Pharmacy

The Pharmacy Technician Program at SCC is a three-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.

PHARM 101 — Introduction to Pharmacy Technician — 3.0 Credits

This course introduces students to practice roles of pharmacy technicians. Employment opportunities, medical terminology, drug dosage forms, IV infusion, introduction to prescription interpretation and pharmacy law are emphasized.
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PHARM 115 — Mathematics for Pharmacy Technicians — 5.0 Credits

Students are introduced to the application of basic math skills to real-life scenarios in pharmacy technician career fields. This course includes review of basic skills, followed by applications of dosage calculations for IVs, tablets, liquids and injectables. Students are also introduced to the applications of math skills determined by body surface area, chemotherapy and pediatric dosing.
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PHARM 119 — Pharmacology — 3.0 Credits

Students learn to identify drugs normally used in hospital and retail pharmacy settings. Therapeutic drug classifications, routes of administration, codes and abbreviations, and correct drug name spelling are emphasized. Students also learn to distinguish between generic and trade (brand) names of drugs.
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PHARM 122 — Advanced Pharmacology — 5.0 Credits

Students learn to categorize the top 200 drugs into the major therapeutic classifications; distinguish between generic and brand names of drugs; identify accepted dosage forms, routes and dosing intervals of each drug. Human medical conditions relating to anatomy and physiology are emphasized. Prerequisite: PHARM 119.
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PHARM 123 — Hospital Pharmacy Dispensing and Management — 5.0 Credits

Students learn to assist the pharmacist with preparing and dispensing prescription drugs within the hospital setting. Verbal and written communication skills are emphasized. Students are introduced to appropriate inventory control and purchasing. Prerequisite: PHARM 101, 119 with a 2.0 grade or better.
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PHARM 124 — Community Pharmacy Dispensing and Management — 5.0 Credits

This course prepares students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to assist the pharmacist in preparing and dispensing prescription drugs in a community pharmacy setting. Verbal and written communications skills, prescription interpretation, and third party billing are emphasized. Prerequisite: PHARM 101, 119 with a 2.0 grade or better.
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PHARM 126 — Sterile Compounding and Aseptic Technique — 3.0 Credits

Students focus on training of sterile parenteral preparation within a hospital, long-term care facilities and home healthcare. Training follows the requirements of USP Chapter 797 Standards.
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PHARM 130 — Entering the Work Environment — 2.0 Credits

This course prepares students for success in health careers. Students learn job-readiness skills including work ethics, professionalism, resume writing, communication skills and self-esteem.
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PHARM 131 — Pharmacy Law and Ethics — 3.0 Credits

Students learn the law relating to pharmacy, agencies that regulate pharmacy practice and quality assurance.
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PHARM 132 — Community Pharmacy — 6.0 Credits

The course introduces students to the procedures permitted the pharmacy technician in the state of Washington regarding community pharmacy. Prerequisite: PHARM 122, 123, 124 with a 2.0 grade or better.
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PHARM 133 — Hospital Pharmacy — 6.0 Credits

This course offers clinical practice to perfect students' competence in performing pharmacy technician functions that take place under direct supervision of the pharmacist. Students work in a hospital pharmacy assisting the pharmacist. Prerequisite: Completion of all prior required courses with a 2.0 grade or better.
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PHARM 145 — Pharmacology — 3.0 Credits

Previously known as HED 145. Drug classifications, apothecary and metric systems of measurement, medications by brand name and generic terms, and use of PDR and hospital formularies are addressed in this course.
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The Pharmacy Technician Program is state-accredited through the Washington Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission and nationally through American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). It also holds accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Program (CAAHEP).