Pharmacy Technician - PHT 124

Course Description

This course is structured as a combination of a simulation lab and relevant lecture that will focus on those specific activities of a pharmacy technician that are used in an institutional (e.g., hospital) environment. The simulation lab will prepare the pharmacy technician student to effectively operate within a pharmacy in an institutional compounding setting. Students will learn how to prepare medications requiring simple, moderate and high level sterile and non-sterile compounding as defined by current standards. All students in the Pharmacy Technician programs must meet the requirements of a criminal background check and drug screen before completing the required practical experiences.

Prerequisites

(A requirement that must be completed before taking this course.)

Course Competencies

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Assess medication orders for completeness, accuracy and authenticity in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Complete prescriptions in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Apply basic mathematical skills to the medication compounding process.
• Solve mathematical calculations to determine accurate parenteral medication dosages.
• Verify the accuracy of parenteral medication dosages based on patient age and weight.
• Explain how to calculate accurate amount of ingredients for a compounded product.
• Interpret brand names and generic names for parenteral medications.
• Process a parenteral medication order in an electronic medical record.
• Complete a compounded medication order in a prescription processing program.
• Fill a hospital automated drug storage and dispensing system.
• Describe accepted procedures in maintaining pharmacy facilities in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Describe effective inventory control of medications in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Explain procedures and communication channels to use in the event of a product recall or shortage, a medication error or identification of another problem in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Describe the investigational drug process, medications being used in off-label indications and emerging drug therapies in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Explain how to manage hazardous medications and materials in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Explain basic safety and emergency preparedness procedures in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Describe current standards for managing controlled substances in a hospital setting.
• Describe how to manage drug product inventory stored in equipment or devices in a hospital or institutional setting.
• Demonstrate aseptic techniques for preparing intravenous admixture products.
• Explain effective infection control procedures.
• Explain the levels of engineering controls for preparation of parenteral compounds.
• Demonstrate aseptic testing methods.
• Calculate Beyond Use Dating (BUD) that is utilized for compounded products.
• Demonstrate current United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards in hood cleaning techniques.
• Demonstrate current United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards in aseptic gowning techniques.
• Prepare simulated medications requiring moderate and high level non-sterile compounding methods.
• Prepare simulated chemotherapy/hazardous drug preparations.
• Prepare solutions using varying materials, including sterile powders, capsules, ampules and tablets.
• Explain how to verify measurements, preparations and/or packaging of medications produced by other healthcare professionals (e.g., tech-check-tech).

Course Schedule