Pharmacy Assistant

This course provides education on the anatomy of the human body and its intricate systems. Students will be able to describe the functions and structures of the human body and explain how they attribute to human life.

Students will be able to perform basic mathematical computations involving fractions, decimals, percentage, ratio-proportion, percentage, milliequivalents, units, and sum estimations. Students will also calculate mass/volume in the preparation of compounds, use calculations in preparation and verification of prescriptions/orders (TPNs), and use basic systems of measurement, dosages, temperature, and time conversion.

This course will help the student develop the communication skills necessary to function in a professional business setting. There will be a review of grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation as they apply to business communication. Students will complete various exercises with an emphasis on improving basic skills in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, and apply these skills to writing assignments and tasks.

The Career Management program will introduce and allow students to apply the most effective strategies to achieve employment in the career of their choice. Topics that are covered include effective job search strategies, cover letter and strategic resume writing, effective interviewing skills, and interview preparation.

This introductory course will prepare students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to work in a retail setting. Students will be introduced to third-party billing, inventory control, the workflow of a community pharmacy, ordering, receiving, dispensing procedures, and policies applicable to the handling and dispensing of medications in this setting. This course will provide a combination of theory and practice in a simulated pharmacy laboratory.

In this course, students will gain practical experience in dosage and drug preparation. Students will learn to accurately calculate, measure, and weigh the chemicals needed for the various compounds. In addition, students will prepare various compounds such as ointments, lotions, suspensions, emulsions, and suppositories.

Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the operational function of an institution-based pharmacy. This course will enable students to understand the pharmacy team member's roles and scopes of practice. Students will also identify various types of automation, the use of drug distribution systems, and the pros and cons of each.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to relate to professionalism as a whole. Students will understand the importance of being able to present and work in a professional, ethical, and legal manner. Students will practice skills for time management, personal growth and development, and effective personal and interpersonal communication. Students will also learn about the laws and how they are applied within a pharmacy setting.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have achieved a core level competency of the Microsoft Excel application. Topics include creating worksheets, formulas, functions, charts, formatting, analysis, templates, and working with multiple worksheets and workbooks.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have achieved a basic level competency of the Microsoft PowerPoint application. Topics include creating slides, formatting slides, transitions, animations, and delivery.

This course is designed to provide students with the skills needed to work with the Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Outlook. Students will learn to use the tools and options available in the Windows operating system, manage folders and files, and work with some of the built-in applications. The Microsoft Outlook portion will provide students with the skills to compose and send emails, schedule appointments and meetings, manage contact information, and schedule tasks.

Students will be introduced to word processing using Microsoft Word. Topics include creating, saving, printing, opening documents, using reveal codes, formatting, mail merge, file management, and tables.

Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the evolution of pharmacy and will be introduced to pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. Students will also become familiar with the various pharmaceutical classifications and the names of drugs used within each. Common dosage forms of medications and the mechanism of action of common drug groups are emphasized.

This introductory course will prepare students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to work in a retail setting. Students will be introduced to third-party billing, inventory control, the workflow of a community pharmacy, ordering, receiving, dispensing procedures, and policies applicable to the handling and dispensing of medications in this setting. This course will provide a combination of theory and practice in a simulated pharmacy laboratory. Students will become familiar with the Kroll Pharmacy system and learn how to correctly enter patient, physician and drug profiles; perform updates as required; enter prescriptions; generate labels, and perform product inventory. Various types of reports such as inventory and customer year-end reports will also be covered.

The practicum placement of the program is the practical application of a student’s knowledge and skills in the pharmacy environment. Students will be hosted by an institutional or community pharmacy where they would perform and/or job shadow a variety of skills they acquired in the program.