, conduct basic Internet research, and effectively use various Microsoft browser tools. Students also learn the fundamentals of creating and formatting spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel.
Computers in the Pharmacy: Students learn and practice using a common pharmacy management software application. In addition, students will practice entering patient information, prescriptions, nursing home data, running reports, tracking inventory, and label printing and application.
Pharmacy Management System Training
PioneerRX. CCI’s Pharmacy Technician program partners with PioneerRx, the top pharmacy management system in the industry. PioneerRX enhances our curriculum with a hands-on approach to learning that simulates the work of today’s most innovative pharmacies.
See how PioneerRx compares to other pharmacy software vendors.
After you complete training with CCI and meet state background-check requirements, you will be eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s (PTCB) certification exam.
Where do Pharmacy Technicians Work?
Retail Pharmacies. Located within big box stores or smaller pharmacy store chain locations, often with a medical clinic attached.
Compounding Pharmacies. Pharmacies that make custom medications. These pharmacies are often community-based and independently owned.
Hospitals. Many hospitals have internal pharmacies that maintain records and distribute medications to patients.
Medical Offices & Clinics. The skills, education, and additional certification preparations gained by attending a trusted pharmacy technician school are valuable in obtaining an entry-level position at medical offices and clinics.
Pharmaceutical Companies. Knowledge of industry terminology, ways to compound, and proper handling of medications could also help you pursue a successful career in research, marketing, or pharmaceutical sales.
Career Services and Financial Assistance at CCI Training Center
For more than 36 years, CCI Training Center has empowered students to train for and pursue a fulfilling career. CCI provides career services that help you develop skills and knowledge in your chosen field and guide you to secure suitable employment.
CCI helps students across the job search spectrum from career investigation to interview preparation:
- Career Assessment. Upon enrollment at CCI, placement assistance staff provide guidance and tools to ensure students will begin a fulfilling career path that will play to your strengths.
- Education Assistance. CCI provides several options for financial assistance, including local and federal financial aid, access to grants for those that qualify, loans, and even scholarships to help pay for school.
- Hands-on Training. Flexible on-campus and online program under the direct supervision of an instructor in small classes is what sets CCI apart. CCI’s unique year-round schedule means that students can start their program any month of the year, not confined to a set academic school year. This flexibility allows adult students to go back to school while maintaining family and work obligations.
- Pre-Employment. CCI Training Center offers resume writing assistance to help students feel confident that their resume properly demonstrates the value they bring to employers. CCI will also help students prep for the job interview process. They learn how to master a job interview by developing answers to tough interview questions, discussing strengths, and presenting themselves in the best possible light to future employers.
- Career Development. CCI enables students to develop and plan for career advancement. Students learn skills in networking, effective communication, time management, online job search, and interview skills.
No matter where you are in your journey, CCI Training Center can provide uniquely qualified training and support.
