2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Allied Health Education - Pharmacy Technician Certificate


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Program Description The Pharmacy Technician certificate program prepares students for the role of support personnel in hospital, community and other pharmacy settings. Pharmacy technicians provide assistance to the pharmacist in a variety of technical tasks involving the packaging, distribution, compounding, labeling, and recording of drugs. Knowledgeable, experienced professionals will guide students in their clinical coursework, which is supervised by the college. This certificate requires successful completion of a minimum of 44 credits as outlined.

Advising Note This program requirement sheet is not a substitute for meeting with an academic advisor. Meeting the requirements to graduate with an Edmonds College certificate or degree is ultimately the responsibility of the student.

Program Requirements (44 credits)


OUTCOMES:

  1. Demonstrate written and verbal communication skills befitting a member of the health care team, including appropriate medical vocabulary, professional language, clarity of written notes and calculations, and verbal comprehension.
  2. Perform duties safely and effectively within the scope of practice, while treating patients with compassion, empathy, and respect.
  3. Apply problem solving and critical thinking skills within the scope of practice in coordination with team members to foster good patient outcomes.
  4. Create patient profiles, enter prescription orders, and fill prescriptions with acceptable speed and accuracy.
  5. Identify the required information to successfully complete the required national certification exam to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician.
  6. Have knowledge of current Washington State law as it applies to pharmacy.
  7. Demonstrate familiarity with essential pharmacy operations including effective navigation of prescription processing software, accurate calculation of doses and fees, and relevant inventory management procedures.

*See Program Requirements Notes

Block A and Block B classes are offered in alternating quarters during Fall, Winter, and Spring. Students may begin with either Block A or Block B–whichever is available upon completing prerequisites–but must complete both Blocks A and B before continuing with Block C.

Program Notes


The program code for this certificate is PTAPTC20. For financial aid, advising, and other reasons, students should work with their advisor to ensure that this code is properly recorded on their academic record.

*Program Requirements Notes:

  • Students must achieve a grade of 2.5 or higher in all Pharmacy Technician courses. Upon completion of the course series, students must pass a national certification exam before receiving licensure as Pharmacy Technicians in Washington state. Visit www.nhanow.com or www.ptcb.org for more information.
  • Pursuant to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-901-030, the minimum educational prerequisite for entering a Pharmacy Technical Training program is a high school diploma or GED.
  • Students must apply to the Washington State Department of Health – Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission to obtain licensure as a Pharmacy Assistant before entering into clinical externship. This will include a criminal background check. Some employers/externship sites may require a drug test prior to employment. Externships must be completed within two (2) quarters of the theory and lab classes.
  • Students with limited computer skills are encouraged to consider taking BSTEC 129 - PC Basics.
  • Participation in externship classes requires documentation of immunization, TB testing, and criminal background status prior to registering for those classes. Students are advised that clinical placement may be denied if immunization records and CPR are not current or if there is a criminal history that the facility considers unacceptable.
  • All students will be required to set up an account with CastleBranch (www.castlebranch.com) to store immunization documentation and complete a criminal background check for a fee.
  • Students may be placed in a Clinical Placements Northwest (CPNW) consortium site, which requires an extra fee.
  • Students will be required to complete additional facility-specific onboarding documents. Failure to do so may result in denial of clinical placement.
  • The Career and College Success course should be completed within the first two quarters. Students who transfer in 30 or more college-level credits with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher may be exempt from the Career and College Success course; see faculty advisor.

The advisors for this program are:
Brent Leithauser | brent.leithauser@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1369
Erika Ferreri | erika.ferreri@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1924
Terri Glazewski | terri.glazewski@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1691
Elizabeth Patterson | elizabeth.patterson@edmonds.edu | 425.640.1061

Department website: Allied Health Education | edmonds.edu/ahe

Certificate General Information


Credit/Grade Requirements A minimum of 30 credits or one-third of the required college-level (100-level or above) credits, whichever is less, must be earned at Edmonds College. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in all college-level courses.

Program of Study Outcomes Student achievement is assessed in the general and program specific outcomes via the courses and course objectives that align with those outcomes. More information about program outcomes and course objectives can be found on the Using Program Requirement Sheets  page.

Students Are Advised To:

  • Plan their schedule several quarters in advance in order to accommodate courses that are offered only once or twice a year;
  • Review the college catalog for required course prerequisites and include these in schedule planning; and
  • Communicate with an academic advisor and/or a faculty advisor.

Graduation Application A completed Graduation Application form must be submitted online by the 10th day of the quarter in which the student expects to graduate. Note: Applications for summer quarter are due by the 8th day of the quarter.

Common Course Numbering Please refer to www.edmonds.edu/ccn for more information.

College Resources

Internal Coding


PLAN/STACK - PTAPTC20
TC - 44
CIP - 510805
Last revised - 2022/07/01

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