Program Description
The Pharmacy Technician Program is a 305-hour non-credit program that prepares students with no background in the field for the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination offered through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).
Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists in serving patients (receiving, processing, and filling prescriptions and medication orders; determining charges and obtaining reimbursements, including insurance and Medicare payments), maintaining medication and inventory control systems, and participating in the administration and management of the pharmacy practice. Graduates may find work at retail or hospital pharmacies.
The online class portion is approximately four months with an in-person pharmacy externship to follow and consists of two parts as follows:
Part 1 Pharmacy Technician Foundations—145 hours
Part 2 Pharmacy Technician Externship—160 hours
The Part 1 Pharmacy Technician Foundations course includes online lectures. The Part 2 Pharmacy Technician Externship course includes lab practice, lecture, test preparation, and externship hours at a pharmacy site. During the externship, students have a wide range of days and times to choose from with the various community pharmacy sites. To qualify for participation in an externship, a student will need to achieve a minimum of 70% on exams and other competency attainment requirements before being placed at a pharmacy site. Students are urged to complete these hours in a timely manner. A student who achieves a minimum of 70% in both Part 1 and Part 2 will earn the Certificate of Competence from Kapi`olani Community College.
To be eligible for entry into this program, the student will need to meet certain English and Math prerequisites to register. Please see the section on Program Admission.
Program Admissions
Admission into the program is on a FIRST QUALIFIED, FIRST ACCEPTED basis. The program has limited enrollment and you are strongly encouraged to register early to secure a seat.
Qualification or completion of both English 100 (Expository Writing) and Math 82 or higher is required for entry into this program. If you have not completed college-level English and math courses, you may take the ACCUPLACER placement test offered through our testing center at KCC. Minimum reading and math placement scores are required as noted above and valid within the last two years. Relevant course substitutions may be considered. Please inquire with the program coordinator.
As a first step, you must attend one of the following REQUIRED program information sessions listed below. They will be conducted through Zoom. Program information and expectations as well as registration and qualification procedures will be discussed. Visit the Pharmacy Technician website for more information on the dates and times of these information sessions.
Note: We reserve the right to cancel the course due to insufficient enrollment or for other reasons. All dates, times, and other information may be subject to change with or without prior notice.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the history and development of Pharmacy, laws and ethics
- Understand common human diseases and pathological states and its treatments
- Be able to identify the roots and origins of newly learned medical terminology including drug terms and definitions
- List factors that affect drug action and adverse effects and be able to identify common side effects of commonly prescribed drugs
- Demonstrate fluency with pharmacy calculations, dosage formulas, and solution calculations
- Demonstrate effective compounding and sterile preparations
- Demonstrate synthesis of knowledge and skills of an effective pharmacy technician to perform in a pharmacy setting under the supervision of a registered pharmacist
Certificates and National Certification
Students successfully completing the entire course (both classroom and externship will receive a Certificate of Competence from KCC. Graduates will also be eligible to sit for the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination offered through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Those passing this exam will be given the designation of CPhT, or Certified Pharmacy Technician.
Contact Information
Martin Chong
Health Education Non-Credit Program Coordinator
Email: martincs@hawaii.edu