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Adminsitrative Requirements
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 work closely with pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in busy 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.
As part of your pharmacy technician training, you will partake in an eight-week, 360-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, and a separate aseptic room to help with the preparation of sterile products.
Pharmacy Technician is a regulated health profession under the guidance 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.
The Pharmacy Technician program is accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP)
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.
In order to graduate and receive a diploma, students must obtain a minimum of 70% on all modules, a minimum grade of 70% in all final exams, and meet the zero tolerance criteria in pharmaceutical calculations module and prescription checking as required by the regulatory body.
Students must complete the program within four years of admission.
Students must successfully complete their practicum rotations split between both community and hospital pharmacies.
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 the recommended tests and scores of the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES). In addition, all international transcripts and credentials must be assessed through the 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 Pharmacy Technician program at CDI College's Burnaby campus has been awarded Accreditation Status by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2027.
This program has been approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.
Graduates of this program will be eligible to apply to sit the certification examination offered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) and register with the British Columbia College of Pharmacists
Classrooms have a lot of space and it's just like working in a pharmacy. I feel very welcomed and made some new friends. Teachers and staff are awesome.
Students will become proficient at preparing pharmaceutical preparations and doing the necessary documentation to meet and maintain current standards. The student will review and practice the various mixing techniques and standards of commercial manufacturing and learn the necessity of compounding. The student will become proficient at the use of balances to accurately weigh ingredients to compound. A variety of dosage forms will be reviewed with emphasis being placed on the knowledge that is needed to accurately prepare compounds. The student will be expected to calculate, measure, and weigh various compounding ingredients. Proper and timely cleaning and maintenance of compounding equipment will be stressed.
This comprehensive course includes everything covered in Emergency First Aid and CPR as well as a wide range of other first aid topics that will provide participants with advanced knowledge and skills required to prevent further injury. ** This course is taught by a St. John's Ambulance or Red Cross certified trainer. There is both an online and in-person component to this module. **
This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the pharmacy profession, the role of the Canadian pharmacy organizations, standards of practice, legislation, and ethical best practices. A brief history of the role of pharmacies in society and the pharmacy technician will be covered. Students will be introduced to the nature of drug benefit plans, both public and private, along with accepted billing practices. Finally students will become familiar with the prescription filling life cycle.
This course builds on the skills learned in the Student Success Strategies course or its equivalent. It provides information on how to use the communication skills learned in order to make a successful presentation to a prospective employer. Students also learn how to uncover the hidden job market and identify employment opportunities. Self-assessment during this course allows students to identify their personal skills that are transferable to the work place and to describe these skills to a prospective employer. Students may be videotaped during a mock interview and will participate in the analysis of their performance in the “interview”.
Practicum (on-the-job) experience is an essential component of the Pharmacy Technician training experience. It provides real world practical training in a pharmaceutical setting, allowing the student to gain a better understanding of employer and customer needs and expectations. The practicum is divided into two components, five weeks of practicum in a community pharmacy setting and the four weeks in an institutional (hospital) pharmacy setting. Successful completion of both components is a mandatory criterion for graduation.
Practicum (on-the-job) experience is an essential component of the Pharmacy Technician training experience. It provides real world practical training in a pharmaceutical setting, allowing the student to gain a better understanding of employer and customer needs and expectations. The practicum is divided into two components, five weeks of practicum in a community pharmacy setting and the four weeks in an institutional (hospital) pharmacy setting. Successful completion of both components is a mandatory criterion for graduation.
Students will learn the various types of drug distribution systems in hospitals and institutional settings and the procedure for managing drug inventory. Students will become familiar with the process of receiving drugs and record keeping, as well as the drug delivery systems that may be used in long-term care facilities. Students will be introduced to provincial formularies and central supply lists.
Community Pharmacy will teach dispensing procedures commonly used in the community pharmacy settings with an emphasis on the pharmacy technician's role. Students will be familiarized to dispensing procedures commonly encountered in a community pharmacy setting. Students will learn and work on the technical duties of a community pharmacy so that the pharmacist is available primarily for clinical patient care. The student will learn how to fill a prescription in a laboratory setting from intake of the prescription to dispensing. Pharmacy equipment and dispensing techniques will be explained, demonstrated and practiced in the lab. Students will learn how to utilize key aspects of the pharmacy technician's role in the community pharmacy, including but not limited to, receiving a verbal prescription, counselling on medical devices and patient interviewing.
This course will review the use of Kroll®, a pharmacy software in dispensing medications. Students will become familiar with the various features of the software. Students will be able to enter the required information for patient profiles and look up particular patient profiles. Students will also be able to create new drug files or update existing drug files and doctor information, adjust and add third-party billing information and learn the theory of adjudicating a prescription. Students will also practice and learn the principles of prescription filling, starting with prescription verification to dispensing to the patient.
Students will gain a better understanding of themselves through an exploration of their personal attributes, transferable skills and learning styles. This course will introduce techniques for time, conflict, and stress management and develop interpersonal communication skills. Fundamental study and motivation skills will be covered, preparing students to excel in their program of choice. Students will also prepare a professional resume and learn how to write effective cover letters.
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to discover explore and understand basic human anatomy and physiology. A holistic model will be used to demonstrate how body systems work together, how they are impacted by disease, and how pharmaceuticals are used to improve health.
This course is designed to introduce the student to the fundamental concepts of pharmacology, dosage formulations, routes of drug administration, and OTC medications. It will enable the student to understand the role of drugs in individualized patient care and will introduce the student to the recognition and association of generic and trade names of common and/or important medications in community and hospital pharmacy practice. Students will learn various mechanisms of drug action and understand pharmacokinetic processes that affect drug/body interaction. They will learn the procedure for administration of pharmacologic agents as well as learning to identify major drugs by drug class. Students will know drug indications, therapeutic uses, side effects, administration routes, and common dosages.
This course is designed to provide students with the mathematical skills needed in the preparation of prescription products in a pharmacy setting. The course will allow the student to become familiar with different systems of weights and measures, methods of expressing strengths, dosage calculations, compounding calculations, accurate fluid measurement, and basic principles of pharmacy business math.
This course is designed to provide students with a chance to learn the basic principles of microbiology and the reasons why reducing microbial contamination in a pharmacy are necessary. Students will learn how to control microbial contamination by using both chemical and physical means. Students will learn basic principles of infection control. Students will also learn aseptic techniques in preparation of pharmaceutical products. Students will be introduced to basic microbes such as bacteria (pathogenic and non-pathogenic), viruses and fungi and the diseases they cause. Students will learn how to control microbial contamination in the pharmacy environment and apply these techniques and standards to the preparation of intravenous admixtures and parenteral hospital compounding. Students will become familiar with the equipment used in parenteral compounding such as vials, ampoules and needles. Students will learn how to manipulate these products and using the proper technique.
Students will have the opportunity to interact with students and faculty from other health profession programs throughout the program. This course will help students facilitate their development of team work; improve their critical thinking skills and broaden their knowledge of patient care communications.
This course will guide the student through industry related legislation and standards that govern the pharmacy profession, including provincial and federal laws, regulations and standards, and scope of practice.
Students will write a final exam in the last week of the Pharmacy Technician program. The examination will include a practical component and a comprehensive theory exam. The practical exam includes all skills taught throughout the program.
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