Pharmacy Technician Certification Program
Many employers favor applicants or candidates who have completed a formal training or certification process. APCE offers an Intensive formal training with both lecture and laboratory hands-on training In order to make our students more marketable as a pharmacy technician. APCE is a legitimate, trusted, and reputable Institute company. It is led and facilitated by a Certified Pharmacy Technician/Internation Pharmacist/active member of the American Pharmacist Association and Pharmacy Technician Educators Council. The Director of the Institute serves as a faculty member and professor with International Pharmacy Schools teaching pharmacy course for pharmacy students.
The Institute's program is available on campus and in distance education mode. Working students can complete all requirements for Certification Program in distance education mode through the Institute's eCampus Portal. The online course is affordable, fun, fast, and convenient.
The largest national certification exams in the United States are given by the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). PTCB is the pioneer and industry leader in pharmacy technician certification. Founded in 1995, PTCB has certified over 450,000 pharmacy technicians. The exam given by the PTCB is the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE) and is the only pharmacy technician examination endorsed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).
The exam given by ICPT is called the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT). Completing one of these exams earns the technician the credentials "CphT", corresponding to the professional title of Certified Pharmacy Technician. Since the PTCE is the more recognized certification, we will concentrate on the appropriate preparations for this exam
Admission Requirements:
High school diploma or High school foreign diploma
GED certificate
A non-refundable application fee of $30
Pharmacy Technician Trainees who are preparing for the PTCB exam
Returning adults / retired or semi-retired folks who also want to change career
Fingerprint copy in order to obtain a Pharmacy Technician Certificate from TSBP (this can be given later)
Good moral and right conduct
18-60 years old as long as have a high school diploma
Study Mode:
On Campus
Full-time Students: (Evening Class)
6 weeks completion of the program
Part-time Students should complete all requirements within 18 weeks from the start date.
Online Class
Study the course modules at your own pace with the guidance and help of our Instructors. The course will prepare you to pass the PTCB exam and find you a job once become certified. APCE also offers a guarantee that if a student fails the exam after taking the course program, they will have the opportunity to extend or repeat the course for the same period as the original contract.
Class Schedule:
Evening class schedule is every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. A 10-minute break will be taken every hour and there will be meal time allowed.
Course Description:
The Pharmacy Technician Training Program consists of 30 clock hours of lecture and 18 clock hours of laboratory program that prepares students for entering the pharmacy technician career field and provide information on career opportunities. Students will learn the routine procedures in the pharmacy including prescription processing and filling, creating patient profiles, and maintaining inventory. Upon completion of the program, students are qualified for entry-level employment and will be able to perform all the duties in pharmacy practice setting (retail pharmacies, hospital, and mail order pharmacies) under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. Students will be prepared to take the PTCB exam for Pharmacy Technician Certification.
Course Program Outline
Subject number Subject title Clock hours Lec/Lab/Ext Total clock hours
ITP 101 Introduction to Pharmacy 03/00/00 3
PPT 102 Pharmacology 09/00/00 9
PHP 201 Pharmacy Practice 03/00/00 3
PMC 202 Pharmaceutical Law and Ethics 03/00/00 3
PHC 203 Pharmaceutical Calculations 06/03/00 9
PMT 204 Pharmacy Management 03/03/00 3
SNC 206 Sterile Formulations 03/06/00 9
PTR 207 Ph Tech Certification Review 09/00/00 9
Total hours 48
Subject Descriptions
ITP 101 Introduction to Pharmacy:
This subject is designed for students to learn the profession of pharmacy including its history, regulation, drug discovery and development, educational and career opportunities in pharmacy. Upon successful completion of this subject, the student will a. be familiar with the history of pharmacy b. have a general knowledge of the pharmacy profession and the settings and economic environment in which it operates c. be able to learn about pharmacy technician's role in the healthcare system d. understand the differences in responsibilities between pharmacy technicians and pharmacists.
PPT 102 Pharmacology with Anatomy and Physiology
This subject provides the importance of pharmacology. It focuses on learning drug nomenclature (generic and brand names), drug classifications, drug interactions drug therapy on human body, strengths/dose, dosage forms, dosage and indication of prescription and over the counter medications, herbal and dietary supplements. It also focuses on the drug mechanism of action, therapeutic uses, adverse effects, contraindications to pregnancy, routes of administration and formulations. Upon successful completion of this subject, the student will be able a. learn the amount and depth of pharmacology related to specific body systems and disorders as well as pharmacology for the specific population such as drug therapy during pregnancy and lactation, drug therapy for pediatric patients, and drug therapy in geriatrics b. learn the availability and the specific therapeutic uses of particular drugs, drug classifications, dosage form, dosage and strengths c. learn and distinguish between enteral and parenteral routes of administration d. learn and know the common dosage forms used in enteral and parenteral routes of administration d. understand the limitations of dosage forms used in enteral and parenteral routes of administration
PHP 201 Pharmacy Practice
This subject focuses on pharmaceutical terminology, medication safety, prescriptions and medication order entry process, interpretation, data entry, and dispensing processes such as validation, documentation, and distribution. It also focuses on preparation and utilization of the patient profile, handling medications, determining the proper storage conditions for a drug, special handling, and labeling and packaging requirements including the type of bags, syringes, glass, child-resistant, light resistant. Upon successful completion of this subject, the student will be able to a. learn the pharmaceutical terms such as medical root word, medication abbreviation, and SIG codes b. learn the filling and processing the medication order c. understand the importance of preventing and identifying medication errors at every step of the prescription filling process c. know the error prevention strategies for data entry, special directions, and precautions about medication guide requirements and common safety strategies d. prepare when working in a pharmacy professional setting and learn the responsibilities that are required to accurately set-up patient profiles and proper procedures in processing medication orders including handling and storing medications.
PHL 202 Pharmacy Law and Ethics
This subject involves the Federal food, drug, and cosmetic act, controlled substances act, the federal hazardous substances act, the omnibus budget reconciliation act, the health insurance portability and accountability act, restricted drug programs, professional standards in pharmacy, infection control standards and drug recalls regulation. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to learn a. the key legislative acts governing pharmacy practice b. the storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, hazardous substances exposure, prevention and treatment c. the controlled substance documentation requirements for receiving, ordering, returning, loss/theft and destruction d. the formula to verify the validity of a prescriber's DEA number e. the restricted drug programs and related prescription processing requirements including thalidomide, isotretinoin, clozapine f. infection control standards including laminar air flow, clean room, hand washing, cleaning counting trays and equipment regulations g. the process for FDA drug recalls h. professional standards related to data integrity, security, and confidentiality I. professional standards regarding the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other pharmacy employees. j. the general aspects of pharmacy technician job and the general role of pharmacy technician in relation to the pharmacist k. the importance of protecting patient privacy and treating all patients with respect l. the range of training programs and what agencies establish organization accredits training programs as wells as knowing what technicians must do in order to receive certification and how often it must be renewed.
PHC 203 Pharmaceutical Math Calculations and Billing
This subject is designed to prepare students to learn and understand the pharmaceutical calculations by providing the complete knowledge sections of pharmaceutical math concepts and formulas. This course involves pharmaceutical conversion, US system of measurement and metric measurement, percentages, decimals, fractions, ratio and proportion, alligation method, calculation of doses required, days' supply of medication, and adjusting numbers of refills and short fills. Upon successful completion of this subject, the student will a. learn how to solve math problem solving including conversion, fractions, decimals, and percentage b. learn how to calculate the doses required, days' supply, and the number of refills and fills of the prescription or the medication order c. describe the measurement systems used in pharmacy d. perform basic calculations associated with the business aspect of pharmacy
Pharmacy Billing involves the reimbursement policies and healthcare insurance plans, third party resolution, third-party reimbursement systems, healthcare reimbursement systems, and coordination of benefits. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to learn a. the responsibilities of health maintenance organization, preferred provider organization, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid service and private plans b. the differences between private and public health insurance plans, c. other government health care insurance plan d. the steps of pharmacy billing cycle e. the third party claim pathway for community pharmacy and the common reasons for rejection as well as healthcare reimbursement.
PMT 205 Pharmacy Inventory Management and Technology
This course is designed for students to learn about the pharmacy-related computer applications for documenting and dispensing medication orders, databases, and documentation management. It introduces students to the function and application of national drug code, lot numbers, and expiration dates. Ordering and receiving processes of medications, storage requirements, and product removal are also included in the subject. Upon successful completion of this subject, the student will be able to learn a. the goal of inventory management and formulary c. the inventory systems necessary to maintain adequate inventory d. the procedures for stocking and storing pharmacy inventory d. the procedure in purchasing or ordering of products as well as receiving process related to inventory management e. the advantage and disadvantage between direct purchasing and wholesaler purchasing e. the proper temperature requirements for medications e. the guidelines for product removal such as returns, drug recalls, reverse distribution, and nonreturnable medications and their disposal. f. and be knowledgeable of the technology used in inventory systems g. the specific pharmacy automation and technologies including electronic health record, e-prescribing computer-based electronic generation, computerized prescriber order entry, interactive voice response technology, pharmacy management software systems, barcoding technologies and automated counting and dispensing technologies.
IAC 209 IV Admixtures and Compounding
This course involve sterile formulations, special solutions (including total parenteral nutrition solutions (TPN), dialysis solutions, irrigation solutions), laminar flow hoods, biological safety cabinets, clean rooms, aseptic techniques in hoods and cabinets, parenteral vials and ampules, syringes and needles, filters, administration devices, parenteral incompatibilities, quality assurance and infection control. It also focuses on non-sterile compounding process, regulations and considerations, stability and beyond-use dates, equipment, using a balance, volumetric equipment, liquid measurement, mixing solids and semi-solids. Upon successful completion of this subject, the student will a. learn the importance of parenteral products as well as the common specialty parenteral solutions b. know the importance of using laminar flow hoods and aseptic techniques in compounding parenteral solutions c. describe the use of administration sets and positive pressure pumps to administer parenteral solutions to patients d. the factors that affect incompatibilities in parenteral solutions e. learn the purposes of quality assurance program f. learn the comparison and contrast of the units of measurement that are unique to parenteral solutions f. know the role of the USP in compounding pharmacy practice g. learn how to determine a beyond-use date for a compounded formulation h. describe common equipment used in compounding formulations I. Know how to measure a liquid in volumetric glassware as well as learn the proper mixing of solids and semi-solids.
PTR 210 Pharmacy Technician Certification Review
This course prepares students for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) exam. The PTCB administers a nationally accredited certification examination for pharmacy technicians which tests knowledge in all practice settings. This course provides two complete practice exams with all categories of questions. It also covers the summary of the 12-course subject. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be a. prepared for taking the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) - the more recognized certification b. able to learn the subject areas by taking the PTCB practice exams c. learning the overall pharmacy practice such as interpretation of the prescription order, preparation and use of the patient profile, and the dispensing, labeling, storage, and delivery medications d. learning the various aspects of preparing a dosage form for administration including pharmaceutical calculations (dosage conversion and IV medications) e. learning the maintaining medication and inventory control system and management of pharmacy practice f. learning pharmacology in order to monitor for a possible side effect of the prescribed drug regimen o the patient.
Grading System:
Participation and Attendance 10%
Assignments 40%
Quiz 25%
Final exam 25%
Total of 100%
We assist our graduates in registering for PTCB exam application, job employment search application, and recommendation.