Pharmacy Tech

The Pharmacy Technician program is a year-long program. Students must be a high school Junior in spring semester or Senior beginning in fall semester.

3 Required Prerequisites:  Program course pre-requisites must be completed with a grade of C or better.

• Intro to Health Science
• Secondary Math 2
• English 11 OR one of the following:
  • AP English Language and Composition*
  • IB English*

Other Optional Recommended Courses that will help prepare:

• Medical Anatomy & Physiology (MAP)
• Chemistry

A GPA of 3.0 is required for admission into the Pharmacy Technician program. Throughout the program, the student must complete coursework at a “B-” (GPA of 2.67 or higher) to meet Pharmacy Tech program standard guidelines.

Entry Level Program: This program is for Seniors and will start the fall semester of their Senior year. The Pharmacy Technician class will fill 2 periods for a semester for a full year of a student’s schedule. Please make sure you have the time necessary to enroll in the Pharmacy Technician program by checking your graduation status with your high school counselor. 

This Training schedule consists of 490 hours plus 180 externship hours. Please note Externship hours are to be completed outside of class time. 

Advanced Level Program: This program is for Juniors and will start the Spring semester of their Junior year. The Pharmacy Technician class will fill 2 periods for 3 semesters (1 semester as a Junior and 2 semesters as a Senior). Please make sure you have the time necessary to enroll in the Pharmacy Technician program by checking your graduation status with your high school counselor. 

This Training schedule consists of 630 hours plus 240 externship hours.
*Please note that Externship hours are to be completed outside of class time. 

Once accepted, students will receive information regarding a mandatory program orientation. Here they will receive further instructions and details on the following:

• A GPA of 3.0 is required for admission into the Pharmacy Technician program. Throughout the program, the student must complete coursework at a “B-” (GPA of 2.67 or higher) to meet Pharmacy Tech program standard guidelines.
• Utah law requires that a student working in a pharmacy as part of a pharmacy technician training program student must obtain a Pharmacy Technician Training License.
• Students must plan to spend time outside of class hours to complete assignments and study for exams.
• Illicit drug use, criminal background checks, and immunization status may prevent future employment as a pharmacy technician, externship sites, employers, and State Boards of Pharmacy have regulations about drug use, criminal backgrounds, and immunization status.
• Please note a disclosure will need to be signed by, the parent/guardian and student giving their permission for the student to undergo a drug screening and background check in order to determine if the student qualifies to participate in the clinical externship portion of the program. 

Under the direct supervision of the pharmacist, Pharmacy Technicians work in a variety of locations, mostly in hospital and retail/community pharmacies, but sometimes in long-term care facilities, third-party insurance companies, clinical pharmacy settings or in teaching or government establishments.

The job description example below shows vital tasks, duties, and responsibilities a pharmacy technician would be expected to perform. These duties include but are not limited to:

• Maintain pharmacy inventory
• Place and expedite orders
• Remove outdated drugs
• Prepare labels; calculate quantities; and assemble intravenous solutions
• Ensure medicine is available by delivering medications to departments and patients
• Create and keep patient profiles with lists of medications taken by each patient
• Transfer medication from vials to disposable syringes with proper number of sterile syringes, by using aseptic techniques
• Add measured nutrients and drugs to intravenous solutions under sterile conditions
• Prepare intravenous (IV) packs with the pharmacist supervision
• Monitor robotic machines that dispense medicine into containers, and label such containers accordingly
• Process and prepare medical insurance claims and forms
• Operate pharmacy cash registers and accept payment from customers
• Deliver pharmaceutical supplies and medications to surgery, patients, and nursing stations

 Essential skills:

• Detail oriented
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Computer skills
• Time management skills
• Professional positive attitude

For a more comprehensive description, visit:   29-2052.00 - Pharmacy Technicians (onetonline.org)

Program Length: The Pharmacy Technician class will fill 2 periods each semester, requiring a full year of a student’s schedule. Please make sure you have the time necessary to enroll in the Pharmacy Technician program by checking your graduation status with your high school counselor.

Introduction to Pharmacy – An overview of the qualifications, operational guidelines, and job duties of a pharmacy technician.

Professional skills- Students will discuss the following professional skills, dress, behavior, punctuality, effective communication, teamwork, discretion, organization, and critical thinking. Students will write a professional resume, participate in mock interviews, and build training videos.

Pharmacy Law – Overview of federal and state laws governing the practice of pharmacy. The role of the pharmacy technician and the pharmacist and their associated responsibilities. Includes Code of Ethics, patient confidentiality, and a comparison of legal and ethical aspects.

Community Pharmacy Practice – Introduction to the skills necessary to process, prepare, label, and maintain records of prescriptions in a community pharmacy to include customer service, count and pour techniques, prescription calculations, drug selection and preparation, over-the-counter drugs, inventory management and legal parameters.

Institutional Pharmacy Practice – Fundamentals of the diverse roles and practice of pharmacy technicians in an institutional pharmacy setting. In-depth coverage of hospital pharmacy organization, workflow and personnel, safety techniques, data entry, packaging and labeling operations, inpatient drug distribution systems, including investigational drugs, continuous quality improvement, and inventory control.

Pharmacy Drug Therapy and Treatment – Study of therapeutic agents, their classifications, properties, actions, and effects on the human body and their role in the management of disease.

Drug Classification – A study of pharmaceutical drugs, abbreviations, classifications, dosages, side effects, and routes of administration.

Pharmaceutical Mathematics – Solving pharmaceutical calculation problems encountered in the preparation and distribution of drugs

Compounding Sterile Preparations – The process of compounding sterile preparations and aseptic technique within legal and regulatory guidelines specified by USP <797> and USP <800> standards

Pharmacy Technician Certification Review - A review of major topics covered on the National Pharmacy Technician Certification examination

Pharmacy Externship Preparation –This course reviews the pharmacy technician's role in community pharmacies and specific technician duties, preparing student for practical on-site experiences in both hospital and community pharmacy settings.

The Davis Catalyst Pharmacy Technician program is accredited by the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP).

Davis Catalyst Program Fees

• Lab Fee  $70.00
• Drug Screening  $25.00
• Scrubs  $50.00

Fees Paid to outside organizations for licensing purposes

• Pharmacy Technician Trainee License (paid to DOPL; required for externship)  $50.00
• Fingerprint Rolling fee (option for a background check more info below)  $35.00
• Licensure (not required to graduate, but needed to work in Utah) 
  • PTCB exam  $129.00 or ExCPT exam  $115.00
• Utah State License application fee  $95.00

INK Fingerprinting location information:

www.ApplicantServices.com
55 South State Street 
Clearfield, UT 84015
(801) 525-2806

Pharmacy Technicians salary range typically starts at approximately $14.50 to $18/hour along Visit these links for more detailed information:

Pharmacy Technicians : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)

Program Description: The Davis Catalyst center offers a comprehensive program that teaches fundamental skills to prepare students to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and obtain a Utah pharmacy technician license. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to perform a wide range of practice-related duties including but not limited to filling prescriptions, making various medications using nonsterile compounding procedures, and making IV’s using aseptic techniques. The necessary training and externship experiences will prepare students to sit for and pass either the PTCE Pharmacy Board-approved certification exam or the Examination for the certification of Pharmacy Technicians ExCPT exam.

To work as a licensed pharmacy technician in Utah, applicants must:

• Pass the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PCTE) or the Exam for Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT) and provide evidence
• Complete a pharmacy technician application and submit it to the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL)
• Complete two fingerprint cards as part of a criminal background check
• Become licensed within two years of beginning a Pharmacy Technician program. If this hasn’t been completed, the state of Utah will require the student to redo their 180 hours of externship experience, or 240 hours for those in the advanced program.

Please Note: Any misdemeanor or felony conviction on record may negatively impact your chances of being accepted into the program, being placed on an externship site, obtaining a Pharmacy Technician professional license and obtaining employment in a healthcare setting. If you have a felony conviction within the last five years or any type of drug conviction, you will not be accepted into the program, nor will you be eligible to obtain a Pharmacy Technician license.

Age Requirement: Applicants must be at least 18 years old to register as a pharmacy technician in Utah. DOPL does not request a high school diploma or GED with the pharmacy technician and pharmacy technician trainee applications. However, pharmacy technicians applying for CPhT certification with the PTCB or ExCPT will need to present a high school transcript. 

Available Licensing/Certifications: This course prepares you for National certification and Utah State licensure. To obtain national certification, students must successfully pass a national exam, either the PTCE or the ExCPT. Pharmacy technicians are licensed for practice by the Utah Department of Professional Licensing (DOPL)

Pharmacy Technician CE Requirements
see Pharmacy Practice Act Rule - R156-17b-309)
DOPL - Pharmacy

Each pharmacy technician renewal cycle is 2 years and runs from October 1 - September 30 of the following odd year.

20 hours total per 2 year renewal period comprised of at a minimum:

• 6 hours LIVE (or technology enabled participation in lectures, seminars or workshops)
• 1 hour LAW
  • 03 - Law (related to pharmacy practice)

Special Requirements:
If providing immunization administration:  2 hours in topics related to immunization or vaccines

 PTCB Certification also mandates 1 hour in patient safety: Learn more about their CE requirements at Continuing Education (ptcb.org)

Pharmacy technician students who demonstrate proficiency in all areas of coursework and lab settings will be placed in pharmacy externship rotations. Pharmacy technician externship rotations are an essential part of the students’ learning experience. Therefore, students will be expected to attend all assigned pharmacy technician externship rotations without exception. Students will be responsible for their own transportation to and from their externship sites.

• Students will be required to complete 180 pr 240 hours of externship. 
• Students can schedule as many hours as they are able to complete per day or week but need to complete at least 8-10 hours per week to finish in time. 
• Students will receive a grade from the pharmacy externship supervisor for this portion of the course, so students are to be on their best behavior.
• Some pharmacies such as Intermountain, U of U, and others require students to meet preparatory requirements. For example, the University of Utah requires students to have certain immunizations and others require a background check. 
• Students are required to pass a drug screen prior to going on externship. Students must be professional while at their externship site. 
  • The Pharmacy Technician class will fill 2 periods for a semester for a full year of a student’s schedule. Please make sure you have the time necessary to enroll in the Pharmacy Technician program by checking your graduation status with your high school counselor. 

Please refer to the Catalyst Center student code of conduct handbook

Graduation from the Davis Catalyst pharmacy technician program does not guarantee the ability to obtain a Utah state license to practice as a Pharmacy Technician. Each state has different professional licensure and certification requirements. It is highly recommended that students consult in advance with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL), or similar agencies in other states, to find out more about eligibility for licensure. DOPL can be reached at 801- 530-6628 or at their website. Pharmacy Technician licensure information is available here.

Applicants may be asked to submit criminal background checks or fingerprinting, pay licensure fees or other certification fees, abide by codes of conduct, or meet other requirements not outlined in this document.

In the simulation lab, students will use PioneerRx software to experience pharmacy management scenarios encountered in the day-to-day operation of a pharmacy. To learn more about PioneerRx, visit their website at https://www.pioneerrx.com.