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Pharmacy

Are you interested in the medical field? Do you want to work alongside pharmacists to help patients? A career as a pharmacy technician could be a good choice for you.

In this accredited program, you’ll learn about drug products, calculations, dosages, dispensing techniques, inventory management, aseptic techniques, IV preparation, compounding, inventory management and aseptic technique and Washington pharmacy law. You’ll study and develop different skills, work attitudes and ethics. You'll also develop proper work habits and appreciation for the job. Your training will include classroom instruction, laboratory practice and clinical pharmacy training.

With this degree, you’ll be prepared to work in both community and hospital pharmacy settings.

Detailed Information

The Pharmacy Technician Program at SCC is a four-quarter program consisting of classroom instruction, laboratory practice and clinical pharmacy training. Students are required to complete a National Background Check.

Each required course for graduation must be completed with a 2.0 grade or better before proceeding to the next quarter in all classes. Each student is required to complete 176 clinical hours in community and hospital or home health care for a total of 352 hours.

After completion of the program, students are required to take and pass the National Certification Exam before applying for a Pharmacy Technician license issued by the Washington Quality Assurance Commission (formally known at the Washington State Board of Pharmacy).

The student may enroll in liberal arts either preceding or following the professional curriculum. For an associate in applied science degree, the student must complete 25 credit hours of required courses and 7 hours of department approved electives numbered 100 or above in addition to the one-year professional curriculum.

  1. Demonstrate accountability as a health care professional.
  2. Communicate effectively in a professional manner with members of the healthcare team.
  3. Able to solve math-oriented problems posed to the technician by a pharmacist.
  4. Practice principles of implementing physician orders in a pharmacy setting.
  5. Demonstrate standards of aseptic technique and safety in a pharmacy setting.
  6. Demonstrate knowledge of legal requirements involved in a pharmacy operation.
  7. Identify appropriate information regarding standard dosing, generic versus trade name and other drug information.
  8. Understand the role of the technician – the pharmacist/patient/tech interaction; i.e. confidentiality.

The Pharmacy Technician program trains students in all phases of the pharmacy field: drug products, calculations, dosages, dispensing techniques, inventory management, and Washington pharmacy law. Graduates will be prepared to work in both community and hospital pharmacy settings.

Each required course for graduation must be completed with a 2.0 grade or better before proceeding to the next quarter and must be maintained in all classes. The student may enroll in liberal arts either preceding or following the professional curriculum. For an associate in applied science degree, the student must complete 20 credit hours of required courses and 5 hours of department-approved electives numbered 100 or above in addition to the one-year professional curriculum. 

Admission Prerequisite Requirements:

  • High school diploma or GED certificate
  • National background check
  • Interview with pharmacy technician instructor
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Students may repeat a pharmacy technician class once, but it must be repeated within two years
  • Each required course for graduation must be completed with a 2.0 grade or better before proceeding to the next quarter
  • If the student does not pass third quarter and has to repeat a class the next year, they must also pass the technique skills for the lab portion of PHARM 123 and 124.

Breaking Ground on Your Pathway


Placement

Math placement is not required for this program.

Prepare for College-level English

English placement is required for this program. If your English placement is below ENGL& 101, you’ll need to take following sequence of courses, starting from the level you placed into:
AE 36 → AE 46 and 47 (taken together) → AE 67 → ENGL 99 → ENGL& 101 → ENGL& 102

Plan Your Courses

Meet with our counselors to customize this plan just for you. You can also search the quarterly schedule for class days and times.

Program Map for

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Total Program Credits: 92


Program Courses

First Quarter

Course ID
Course Title
Credits
ENGL&101
English Composition I  
5
HED 108
Human Anatomy   2
5
HED 125
Medical Terminology  
5
Total Credits
 
15

Second Quarter

Course ID
Course Title
Credits
CMST&210
Interpersonal Communication  
5
PHARM101
Introduction to Pharmacy Technician  
3
PHARM115
Mathematics for Pharmacy Technicians  
5
PHARM119
Pharmacology  
3
PHARM126
Sterile Compounding and Aseptic Technique  
3
Total Credits
 
19

Third Quarter

Course ID
Course Title
Credits
PHARM122
Advanced Pharmacology  
5
PHARM123
Hospital Pharmacy Dispensing and Management  
5
PHARM124
Community Pharmacy Dispensing and Management  
5
PHARM131
Pharmacy Law and Ethics  
3
Total Credits
 
18

Fourth Quarter

Course ID
Course Title
Credits
HED 121
Cultural Diversity in Health Care  
1
PHARM130
Entering the Work Environment  
2
PHARM132
Community Pharmacy  
6
PHARM133
Hospital Pharmacy  
6
Total Credits
 
15

Fifth Quarter

Course ID
Course Title
Credits
 
Required Courses for AAS Degree  
20
Total Credits
 
20
Required Courses for AAS Degree: Choose 20 credits Required Courses for AAS Degree: Choose 20 credits  
CMST 227
Intercultural Communication  
5
ENGL&102
Composition II  
5
PSYC&100
General Psychology  
5
SOC& 101
Intro to Sociology  
5

Sixth Quarter

Course ID
Course Title
Credits
 
Elective Courses for the AAS Degree   1
5
Total Credits
 
5
BUS& 101
Intro to Business  
5
BUS 280
Human Relations in Business  
5
CMST 250
Managing Conflict Through Communication  
5
MATH&107
Math in Society  
5
MMGT 101
Principles of Management  
5
SOC 211
Marriage and the Family  
5

1 Departmentally approved elective numbered 100 or above.
2 May be substituted with BIOL& 241.

Estimated costs for completing this program

 
WA Resident
Non-Resident
International
Military Tuition Assistance Program
Tuition
$ 8,928
$ 10,820
$ 19,980
$ 6,978
Books
$ 150
$ 150
$ 150
$ 150
Course Fees
$ 490
$ 490
$ 490
$ 490
Institutional Fees
$ 652
$ 652
$ 652
$ 652
Total Costs
$ 10,220
$ 12,112
$ 21,272
$ 8,270

Costs for completing a degree or certificate can vary. For more information about costs, visit our How Much Does it Cost? page.

  • Sandi Tschritter
    Sandi Tschritter
    Pharmacy Technician Prog
    Certificate, A.A.S., Spokane Community College; C.Ph.T.; B.A., M.Ed., Eastern Washington University
    Sandi.Tschritter@scc.spokane.edu
    509-533-8199

The Pharmacy Technician Program is state-accredited through the Washington Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission and nationally through American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). It also holds accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program (CAAHEP).

Additional Application Requirements

Program start: Summer (on-campus), Winter (hybrid)
Pre-requisites: Yes
Program length: 4 quarters
Number of students each start: 25 on campus, 15 hybrid
Contact: Sandi Tschritter 509-533-8199
Registration Contact: scc.reg-office@scc.spokane.edu and 509-533-8860
Applications deadline: N/A

Have a question? Let's hear it.

Sandi Tschritter

Program Director
Sandi.Tschritter@scc.spokane.edu
509-533-8199

Neesa Guel

Pathway Specialist
neesa.guel@scc.spokane.edu
509-533-7005