This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the pharmacy profession. This subject will introduce the student to the important role that they will play in a career as a pharmacy assistant. They will also become familiar with the Canadian pharmacy organizations, standards of practice, legislations, and ethics. The student will first review pharmacy history to see how pharmacies in general and their role as an assistant have changed throughout the centuries. The profession of pharmacy as it is today will be examined from the context of the role of the pharmacy personnel and the structure of the various types of pharmacies that are in our society.
Students are then introduced to both federal and provincial drug benefit plans along with other private third party insurance companies and their billing procedures. Lastly, Introduction to Pharmacy provides the necessary requirements to make a prescription, patient profile, and label valid and the process of filling a prescription.

This course will introduce students to the basic principles of pharmacology. Topics to be covered include receptor mechanisms, kinetics and the actions of drugs and toxins at the cellular, organ and organism level. The course is designed to introduce the student to the fundamental concepts of pharmacology, dosage formulations, and 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 andassociation of generic and trade names of common and/or important medications, in community and hospital pharmacy practice. Introduced with this are the usual clinical applications, adverse effects, contraindications, common dosage regimens, and administration considerations. 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.

Students will learn how to perform critical dosage and compounding calculations.

This course is designed to teach students about the various aspects of community pharmacy from the viewpoint of the pharmacy assistant. The
course covers pharmacy business practices, introduces students to third party billing, and teaches dispensing techniques. Students learn about pharmacy business practices both in the dispensing and front store. Students learn to complete many of the technical tasks associated with the day to day operations of a pharmacy. Students are introduced to a prescription and its various parts. They learn how to read and interpret a prescription, enter it into the manual or computerized system to be filled, and the appropriate filling technique. Pharmacy equipment and dispensing techniques will be demonstrated within the course with the opportunity for students to practice as well. The course exposes students to general principles of effective and efficient inventory management. Theory and practice will educate students about control and maintenance of community inventory. The course also covers the objectives of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation by educating students on how to prevent accidents and illness in the workplace. Students also learn to plan and implement Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHIMS) programs in pharmacy settings.

This subject is designed to give the student the skills and knowledge that are necessary to develop one’s career as a pharmacy assistant. Students will become efficient at preparing pharmaceutical preparations and the necessary documentation to meet and maintain standards. The student will review and practice the various mixing techniques and standards of commercial compounding 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. Proper and timely cleaning and maintenance of compounding equipment and area will be stressed.

Pharmacy software applications are necessary in both the retail and institutional setting. The students are required to efficiently use the KROLL pharmacy software in all aspects of the daily processes that take place in a pharmacy. The more knowledgeable the student is with respect to the detail involved in entering and processing prescriptions, the more valuable they will be to the employer. Many pharmacies are actively using the KROLL pharmacy software. It is a user-friendly program with a variety of options that help deliver optimal care to the patient.

This course presents complete and accurate coverage of the basic skills needed to perform effectively as a health office administrative assistant (MOA) in today’s fast-changing work environment. Study includes the use of real-life examples and scenarios to make key concepts come alive. Students learn about ethics, the transition of offices towards electronic environments, as well as discussions of future trends towards the role of technology in the field of medical office administration. From the knowledge and skills learned in this course, students also begin one of their term projects – a medical office procedure manual – the general section completed in this course, and an advanced practice, comprehensive manual that is constructed throughout the entire program and completed after the final practicum-work experience.

The third and final course on medical language focuses on special topics including: cancer medicine (oncology); radiology and nuclear medicine; pharmacology; and psychiatry.

All businesses need to invoice for services rendered and collect their revenues as quickly and efficiently as possible. Doctors’ revenue comes primarily from the provincial medical insurance scheme. Students will be introduced to the medical billing procedures in accordance with the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) requirements and create medical billing data using the BC Medical Association Guide to Fees and ICD-9 Diagnostic Codes. WorkSafe BC, the Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC), and medical legal billing requirements are also discussed.

Students also learn to perform medical billing data entry and preparation of billing statements using the Regent Smart series application, as well as understanding the transmission and receipt of data from the BC MSP office in Victoria.

In the second section of this course, students will create patient databases and complete medical office billing procedures using the current software. Students will become familiar with all aspects of billing, including MSP, ICBC, WorkSafe BC, personal, and medical legal billing. They will also learn to schedule appointments, generate day sheets, and transmit claims. Course time is also dedicated to tutorials to learn the MSP system.

Transcription is integral to the efficiency of the medical doctor’s practice, providing the documentary records on patient cases that the physician is required by law to maintain. Students will become familiar with the various letters and reports routinely dictated by medical professionals by being introduced to the process of medical transcription using actual dictated medical data, in different accents. With an emphasis on speed and accuracy, students utilize transcription equipment and a variety of reference materials to learn the proper formatting, sentence and paragraph structure, punctuation, spelling, and grammar used in reports such as: admission and discharge summaries; chart notes; consultation letters; emergency room reports; history and physical examination reports; laboratory, radiology, and pathology reports; operative/procedure reports. In addition, the course is designed to enhance the student’s listening comprehension, editing and proofreading, again, with an emphasis on the speed and accuracy of their typing. The importance of confidentiality is also reinforced.

Implementing electronic health records (EHRs) in Canada is a pan-Canadian initiative involving many stakeholders involved in the delivery of health care. Electronic health records (EHRs) are secure and private lifetime records that describe a person’s health history and care. They are made up of information from a variety of sources, including hospitals, clinics, doctors, pharmacies, and laboratories. This information is critical for treatment and is accessible to health care professionals. BC is participating in a ten year plan led by the Federal Government's Canada Health Infoway to create a safer and more efficient healthcare system by creating electronic health records (EHRs). In the course, students are introduced to work with simulated health records and learn the ins and outs of the system as they apply in a medical office. It provides a thorough understanding of EHR tasks and functional benefits that is continuously reinforced by actual EHR experiences. Students are updated with the latest EHR rules, regulations and innovations, electronic orders and results, workflow examples, and billing codes.

Students will learn techniques and procedures used to prepare and administer basic procedures and tests utilized in medical offices. Topics include:

• Quality assurance and infection control
• Use of personal protective equipment, materials, and maintaining medical & surgical asepsis
• Taking vital signs, respiration rate, blood pressure, height, weight, and vision examinations
• Assisting with medical examinations
• Sterilization procedures
• Urine tests and specimens
• Blood glucose testing procedures
• Various smears and cultures, viruses, Pap smears, and other specimen testing
• Variety of diagnostic tests
• Safe environments, injury prevention
• Causes and prevention of cumulative stress disorders
• Administration of medical supplies

“Core Competency: Understand Level I/CPR First Aid 1. Explain the techniques of CPR 2. Identify the symptoms of various emergencies 3. Explain the prevention of disease transmission Core Competency: Skill (the key behaviours that a student is expected to be able to perform upon completion of subject) Core Competency: Perform Level I/CPR First Aid 1. Respond to cardiovascular emergencies 2. Perform the techniques to combat choking, airway and breathing emergencies 3. Use proper safety measures

Canadian law requires that any person exposed to hazardous materials in the workplace must be trained in the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). This course has been developed to meet and exceed the Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. WHMIS 2015 training includes the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling for chemicals (GHS), as well as WHMIS legislation introduced in 1988.

Course content includes:

• WHMIS introduction
• WHMIS 1988 classes, divisions, and symbols; personal protective equipment; labels and storage; material safety data sheets
• WHMIS 2015 groups, classes, and categories
• WHMIS 2015 Physical Hazard and Health Hazards groups’
• WHMIS 2015 labels and storage
• WHMIS 2015 safety data sheets

This practicum will place students in actual workplaces related to their field of study where they are expected to act as a regular employee for the set time periods in order to gain the valuable “real world” experience, often sought by employers who are hiring. Students are encouraged to find their own work experience for the area they wish to specialize; however, once placed, continuation in the placement is a mandatory diploma requirement. This practicum is an unpaid work experience. Students and practicum hosts are provided with a practicum “package” that outlines the expectations of both the student and the host that need to be met to have a successful outcome.

In addition to learning career-oriented skills, students learn how to get a job in their chosen profession. Our Employment Services department will assist the graduate in resume writing, as well as preparing for job interviews. Our staff is sensitive to current job market trends and the needs of employers in each local market.
Our graduates receive guidance and training to use career tools that help job seekers build a better resume and cover letter, manage an online portfolio, hone interviewing skills, and develop a personal brand online.
Students will have the use of a computer lab which has unlimited Internet access, as well as job search resources. Facilitators will also be made available to advise on job finding resources, interview skills and techniques and to carry out mock interviews.

This course also looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview:

• How people find jobs
• Employer expectations
• Presenting an enthusiastic attitude
• Focusing on the right job and the hidden job market
• Transferrable skills
• Thank you letters
• Effective telemarketing
• Handling objections, self-confidence, and self-esteem
• Individual counselling and coaching