Pharmacy Technician Course: What Topics the Course Typically Covers?

The pharmacy technician course is a special course of study which is related only to training technicians to perform pharmacy-related functions. The course provides training, certification, licensing to actual practice of pharmacy technicians, who are healthcare workers trained in the technical aspects of supplying medicines and medical devices to patients and they also work in a variety of locations (usually in community, retail, and hospital pharmacies).

Alternatively, the pharmacy technicians can also work for long-term care facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers, third-party insurance companies, computer software companies, in government, the military, or in teaching. The basic functions of the positions of pharmacy technicians are simply learnable!

Job responsibilities of PhTECH:

  • Dispensing prescription drugs and other medical devices to patients
  • Instructing them on their use
  • Performing administrative duties in a pharmaceutical practice (such as reviewing prescription requests with medical practices and insurance companies to ensure correct medications are provided and payment is received)
  • Handling inventory related tasks such as cycle counts
  • Returning expired and damaged medications back to the manufacturers
  • Overseeing day to day sterile and non-sterile medicines preparation
  • Meeting standards required by regulatory bodies

Skills of a PhTech

  • Excellent communication skills
  • Respect for confidentiality and privacy
  • A team player that’s able to collaborate
  • Able to deal with patients and the public
  • Responsibility, with good attention to detail
  • A passion for helping patients and improving people’s health.

Topics Coverage: Pharmacy Technician Course

In this topic, we shall be dissecting the question of what topics the course typically covers in any of the particular academic institution of interest. Below are some of the cogent area covered by the course:

  • Pharmacology: Cardiovascular & Renal
  • Pharmacology: Nervous, Ear & Eye
  • Health & Wellness with Blister Packaging
  • Sterile Preparations: IV Basics
  • Sterile Preparations: TPN & Chemotherapy
  • Sterile Preparations: Special Therapies
  • Pharmacy Law & Ethics
  • Pharmacy Calculations
  • Data Entry Systems & Third-Party Billing
  • Retail Pharmacy Systems
  • Inventory Systems & Non-Sterile Compounding
  • Technology & Special Topics

Steps to Becoming a Pharmacy Technician

  • Gain experience

Experience is an essential part of becoming a pharmacy technician, and there’s no better way of doing this than getting hands-on in a pharmacy environment.

  • Enrol in an approved pharmaceutical technician course

You’ll need to enrol yourself on an approved course, so you can find a list of pharmacy technician courses here. To successfully enrol, you’ll typically need four GCSEs or equivalent at A*-C/9-4 including mathematics, English language, science and one other subject to undertake the level 3 Pharmacy Technician (Integrated) apprenticeship.

  • Register with the General Pharmaceutical Council

There will come a point in your studies when you need to start thinking about registering with the General Pharmaceutical Council in order to secure a job as a pharmacy technician.

  • Apply to suitable positions

Once you’ve completed your course, gained the relevant experience, fully registered, and created an amazing CV, the final step of the process is to start applying for jobs.

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