Pharmacy Technician

The Pharmacy Technician major prepares students to be registered pharmacy technicians and for employment in various pharmacy settings. Upon successfully completing the program, students are qualified to apply to the California State Board of Pharmacy for registration as a pharmacy technician. Registration is a legal requirement for employment. Completers will qualify to sit for one of the national pharmacy technician exams. While not currently a state requirement for employment, many employers provide increased compensation to pharmacy technicians once they become nationally certified. Pharmacy technicians work under the supervision of licensed pharmacists to perform technical duties in the systematic operation of the pharmacy--providing health care services and medications to patients. Technicians may perform many of the same duties as pharmacists; however, a technician's work must be checked by a pharmacist before medicine can be dispensed to a patient. A licensed pharmacy technician can find employment in following pharmacy settings: retail, hospital, home health care, nursing home, clinic, mail-order prescription, and pharmaceutical companies.

AS: 10-15

Certificate: 20-24

1. Pharmacologically classify a drug after having been presented with its generic name, brand (trade) name, chemical name, and indication. 

2. Interpret current federal and state legislation and name the agencies regulating the practice of pharmacy. 

3. Create patient profiles utilizing information obtained from the prescription and the patient. 

4. Read and write proper medical notation on drug orders and interpret information on drug labels and stock bottles. 

5. Calculate the oral dosages of drugs for both liquid and solid forms based on currently accepted pharmaceutical mathematics. 

6. Describe the pharmacological action, therapeutic effects, common side effects, doses, and drug interactions of common medications prescribed to treat dysfunction of selected body systems. 

7. Describe common pharmaceutical measuring, weighing, and compounding devices and accurately use the metric, apothecary, avoirdupois, and household systems to count and measure.

The benefit of this program is that students can complete the program in two years and transition into a career in a short amount of time. The program includes inpatient hospital experience and sterile aseptic techniques, which allows students to start working in different pharmacy areas. Becoming a pharmacy technician allows students to enter the growing healthcare field.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
PHARM 102	Pharmaceutical Calculations for the Pharmacy Technician	2.0	Y1
PHARM 103	Critical Thinking and Management Skills for the Pharm Tech	2.0	Y1
PHARM 150	Introduction to Pharmacy Technician	3.0	Y1
PHARM 152	Ambulatory Pharmacy Practice	2.0	Y1
PHARM 154A	Retail Clinical 1	1.0	Y1
PHARM 154B	Retail Clinical 2	2.0	Y2
PHARM 155	Pharmacology	4.0	Y2
PHARM 156	Dispensing and Compounding	2.5	Y2
PHARM 157	Hospital Pharmacy Practice for the Pharmacy Technician	0.5	Y2
PHARM 157L	Hospital Pharmacy Clinical Experience	0.5	Y2

The pharmacy field continues to evolve and is creating additional opportunities for pharmacy technicians. New changes in the California State Pharmacy Law require completion of coursework or a training program to be able to apply for registration. This has created an increasing demand for training pharmacy technicians. Completers of this program will qualify to sit for one of the national pharmacy technician exams. Opportunities for completers of community college Pharmacy Technician programs are excellent as there is growing demand. Additionally, there is currently no pharmacy technician certificate program or major in Sonoma County or neighboring counties.

Neither College of Marin, Napa Valley College, nor Mendocino College offer a similar program.