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Fill Prescriptions, Collaborate With a Licensed Pharmacist, and Engage With Pharmacy Customers

This certificate program prepares students to assist in the preparation of prescribed medications. Students will be qualified to work as pharmacy technicians in a retail pharmacy, hospital, nursing home, assisted living facilities, or mail-order pharmacies. Students will learn how to use medical terms, make dosage calculations, work with insurance claims. Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to take the Pharmacy Technical Certificate Board Exam (PTCB).

By partnering with PioneerRx Pharmacy Software, our program allows students to learn in a real-world environment using the most installed software for independent pharmacies. Students enhance their clinical and functional skills by training in a pharmacy system that is innovative, robust, and feature-rich. Read what current pharmacy leaders are saying about PioneerRx at Pharmacy Software Reviews.

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Program Flyer Steps for Enrollment Pickens Lookbook See the Classroom

What Our Students Learn

  • Perform clerical work in medical settings
  • Verify accuracy of patient information
  • Prepare medications or medical solutions
  • Process medical billing information
  • Maintain inventory of medical supplies or equipment

Career Outlook

  • Employment opportunity in this field is 5 times higher than the national average of a job
  • Entry level salaries start at $28,000 and up
  • Median salary is $38,000
  • 10% of workers earn $53,000 or more
pharmacy professional

Program Experience

  • Students spend 50% of their time learning concepts in a classroom, and 50% of their time with hands-on practical work
  • Students gain experience in a simulated pharmacy environment with industry-grade equipment
  • Off-site clinicals are built in to the curriculum
  • Enrollment options are available for both high school students and post-secondary students
  • 1 year of classes

Jennifer Friend

Instructor, Pharmacy Technician
303-344-4910 ext 27957
jennifer.friend@aurorak12.org

Jennifer Friend has been teaching since 2020, and has been in the Pharmaceutical industry for over 18 years. Dr. Friend worked in drug information, hospital pharmacy roles, and as a consultant pharmacist and later became the Division Director of Pharmacy Services for Sava Senior Care in 2012 and the Division Director of Pharmacy for the State of Colorado’s Veterans Community Living Centers in 2014. Dr. Friend served as a clinical preceptor for the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy for six years and was an adjunct faculty member for the Arapahoe Community College’s Pharmacy Technician program.

Industry Certifications & Degrees:

  • Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Lehigh University
  • Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Colorado
  • Who’s Who in Geriatrics in December 2019
  • Recipient of Excellence in Precepting for Health-System Pharmacy award in July 2020
  • Honored as one of the Top Women in Medicine in December 2020

Accredited Certificate Courses (30.5 credits)

All credits earned at Pickens technical college are recognized by the Colorado Community College System (CCCS), and are eligible for transfer to other colleges within the state of Colorado.

Meets the requirements for American Red Cross Professional Rescuer CPR or American Heart Association Basic Life Support for those who work in Emergency Services, Health Care, and other professional areas. Material presented in this course is basic patient assessment, basic airway management, rescue breathing, AED use, and CPR for infant, children, and adult patients.

Introduces the practice of pharmacy and the work that pharmacy technicians perform. The course provides an overview of careers within the field; educational, certification, and accreditation requirements; ethical and legal responsibilities; pharmacology; as well as a variety of issues that touch on attitudes, values, and beliefs of successful pharmacy technicians.

Introduces the pharmacy technician student to the profound influence that drug laws, standards, and regulations have on practice. Students learn to abide by the laws, regulations, and standards that govern the preparation and dispensing of drugs.

Provides the basic concepts of normal body function as well as the diseases which impact the various body systems and the drugs used to treat such diseases. Emphasizes disease state management and drug therapy.

Reviews the disease states which impact the various body systems and the drugs used to treat such diseases. Emphasizes disease state management and drug therapy. Serves as the second part of the two-part presentation of the basic concepts of pharmacology.

Provides a basic understanding of both general and specific tasks and responsibilities involved in the practice of pharmacy in a community setting. Emphasizes chain and independent community pharmacy practices and other related practice settings (such as consultant pharmacy, mail order pharmacy, and nuclear pharmacy). Enables the student to obtain hands-on experience in the important technical duties of dispensing and compounding. Utilizes a lecture-informal discussion format combined with a series of practice skills laboratory sessions.

Provides a basic introduction to pharmacy reimbursement services. Defines and presents the processes involved in reimbursement for pharmacy products and services. Examines the health care insurance industry along with an overview of the three core functions of pharmacy reimbursement services: patient admission, verification of insurance, and billing procedures. Integrates an actual pharmacy operation application and allows students hands-on technical experience.

Provides the students with hands-on experience in a community pharmacy setting. Students must be supervised by a licensed pharmacist or qualified designee, and are expected to participate in activities delineated in the Clinical Site Manual, such as dispensing, inventory handling and control, drug distribution, processing of third-party claims, and communication with patients. The preceptor, student, and instructor complete evaluations at the completion of the rotation.

Develops the skills necessary to perform calculations essential to the duties of pharmacy technicians in a variety of contemporary settings. This course also applies these skills in hands-on compounding of pharmaceutical products emphasizing the importance of accuracy, quality, and infection control.

Emphasizes the drug classes, such as over-the-counter vs. prescription drugs, scheduled drugs, and the laws pertaining to each. Includes the drug development process, the different pregnancy classifications and the degree of potential harm for each class, and the commonly used drugs that can be addictive abused, and potentially lethal. Examines dosage forms, routes of administration, selection, and recommendation of OTC drugs and natural products, and memorize trade and generic names.

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Graduate performance in 2/4/2020 – 3/6/2023 49% first-time pass rate on Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

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