Pharmacy Technician

Graduates of the program will qualify to write the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) Qualifying Exam and register with the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP). Fully Licensed Pharmacy Technician can find employment in:

• hospital pharmacy,
• community pharmacy or
• long-term care pharmacy.

Being a Pharmacy Technician can be a stressful and physically challenging career and applicants should be prepared to be standing for long periods of time and must have good manual dexterity and computer / typing skills.  Please refer to the Working Conditions and Traits & Skills sections of the ALIS website Pharmacy Technician: Occupations in Alberta – alis for a list of what to expect as a Regulated Pharmacy Technician.

Pharmacy Technician Courses

PHT100 Foundations of Pharmacy
The Foundations of Pharmacy course provides students with the introductory content they need to understand what a pharmacy is, the roles in a pharmacy and the organizations involved in regulating and governing the pharmacy profession. The origin of drugs and different ways of classifying them will be presented to the students. The different routes of administration and dosage forms that medications are available in will also be taught to the students. Students will learn what a prescription is and the basics of deciphering the information to create instructions for the patients to follow.

PHT110 Professional Roles and Ethics
The Ethics and Professionalism course provides students with the knowledge of ethical principles and professional behaviors expected in the practice of pharmacy. Students will be taught the importance of performing in a professional, ethical, legal, and competent manner. This course will explain the ethical and professional standards that apply to licensed pharmacy professionals on a provincial and national level. Students will learn the importance of effective communication and the value of teamwork within patients’ circle of care. Types of medication errors and the importance of reporting them will also be discussed.

PHT120 Jurisprudence
The Jurisprudence course will provide the students with an understanding of legislation and regulations that govern the pharmacy profession. They will become familiar with federal and provincial laws and regulations. The students will learn the drug schedules and the conditions that must be met to dispense medications. They will also discuss the importance of privacy and confidentiality within the health care system.

PHT130 Medical Terminology/Anatomy/Physiology/Pathology
The Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology course will allow students to master the modern terminology of healthcare and learn techniques for decoding any new term throughout their careers. Students will develop an understanding of the technical language of medicine and are introduced to medical terminology and its essential suffixes and prefixes, and then guided through each key body system. Common medical acronyms, drug names and laboratory tests will be introduced to the students.

PHT200 Pharmacology
The Pharmacology course provides students with core concepts of pharmacology including dosage forms, mechanism of action, and routes of drug administration. Signs and symptoms of diseases and the risk factors will be introduced, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options will be discussed. It will enable the student to understand the role of drugs in individualized patient care and will introduce the student to the recognition and association of generic and trade names of common medications. Adverse effects, contraindications, common dosage regimens and administration considerations will be learned to help the student identify potential drug therapy errors to be presented to the pharmacist. The students gain knowledge of the effect the drug has on the body and the response of the body to the drug action.

PHT210 Pharmacy Calculations
The Pharmacy Calculations course will provide students with the mathematical skills needed to correctly interpret prescriptions and calculate amounts for the preparation of prescription products in a community pharmacy. Students will become familiar with different systems of weights and measures used in pharmacy and the various methods used to express strengths. Students will be able to calculate doses for prescriptions and non-sterile compounds, and some basic principles of pharmacy business math. The importance of performing pharmaceutical calculations with zero tolerance will be emphasized throughout the course.

PHT220 Pharmacy Computer Systems
The Pharmacy Computer Systems course will show the students the requirements of a pharmacy software system. The students will specifically learn to use the Kroll® software to accurately process various prescriptions. Students will learn how to enter a patient, doctor, and medication into the system. Various reports will be introduced to the students such as tax forms, inventory reports and medication printouts for the patient. They will learn about the different types of third-party insurance plans and how to search for coverage according to provincial formulary standards. Students will also learn how to use Netcare® to search for patient information and medication history. Students will use their knowledge of the legal requirements of a prescription and dispensing conditions to verify currency, authenticity and completeness of the prescription. Proper documentation of patient information into the patient’s record of care will also be taught.

PHT300 Non-Sterile Compounding
Pharmaceutical compounding is an old practice of combining or blending two or more medications together. It consists of the active ingredients and the in active ingredients to form an individualized medication that can be directed to the health needs of the patient. There are two basic types, non-sterile and sterile compounding. The module describes various non-sterile products, associated ingredients needed, equipment, record keeping, and appropriate temperature and storage conditions to be observed. student to how to appropriately measure and compound medication according to a given prescription. Most pediatric formulations are usually compounded in the pharmacy while the majority are not preformulated by pharmaceutical company. Therefore, the need arises to appropriately and accurately measure each active ingredient and compound them to give suitable and stable product that can be administered.

PHT310 Community Pharmacy Practice
The Community Pharmacy Practice course will allow the student to put all the knowledge and skills they have gained in the program thus far into a more comprehensive simulation environment. Communication skills in a laboratory setting are explained. This course continues to build upon the skills gained in Dispensing I.

PHT320 Inter/Intra Professional Collaboration
In this course, students are introduced to the role and responsibilities of pharmacy technician and other health professionals working together as members of an interprofessional collaborative team. Development of the competencies and commitment required for interprofessional and intra-collaborative practice. Major course concepts include teamwork, shared leadership, and interprofessional interaction. The role of healthcare professionals will also be explored.

PHT330 Professional Skills
This course will prepare students to do the tasks that will allow them to work to their full scope of practice. The steps for what to do after graduation to register with the Alberta College of Pharmacy will be reviewed. Students will also take a First Aid and CPR course and an introduction to injection course.

PHT400 Sterile Compounding
Aseptic technique module describes methods of sterilizations, principles of aseptic techniques and sterile products. Available sterile products dispensed in pharmacy are mentioned with each peculiar characteristic for storage and dosses. The module discusses how to use strict rules to minimize the risk of contamination of sterile products.

PHT410 Pharmacy Calculations II
The Pharmacy Calculations II course will provide the students with the knowledge to do calculations mainly associated with hospital procedures such as TPN, dilution of vials and flow rates. A review of fundamental dosing calculations and compounding math.

PHT420 Hospital and Institution Practice
The course will provide the students with an understanding of the organizational structure of hospitals and institutional practices. The different roles a hospital is introduced, and the role of a pharmacy technician plays within these practice sites. c component of hospital committee, drug distribution services, and the vital roles of pharmacy technician in hospital services particularly in drug committee decision.

PHT430 Preparation for Practice
The students will be assessed on entry to practice competencies by various practical labs and mock OSPE and MCQ. Preparation of a resume and interview skills will also be taught.

PHT500 Community Pharmacy Practicum
This is a practicum course. Students will need to complete 160 hours in a community pharmacy. The schedule of these 160 hours will be determined by the preceptor at the practicum site and may include day, evening and weekend shifts. Please note that most practicums require a block set of full-time hours (ie. 40 hour work weeks) not part-time. Student Evaluation will be based on the NAPRA Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice.

PHT510 Hospital Practicum
This is a practicum course. Students will need to complete 160 hours in a hospital pharmacy. The schedule of these 160 hours will be determined by the preceptor at the practicum site and may include day, evening and weekend shifts. Please note that most practicums require a block set of full-time hours (ie. 40 hour work weeks) not part-time. Student Evaluation will be based on the NAPRA Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice.

PHT530 Elective Practicum
This is a practicum course. Students will complete 40 hours in an pharmacy area of their choice. This will allow the students to pursue a practicum in an area of specialty pharmacy. Practicum sites could be compounding pharmacy, addictions pharmacy, long term care, travel pharmacy, veterinary pharmacy. The schedule of these 40 hours will be determined by the preceptor at the practicum site and may include day, evening and weekend shifts. Please note that most practicums require a block set of full-time hours (ie. 40 hour work weeks) not part-time. Student Evaluation will be based on the NAPRA Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice.

Practicum

Students are required to complete an unpaid² practicum in a community pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy. Students will be required to use the skills and knowledge they acquired while they were in the program in a real-world setting.  While every effort will be made to place a student in a site of their choice, there are no guaranteed placements.  Practicum availability may be outside of Edmonton and the surrounding areas.³ The student may be required to work some evening, weekend, and holiday shifts to get the best representation of the workflow of a pharmacy.

2 To avoid any bias, if the student currently works in a pharmacy they cannot complete their practicum at that site, or any site they may have worked at in the past.  They also cannot complete the practicum at a site where they have a close personal relationship with another pharmacy employee / proprietor.
3 Transportation, living accommodations and other costs related to clinical placements are the responsibility of the student.

*Graduates of this program will also receive certification in First Aid and CPR.