Pharmacy Technology

The PharmacyTechnology Program courses prepares individuals with the necessary skills towork as a pharmacy technician inpharmacies, including those found in drug, general merchandise, and grocerystores, and in hospitals. Most work full time, but many work part time.  This program will cover a variety of subjects, such as arithmeticused in pharmacies, recordkeeping, ways of dispensing medications, and pharmacylaw and ethics. Technicians also learn the names, uses, and doses ofmedications. Most programs also include clinical experience opportunities, inwhich students gain hands-on experience in a pharmacy.

 

Thirty-five students will be accepted into theprogram every Fall. There will be approximately 60 program completers at theend of the second year.  They would haveearned their Certificate of Achievement as wells as their Associate of Sciencedegree in Pharmacy Technology. By the end of the fifth year, there will be 150 completerswho have earned their Certificate of Achievement and their Associate of Sciencedegree in Pharmacy Technology. 

The Pharmacy Technology program prepares the student to become apharmacy technician. These allied health professionals are employed in avariety of pharmacy practice settings. Supervised by a registered pharmacist,they perform a variety of technical duties related to preparing and dispensingdrugs in accordance with standard procedures and laws.

Pharmacy technicians are trained to interpret physicians' medication orders,fill orders to be checked by pharmacists, and deliver the orders. They prepareadmixtures of intravenous solutions, replenish drugs, maintain patient profilerecords, prepare bulk formulations, assist with over-the-counter drugs andhealth aids, and perform clerical duties, including processing insurance formsrequired by third-party payers. Pharmacy technicians are vital assets topharmacists because their training allows them to perform technicalpharmaceutical procedures, thus enabling pharmacists to devote additional timeto their professional tasks.

At East LosAngeles College, the Pharmacy Technology student receives training inmedication dispensing procedures. Additional study includes pharmacology,pharmaceutical math, microcomputers, and pathophysiology. The student practicesprocedural skills in a simulated pharmacy technology laboratory.

Pharmacy Technology graduates are prepared to meet this need,and job opportunities for these graduates remain excellent. In addition toemployment in hospitals, graduates may also be employed by nursing homes,retail drug stores, drug manufacturers, research laboratories, wholesale drugcompanies, and home health care agencies.

MISSION:

Itis the mission of the Pharmacy Technology Program to provide quality educationand fulfilling career opportunities in pharmacy Technology; by offeringacademic courses, Laboratory experiences and professional Clinical skills thatwill lead to national certification, employability and ethical work practice.

 

 

VISIONSTATEMENT:

PharmacyTechnology Program is committed to provide the community with qualified,educated, trained, certified, registered and employable pharmacy technicians.

Weare aware that world of pharmacy is ever changing and the need for qualifiedPharmacy Technicians is essential, therefore, this discipline will continuallyevaluate its effectiveness to the individual student and the community as awhole.

PharmacyTechnology program is also dedicated to enhance educational and personal andeconomic growth of graduates by providing quality education and training toassist them in gaining an understanding of the world and in defining theirpersonal goals in that world. 

 

PHILOSOPHY:

ThePharmacy Technology Program meets community’s needs by providing opportunitiesfor individuals to obtain a degree in Pharmacy Technology and become nationallycertified. Based on this philosophy, the Pharmacy Technology Program improveshealth care through effective instructional methodologies, equipment, andcontinuing education.

ThePharmacy Technology Program is dedicated to provide students with didacticcourse as well as clinical opportunities for success. The program will preparestudents through activities and trainings that will enrich their lives andcontribute to the student's sense of well-being.

ThePharmacy Technology Program recognizes thatstudents are individuals and come from a variety of backgrounds. We accept thechallenges to individualize the education offered so all students are able tobenefit from the experience. 

 

GOALS:

1.    To provide quality education that is necessary for a studentto become qualified to practice in the field of pharmacy as Certified PharmacyTechnicians.

2.     To employ updatedequipment and software that corresponds to standard of excellence in didacticand laboratory courses.

3.    To provide effective, innovative and alternativeinstructional methodologies to implement quality education.

4.    To meet and exceed accreditation standards set by ASHP.

5.    To enhance student enrollment and retention rate of PharmacyTechnology Program.

6.    To conform to ethical and professional standards.  

The Pharmacy Technicians prepare medications under thedirection of a pharmacist. They may measure, mix, count out, label, and recordamounts and dosages of medications according to prescription orders. There are several needs that motivatethis project. First, this project will increase the number of allied healthprograms that are being offered at ELAC. Currently there are only three programs, which includes HealthOccupation, Health Information Technology and Respiratory Therapy.  By expanding the Allied Health Department, thiswill allow the department and college enrollment to grow.  It will give the potential students andcurrent students another occupation to consider when they are making theirdecision to attend ELAC and select their degree of study.

 

Anotherneed that motivates this new program is ELAC does not have many opportunitiesfor students if they are not successful in Nursing, Respiratory Therapy orHealth Information Technology.  ELACneeds to be able to offer the student another career pathway if they are notsuccessful in the one they initially selected.

 

PharmacyTechnicians, in addition to being an occupation that is growing faster thanaverage, are essential to the efficiency of the modern pharmacy. The dynamicnature of this occupation and industry is driven by the development of newpharmaceutical products and the competitiveness of the retail pharmacyenvironment. The changes caused by these factors along with the growing numberof prescriptions filled each year, and the related demands for paperwork andaccuracy, create a high-stress environment in the pharmacy.

 

PharmacyTechnicians are seen as “pharmacist-extenders.” By taking on administrative andrepetitive duties, the technician relieves the Pharmacist for his/her role as apatient counselor. Though many Pharmacy Technicians are trained in privateproprietary programs, there are three community colleges that offer the AA/AS-degreeand certificate program in Los Angeles County/Orange county: Cerritos College,LA Mission, Santa Ana and West LA. National efforts to upgrade the quality ofPharmacy Technicians and standardize their education and credentials favorprograms like Cerritos’ that provide both practical training and a generaleducation.

 

The PharmacyTechnician Program supports the Task Force Recommendation #3 CareerPathway.  This career pathway preparesstudents for jobs with the regional labor market.  The fourth need that motivates this projectis according to O*Net, Physical Therapy Assistant occupation is expected togrow rapidly in the next several years and will have large numbers of jobopenings.  According to O*Net, thisoccupation is projected to grow much faster than average (employment increaseof 14%) over the period of 2016-2026. 

 

However, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, theoverall employment of pharmacy technician is projected to grow 12 percent from2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand forpharmacy technician is expected to increase in response to the healthcare needsof an older population and individuals with chronic conditions, such asdiabetes and obesity. The median annual wage for pharmacy technicians was$30,920 in May 2016.

COA: 28 units

ALD HTH 56    Communication & Customer Service in Healthcare (1.0)  ALD HTH 57    Computers in Health Occupations (1.0)   PHRMCTK 21   Retail Products for Pharmacy Clerks (3.0)  PHRMCTK 23   Introduction to Pharmacy (2.0)  PHRMCTK 26  Community or Outpatient Pharmacy Externship (3.5) PHRMCTK 29   Body Systems I (3.0)  PHRMCTK 30   Body Systems II (3.0)   PHRMCTK 31   Pharmacy Calculations (2.0)  PHRMCTK 32  Pharmacy Operations (4.75) PHRMCTK 37   Sterile Products (4.75)  

AS:

Dept. Name/#	Name	Units	CSU-GE	IGETC	Sequence
PHYSIO 6	Anatomy & Physiology	6			Pre-requisite
HTHTEK 133	Medical Terminology	3			Pre-requisite
Health 11	Principles of Healthful Living	3			Pre-requisite
CHEM 051	Fundamentals of Chemistry	5			Pre-requisite
MATH 125	Intermediate Algebra	5			Pre-requisite
CAOT 082	Microcomputer Software Survey in the Office	3			Pre-requisite
American Institutions Course	Any course in that area	3			Pre-requisite
Social & Behavior Course	Any course in that area	3			Pre-requisite
Physical Activity	Any course in that area	1			Pre-requisite
ENG 101	English Composition	3			Pre-requisite
Humanities		3			Pre-requisite
PHRMCTK 21	Retail Products for Pharmacy Clerks	3			Core Course
PHRMCTK 23	Introduction to Pharmacy	2			Core Course
ADL HTH 56	Communication and Customer Service in Healthcare	1			Core Course
ALD HTH 57	Computers in Health Occupations	1			Core Course
PHRMCTK 29	Body Systems I	3			Core Course
PHRMCTK 31	Pharmacy Calculations	2			Core Course
PHRMCTK 30	Body Systems II	3			Core Course
PHRMCTK 35	Inpatient Pharmacy Services	2			Core Course
PHRMCTK 32	Pharmacy Operations	5			Core Course
PHRMCTK 34	Community Pharmacy Externship	2			Core Course
PHRMCTK 37	Sterile Products	5			Core Course
PHRMCTK 36	In-patient Pharmacy Services Externship	2			Core Course
PHRMCTK 38	Sterile Products Externship	2			Core Course
Total		71

Allied Health-Presently, there are no related programs in the college. The Pharmacy Technology program will fulfill a need that existing programs do not. Besides the general education requirements, there are only three (3) courses in common between this program and the Health Information Technology Program. The students in the Pharmacy Technology Program will be required to take Anatomy & Physiology (PHYSIOL 6), Medical Terminology (HTHTEK 133), and Microcomputer Software Survey in the Office (CAOT 082).

Though many Pharmacy Technicians are trained in private proprietary programs, there are three public AA/AS-degree and certificate programs in the Los Angeles County/Orange County region: Cerritos College, West LA, LA Mission and Santa Ana. This is an opportunity for ELAC to expand the number of allied health programs. The Department Chair reach out to the different colleges that offer the programs. After a thorough review by allied health faculty comparing several different programs at different community colleges, a certificate of achievement totaling 33 units and 71 units for the Associate of Science degree was created.

30