OBJECTIVE

Upon successful completion of the Pharmacy Technician program, the student will have been trained in the necessary skills to obtain employment in a variety of pharmacy settings, including community pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and in-patient-facility pharmacies. The student will be able to assist a Registered Pharmacist in day-to-day pharmacy operations; understand basic anatomy and physiology and related medical terminology; correctly process prescriptions; handle routine hospital pharmacy laboratory tasks; understand the basic pharmacology of the most common classes of prescription drugs, and be ready to take and pass the national certification examination for pharmacy technicians.

Having successfully completed the program, the student may qualify for such positions as a Pharmacy Technician, Pharmacy Assistant, or Pharmacy Clerk under the supervision of a Registered Pharmacist.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

PT-100 Intro to Pharmacy & Business Essentials 120 hours / 6 credits

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be will have been trained in the current environment of the pharmacy industry and the common practices of modern pharmacy operations. The student will understand the ethical and legal requirements of pharmacy practice, including HIPAA; pharmacy business skills, including third-party insurances, cash-drawer management, stock control, inventory management, and word-processing using Microsoft Word; customer service in the pharmacy environment; and the basics of fractions, decimals, percents, ratios, proportions, and the metric system as used in pharmacy practice. PREREQUISITE: NONE

PT-200 Anatomy & Physiology 120 hours / 6 credits

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to understand the basic structure and function of the human body as a whole and of individual body systems; apply the correct medical terminology to basic body structures and functions; identify the most common pathological conditions as well as the causes and effects of these conditions; utilize root words, prefixes, suffixes, symbols, and abbreviations in understanding medical language; and properly and efficiently use a medical dictionary. PREREQ: NONE

PT-300 Prescription Processing 120 hours / 6 credits

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to understand how to read prescriptions and other doctor's orders, the legal requirements of prescription processing, how to prepare a prescription label, the medical terminology associated with prescription processing, and data entry of patient profiles into pharmacy-management software systems. The student will also be trained in the calculation of drug dosages for oral and parenteral administration, pediatric dosages, dosages measured in units, IV flow rates, and various special considerations in drug administration. PREREQUISITE: NONE

PT-400 Hospital Pharmacy 120 hours / 6 credits

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to understand pharmacy procedures in patient-care settings. The student will be trained in equipment needs for dosage measurements and administration, drug delivery systems (including IVs), aseptic techniques for admixtures and sterile solutions, reading hospital orders, and proper use of laboratory equipment including the Laminar Flow hood. PREREQUISITE: NONE

PT-500 Pharmacology 120 hours / 6 credits

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to understand basic pharmacology, including the biological factors affecting drug actions, geriatric pharmacology, the pharmacology of infectious diseases, antineoplastic agents, and the actions and medical uses of drugs in the body systems learned in MED-201, for example: psychotropic drugs, muscle relaxants, anesthetics, antiarrhythmic and antianginal drugs, diuretics, anticoagulants, antidiabetics, antihistamines, bronchodilators, and immunosuppressants. PREREQUISITE: NONE

PT-600 Certification Preparation 30 hours / 2 credits

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will have been trained in applying the knowledge gained in the entire program to demonstrating competency in the pharmacy industry and in the role of the pharmacy technician. The student will be able to demonstrate that competency in practice sessions for the National Certification Examination and also by his/her performance in the Externship that follows. PREREQUISITES: PT-100 INTRO TO PHARMACY AND BUSINESS ESSENTIALS, PT-200 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY, PT-300 PRESCRIPTION PROCESSING, PT-400 HOSPITAL PHARMACY, AND PT-500 PHARMACOLOGY

PT-700 Externship 90 hours / 4 credits

The student will receive 90 hours of externship (without pay) under the supervision of qualified personnel in an effort to provide the opportunity for hands-on application of learned skills in a full-function pharmacy setting. The assigned Registered Pharmacist, in conjunction with the school's Externship Coordinator, will monitor the student's performance through an ongoing evaluation and feedback process. While DPT School will try to accommodate a student's preferences, the school will make the final determination of Externship sites. PREREQUISITES: MUST FIRST PASS ALL OTHER PT COURSES