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Medical terminology is the language of medicine. Students will be taught using a systematic approach to word building and term comprehension based on the concepts of word roots, prefixes and suffixes. This course will provide the student the primary skills to use terminology to accurately describe the body and associated components, conditions, processes, and procedures. Students will learn terms pertaining to all the body systems and terms pertaining to pharmaceutical treatment.

This course provides entry-level and advanced-level mathematical concepts and calculation skills that pharmacy technicians need to prepare for the externship experience and certification exam and to achieve success in a career position at a community or an institutional pharmacy. The courseware program provides students with an understanding of measurement systems and conversions, an explanation of the elements of prescriptions and medication orders, and proficiency in using ratio proportion and dimensional analysis calculation methods.

Effective communication is a critical skill for the healthcare professional. This course provides the basic skills to communicate orally and in writing within an interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multigenerational healthcare environment. The essential of communication and the “soft-skills” needed for entry level healthcare jobs and career success are taught.

This course is designed to provide an overview of law and ethics affecting the pharmacy technician’s role. Federal and state laws and regulations are reviewed. Special attention is given to the pharmacy technician’s professional standards, and compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, formulary, contractual, and safety requirements.

This course is an introduction to the operation of the community pharmacy with content areas devoted to the origins of the pharmacy, various drugs, dosage forms, delivery systems, and pharmacy billing and reimbursement. The evolving role regarding major trends, issues, goals, and initiatives taken within the pharmacy profession will be studied. Instruction regarding the roles and responsibilities of the pharmacy technician with emergent situations will be given.

This is the first in the series of pharmacology courses for the pharmacy technician. This course examines the basic principles of pharmacology, including drug nomenclature, dosage forms, administration routes, indications and uses, drug actions and clinical effects, adverse actions, side effects, and interactions. Pharmacy law topics include Federal laws such as the Controlled Substance Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and its amendments. Drug topics include dietary supplements, skin medications, drugs of the autonomic nervous system, and antineoplastic drugs. Classification of drugs by both body system and drug function will be examined.

(Prereq: PTA205) This is the second course in the series for pharmacy technicians that examines the major drug classes in relation to the treatment of diseases and disorders, including the clinical effects of selected medications. Topics include an analysis of drug action, indications and uses, side-effects, adverse actions, and interactions for body systems including cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, endocrine, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, reproductive, central nervous system and ophthalmology. Classification of drugs by both body system and drug function will be examined.

This course is an introduction to the operation of pharmacy software. Content areas include patient, provider, insurance and medication data entry, adjudication of new prescriptions/medication orders and refills, including rejected claims and prior authorizations, inventory control and documentation.

(Prereq. – PTA176) This course focuses on the pharmacy technician’s role within an institutional pharmacy setting. Instruction in routes of administration for various medications, selection of appropriate supplies and equipment, and proper calculation of dosages of medications will be provided. The basics of aseptic technique, infection control, and proper handling of hazardous materials will be taught.

(Prereq. – To be taken in the student’s next to last term) The student will be provided a real life-experience in a community pharmacy setting to reinforce the skills and processes they have acquired through their studies. This externship consists of 120 clock hours of on-site practical experience.

(Prereq. – To be taken in final term and concurrently with PTA289) This course is designed to prepare the student for success on the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) through a structured classroom review and testing to assess the student’s recall of materials presented throughout the program.

(Prereq. – To be taken in the student’s last term, all core courses completed except for PTA288 and MED218) The student will be provided a real-life experience in a pharmacy setting including, but not limited to, retail or institutional pharmacies to reinforce the skills and processes they have acquired through their studies. This externship consists of 120 clock hours of on-site practical experience.