Pharmacy Technician - Mountwest Community and Technical College

Pharmacy Technician from Mountwest Community and Technical College is a Campus Associate Pharmacy degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. Program Description: Pharmacy technicians Serve as assistants for licensed Pharmacists provide medication and other health care products to patients. Technicians usually perform routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication, such as counting tablets and labeling bottles. They also perform administrative duties, such as answering phones, stocking shelves, operating cash registers, and complete entry of prescriptions. Technicians refer any questions regarding prescriptions, drug information, or health matters to a pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians who work in retail or mail-order pharmacies have varying responsibilities, depending on State rules and regulations. Technicians receive prescriptions or requests for prescription refills from patients. They must verify that information on the prescription is complete and accurate. To prepare the prescription, technicians must retrieve, count, pour, weigh, measure, and sometimes mix the medication. Then, they prepare the prescription labels, select the type of prescription container, and affix the prescription and auxiliary labels to the container. Once the prescription is filled, technicians file the prescription, which must be checked by a pharmacist before it is given to the patient. Technicians may establish and maintain patient profiles, prepare insurance claim forms, and stock and take inventory of prescription and over-the-counter medications. In hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living facilities, technicians have added responsibilities, including reading patients? charts and preparing the appropriate medication. The A.A.S. Pharmacy Technician Degree includes a total of 65 credit hours, of which 31 credit hours are Pharmacy Technician specific courses. Successful completion of the PHT Program will include a clinical internship at an affiliated health-care and retail facility. Many states require licensure in order to perform pharmacy technician work. The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy currently requires licensure of all pharmacy technicians . Upon completion of the PHT Program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the national board examination. Career Outlook: According to the United State Department of Labor, ?Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to increase by 32 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.? In WV, the job outlook is similarly positive with an annual projected increase of 2.28% over the next 10 years to reach an overall 22.1% increase. Employment Opportunities: Hospitals Health Care Clinics Physician?s Office Laboratories Reference Laboratories View more details on Mountwest Community and Technical College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Pharmacy courses.