OCTC launches pharmacy tech prep course
Mar. 1—Owensboro Community & Technical College is launching a Pharmacy Tech National Certification prep course beginning in April.
The nine-week course will prepare individuals who are new to the field, as well as those who are current pharmacy technicians, to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam that leads to the national PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technical Certification. It will begin April 13 and run through June 8. The course will meet virtually from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
The course will provide an overview of the field of pharmacy technology in a variety of healthcare settings. It will focus on the skills required of a pharmacy technician and the legal requirements and responsibilities for assisting a pharmacist. Some course topics include professional communication and customer service, patient care processes, and safety issues in addition to the exam content areas of medications, federal requirements, patient safety and quality assurance, and order entry and processing, according to information provided by OCTC.
This certification prep course also aligns with the OCTC course PHA 110: Pharmacy Procedures and Skills, so participants also will earn six college credits upon completion. It's also required in a pharmacy technology pathway leading toward certificate and diploma options at several KCTCS colleges if individuals who participate wish to continue their education, according to OCTC.
Sheri Plain, director of Community Workforce and Economic Development, said the program is launching at a good time because COVID-19 vaccinations are ramping up and pharmacy technicians may administer them.
The first course will accept 15 students, but Plain said if this course is popular, it will be offered again. As long as there is a need and a demand for the course, it will continue to be offered, she said.
Plain said everything needed to take this course is included in its price: the books, materials and the exam itself.
The cost of the course is $1,704 per person.
It is being taught by a pharmacist in the field, and there will also be some web-based learning attached to it as well, Plain said.
Allyson Sanders, OCTC Workforce Solutions Industry Program coordinator, said this certification course is a good thing for those already in the industry or those who have been displaced.
"This is one of the things to help people get back on track and get back out in the market," Sanders said, adding that OCTC has a lot of other offerings for individuals in that position. "It's never too late."
For more information about OCTC's pharmacy tech national certification prep course, contact Vicki Boyd at vicki.boyd@kctcs.edu 270-686-4447 or Sanders at allyson.sanders@kctcs.edu 270-686-4410.
Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315
Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315
