Pharmacy Technician, Continuing Education Workforce Certificate

Health Professions Pathway.  Pathways are designed to help you meet your academic and career goals by aligning related courses and programs.  Pathway students participate in a variety of activities that help explore career opportunities in their field of study.  You can meet with a CCBC advisor who help align — or realign — your educational plan with the Pathway that best supports you and your goals.

Successful Completion:

CCBC Credential: Students will be awarded a Continuing Education Workforce  Certificate, and have access to a Continuing Education academic record (transcript).  Students will be prepared to take the national certification exam through PTCB-Pharmacy Technician Certifying Board to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician.

Certifying Organization: Pharmacy Technician Certifying Board (PTCB)

www.ptcb.org

Certification exam cost: First exam attempt is covered in course fees. Any additional attempts for the exam are $129.00

We offer financial aid by packaging public and private funding options to those who qualify, in select Continuing Education courses and programs. Additional opportunities for financial support include partial payment options through Nelnet Business Solutions and tuition waivers for those who qualify. Resources outside of CCBC may also be available through employer/sponsor paid tuition,  the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), and your local office of workforce development.

12-15 weeks

High School Diploma or GED. All students must be computer literate and have Internet access.

This program has potential options for waiving select courses based on previous coursework or articulated coursework from an approved curriculum, or demonstrated portfolio and/or prior occupational learning.  A maximum of 60 program hours may be earned from prior learning.

To apply, go to www.ccbcmd.edu/apply and complete the CCBC Non-Credit Workforce Training Certificate application.  Then, please send an email to CEHealth@ccbcmd.edu for information about upcoming class options.

Open Entry – No screening or documentation required.

Prerequisite

Course Series

All courses must be finished for successful program completion and for students to be eligible to apply to take the PTCB Exam.

Course Substitutions:
Contact CEHealth@ccbcmd.edu for more information.  

Skills for Success:
See Technical Standards at the of this document.

Career Opportunities:
In a retail pharmacy setting, Pharmacy Technicians can advance through different levels of responsibility that vary by employer.  In an institutional pharmacy setting, Pharmacy Technicians can be selected for additional training in specialized areas such as medication history reconciliation or compounding sterile preparations.  A criminal history background check and registration with the state board of pharmacy are usually required for employment.

Research your career interests, explore live job postings, take a career assessment, discover which companies in the Baltimore region are hiring, and more.  View a brief tutorial video on how to use Career Coach at https://youtu.be/C7KpznbPYfA.  Explore career and training opportunities at https://ccbcmd.emsicc.com/.

For more information email CEHealth@ccbcmd.edu ​

Technical Standards for CCBC's Pharmacy Technician Training Series

The primary goal of The Community College of Baltimore County's Pharmacy Technician Training Series is to adequately prepare students for an entry-level position in the pharmacy profession functioning as a Certified Pharmacy Technician in a variety of employment settings including retail, hospital, long term care, and government facilities.

They must have the ability to communicate with patients, family, and health care providers concerning inventory, insurance, medications, and the human body. Efficient computer, basic math, study skills, and test taking skills are desirable. Being multi-lingual is useful.

The duties of a Pharmacy Technician require the ability to stand or sit for long hours while constantly being focused on the task at hand. They need to exercise safe practices while exposed to a work environment that may include unpleasant sights, odors, materials, and communicable diseases. Their duties also require them to be detail oriented, to work accurately, quickly, and utilize computers and telephones frequently. A high level of manual dexterity, psychomotor skills, communication skills, analytical skills, and integrity are vital.

A criminal history background check and registration with the state board of pharmacy are usually required for employment.

The following is a partial listing of the types of skills typically required for adequate job performance:

Physical Requirements:

A. Sufficient strength and mobility to:

• Lift or otherwise maneuver cartons weighing up to 30 pounds
• Stand or sit in one area for long periods of time
• Work quickly and accurately to meet prescription delivery deadlines
• Clean and maintain pharmaceutical preparation areas

B. Fine motor coordination sufficient to perform precise tasks such as:

• Handle delicate pharmaceutical preparation instruments
• Safely handle pharmaceutical ingredients including controlled and toxic substances
• Handle instruments and ingredients that may be costly to replace if damaged

C. Adequate vision to:

• Read and interpret digital displays on robotic equipment or paper documents such as hand written prescriptions
• Adequate distinction of colors to read and interpret pharmaceutical container labels 
• Read instruction sheets, protocols, procedure manuals and computer screens

D. Sufficient hearing to:

• Hear and understand verbal instructions in person and over the telephone
• Interact successfully with professional colleagues, patients and customers
• Hear alarms, alerts and other operating sounds of equipment

Interpersonal Skills and Professionalism:

A. Have the ability to:

• Work in a professional manner under sometimes extremely stressful situations
• Pay close attention to detail and recordkeeping, including keeping accurate inventory, and insurance and patient records
• Commitment to learning and understanding new nomenclature, technologies, instrumentation and procedures
• Commitment to following approved standards, guidelines, policies and procedures
• Interact in a professional manner with many personalities and attitudes and with people from many different backgrounds
• Respect and protect patient rights and confidentiality without regard to personal beliefs and judgments
• Maintain proper certifications required to perform the duties of the profession
• Commitment to professional morality in the application of prescription filling techniques and delivery of pharmacological patient care
• Complete any career development training needed for obtaining and/or maintaining employment
• Work with independent agencies such as the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, and the Maryland Board of Pharmacy
• Participate in any liability insurance coverage that may be required
• Willingness to precept (train) others
• Commitment to working shifts as assigned; may include on-call, holidays and weekends

B. Sufficient communication skills to:

• Give and receive accurate written and verbal instructions
• Carry out all written and verbal instructions
• Follow proper channels of communication
• Communicate in a calm and professional manner
• Communicate clearly and effectively to any team members regarding issues that may be difficult to address (i.e. problem with prescription accuracy that could affect the patient, admission of own errors, etc.)
• Provide efficient customer service to patients, family members, coworkers and others

Intellectual Ability and Emotional Stability To:

• Use critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Accurate use of pharmacologic math
• Exercise independent judgment to properly perform approved tasks at hand
• Accurately utilize all resource material available (in print, digital, and online formats) to perform assigned tasks 
• Understand pertinent laws and which tasks can and cannot be legally performed by a Pharmacy Technician
• Work calmly and efficiently in a fast-paced, stressful environment
• Maintain calm during emergency situations
• Perform duties while exposed to communicable diseases and unpleasant sights, odors  and materials 
• Accept feedback from others

Environmental Requirements:

The Pharmacy Technician profession may involve risks and/or discomforts that require special safety precautions including, but not limited to:

• Wearing gowns, caps, masks, gloves and eye protection
• Working in an environment that may be noisy at times
• Working in an environment that exposes one to potentially hazardous materials, such as cleaning agents and chemicals, cytotoxic agents, radiopharmaceuticals and blood borne pathogens
• Providing proof of recent immunizations against infectious diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella
• Receiving Hepatitis B vaccine and annual testing for exposure to tuberculosis
• Submit to periodic drug screening
• Complete any blood borne pathogen, universal and standard precautions training as needed