Program Outcomes

Pharmacy Technology students gain clinical experience in a variety of pharmacy and health care settings, including hospital, community and specialty pharmacies. Upon graduation, they can become Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT) by passing the national Pharmacy Technician Certification examination, administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). They would then meet the legal requirements of having a Pharmacy Technology AAS degree and be certified to work in hospitals as validating technicians, supervising other technicians.

Here are recent pass rates on the PTCB national certification exam:

Pharmacy Technology program graduates should have the knowledge and skills to perform the following functions and provide pharmacy services under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist:

• Receive and screen prescription medication orders for completeness and accuracy
• Receive prescriptions sent electronically from a doctor's office
• Review and interpret medication orders
• Process and transcribe medication orders written by prescribers
• Calculate dose and quantity to dispense
• Prepare medication labels, select appropriate prescription container and affix prescription and auxiliary labels
• Measure, label and package prescriptions
• Use equipment such as electronic tablet counters, computerized label printers, compounding equipment and robotic equipment
• Use computers to perform pharmacy functions
• Use pharmaceutical and medical terminology, abbreviations and symbols appropriately
• Compound oral, topical and parenteral prescriptions
• Establish and maintain patient pharmacy and medical profiles
• Replenish medications for hospital nursing units, emergency kits and cardiac arrest carts
• Prepare intravenous mixtures for antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy and total parenteral nutrition
• Use aseptic technique in laminar and vertical flow hoods to compound sterile products, including cytotoxic chemotherapy
• Ensure a pharmacist checks each prescription before medication is delivered
• Use drug distribution systems
• Deliver medications to patient care areas
• Fill patient cassettes and automated dispensing equipment
• Complete required documentation and file prescriptions
• Generate appropriate records related to dispensing and distribution
• Prepare insurance claims and reconcile insurance billings
• Purchase, receive and store pharmaceuticals, devices and supplies
• Prepare invoices and maintain drug information files
• Monitor expiration dates and control medication, equipment and device inventory
• Maintain pharmacy equipment used in preparation, storage and distribution of drug products
• Assist in monitoring compliance with federal, state and local laws, regulations and professional standards
• Assist in preparing, storing and distributing investigational drug products and radiopharmaceuticals
• Assist in monitoring drug therapy
• Assist in identifying patients who desire counseling on use of medications, equipment and devices
• Maintain confidentiality of patient information
• Understand use and side-effects of prescription and nonprescription drugs used to treat common disease states
• Package drugs for automated dispensing per dose, per patient and per administration period
• Use automation and robots to process prescriptions in hospitals for point-of-care dispensing, centralized dispensing and controlled substance dispensing and tracking, and in retail pharmacies

Employment

NOTE: The percentages do not reflect the number of job offers students receive. Also, some students continue their academic journey after graduation instead of entering the workforce.

Wake Tech is proud to have Pioneer Rx as a training tool in our pharmacy lab.