Each year, Canadians spend nearly $30-billion on prescription drugs, and more than 40% of the country took at least one prescription medication last year, making pharmacies among the busiest businesses in Canada.
If you’re looking to launch a unique, varied, and rewarding career in healthcare, CDI College’s Pharmacy Technician diploma program is the right place to start.
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians work closely with pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in busy retail, community, and hospital pharmacies.
Throughout your coursework in the program, you’ll learn the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful pharmacy technician, including compounding, dispensing, pharmacy mathematics, drug and body interactions, and using pharmacy software programs.
Hands-on Pharmacy Technician Courses
As part of your pharmacy technician training, you will partake in an eight-week, 300-hour practicum placement, split between a community pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy.
Students will have the opportunity to learn in a dedicated lab space outfitted with technologies currently being used in the profession, including a laminar airflow hood and computers with the Kroll® computer software. The spaces students will use include a dedicated classroom, mock community pharmacy as well as a separate aseptic room to help with the preparation of sterile products.
Pharmacy Technician is a regulated health profession under the auspices of the College of Pharmacists of BC (CPBC). Graduates of this program will attain competencies specified in the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice and the Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association (CPTEA) Educational Outcomes for Pharmacy Technician Programs in Canada.
Graduates will also be eligible to apply to write the certification examination offered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) and to register with the CPBC.
- Graduation from a high school or post-secondary institution in Canada with successful completion of:
- A minimum of Biology 11, Chemistry 11, and Math 11, or equivalent courses.
- Completion of three consecutive English or French language courses (i.e., Grade 10, 11, and 12 English/French).
- Passing grade on CDI College's admission test.
- Provide a clear criminal record check (in accordance with the Criminal Records Review Act).
- Provide completed immunization report showing current immunization and absence of communicable diseases.
- Basic competency in computer literacy and basic keyboarding (minimum 25 wpm).
- Interview with campus director, program director/coordinator, or designate.
- Prior learning MAY be recognized. Please contact the admissions team for more information.
Graduation Requirements
Students must complete the program within 4 years of admission.
Applicants who have graduated from high school or post-secondary programs outside of Canada (including English-speaking countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia) must demonstrate English language proficiency for program admission.
This standard is based on ICES-recommended tests and scores. In addition, all international transcripts and credentials must be assessed through the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) prior to enrolling.
| Test | Details | Minimum Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | Internet-based test | Speaking | 23 |
| Writing | 25 | ||
| Reading | 22 | ||
| Listening | 21 | ||
| Total | 91 | ||
| Michigan Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) | Speaking | 3+ | |
| Writing | 80 | ||
| Reading | 83 | ||
| Listening | 80 | ||
| Total | 81 | ||
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) | Academic format | Speaking | 6 |
| Writing | 6 | ||
| Reading | 6 | ||
| Listening | 6 | ||
| Overall Band | 6.5 | ||
| The Canadian Test for English Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST) | Speaking | 4.5 | |
| Writing | 4.0 | ||
| Reading | 4.5 | ||
| Listening | 4.5 | ||
CDI College, Burnaby – Pharmacy Technician Faculty
Dr. Charles Park, PharmD, RPh – Program Director and Instructor – charles.park@cdicollege.ca – 604-437-8585
Debra Blasco, RPhT – Instructor
Sangita Lalli, RPhT – Instructor
As pharmacy technicians are a regulated profession in British Columbia, upon graduation, you’ll be able to write certification exams with both the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC), and the College of Pharmacists of BC.
The Pharmacy Technician Program at CDI College's Burnaby campus has been awarded the status of Full Accreditation by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) for an eighteen-month term, from January 1st, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
This program has been approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.
