Associate (A.A.S.) Degree Program in Pharmacy Technician

The degree program in Pharmacy Technician will help students develop the necessary skills and background so they can assist pharmacists in providing medication and other healthcare products to patients. Students will gain an understanding of medical and pharmaceutical technology, pharmacology, pharmacy record keeping, pharmaceutical techniques, and pharmacy law and ethics. In addition, students get to develop their skills in simulated retail and hospital pharmacies, and during their last semester of the program a practicum is required so students receive hands-on experience in a variety of pharmacy practice sites.

Expansion in healthcare as a whole and in pharmacy in particular has created an increasing demand for pharmacy technicians. This demand is spurred by an increase in the general population, a growing elderly segment, a reliance on multi-pharmaceutical treatments, technological advances, a sophisticated consumer and the emergence of new medical conditions.

Pharmacists are moving away from traditional dispensing duties toward the promotion of proper medication use. As this occurs, pharmacists work with technicians to carry out their growing work load. This results in an increased need for technicians to be properly educated and trained to fulfill those expanded duties.

The employment market for graduates of the proposed program has expanded and changed, leading to an increase in the opportunities and challenges for pharmacy technicians. With the national pharmacist shortage and the expected 30 percent increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed over the next ten years, the need for better skilled pharmacy technicians has risen dramatically. These skilled technicians are assuming expanding job responsibilities under the direct supervision of registered pharmacists.

There are numerous venues where pharmacy technicians are employed. These include but are not limited to community pharmacies, hospitals and other health-system institutions, long-term care facilities, home health care agencies, clinic pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies and managed care/health insurance organizations.

The following are potential careers in Pharmacy Technician for Monroe College graduates: Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), IV Certified Pharmacy Technician, and Pharmaceutical Care Associate.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational and Employment Wages 2010 reports, employment for Pharmacy Technicians is expected to grow by 32% much faster than the average for all occupations through 2010.

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