Director, Department of Pharmaceutical Services C. Buchanan, M.S., R.Ph.
Program Director P. Naut, B.S., R.Ph.
Didactic and Experiential Instructors D. Abell, M.S.W., G. Adcock, B.S., R.Ph., V. Blakely, B.A., C.Ph.T., M. Bloomfield, B.S., R.Ph., M. Camp, Pharm.D., R.Ph., R. Davidson, O. Davenport, R.Ph., B.S., C. Furr, B.S., R.Ph., I. Eichel, B.S., R.Ph., D. Griffith, B.S., R.Ph., L. Henderlight, Pharm.D., R.Ph., D. Hutcherson, B.S., R.Ph., J. King, B.S., R.Ph., P. Kuban, M.B.A., R.Ph., F. Landrum, B.S., R.Ph., A. Matistic, B.S., R.Ph., S. McHugh, B.S., R.Ph., C. Miller, M. Miller, Pharm.D., R.Ph., P. O'Brien, B.S., R.Ph., C. Paraham, B.S., G. Partlow, B.S., R.Ph., L. Pine, Pharm.D., R.Ph., C. Rawlins, B.S., R.Ph., D. Richter, B.S., R.Ph., P. Roof, M.B.A., R.Ph., M. Steele, B.S., R.Ph., K. Sullivan, E. Szeszycki, Pharm.D., R.Ph., B. Williamson, K. Yaughn, B.S., R.Ph.
The hospital pharmacy technician plays a vital role in the provision of pharmacy services within the ever-changing health care system. The hospital pharmacy technician, under the supervision of a registered pharmacist, performs a variety of tasks requiring specialized skills. Such tasks include: (1) drug distribution functions, such as computer entry of physician medication orders, refilling twenty-four-hour medication supplies for hospital patients, filling and processing inpatient orders and credits, preparing sterile and nonsterile products, and processing outpatient prescriptions; (2) administrative functions such as maintaining patient profiles and workload records; (3) preparation of intravenous solutions and medications; and (4) other activities which assist the pharmacist in providing quality patient services.
Characteristics of a good pharmacy technician include an attention to detail, neatness, and mathematical precision.
Financial opportunities for the trained hospital pharmacy technician increase with experience in the field. The position is competitive with technician assistants in other areas of the allied health care field.
Emory University Hospital Department of Pharmaceutical Services, in conjunction with the Emory School of Medicine, offers a six-month training program, which is accredited by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814, 301-657-3000, ext. 263. In this program, the student learns pharmaceutical calculations and abbreviations, medical terminology, therapeutics, drug distribution systems, overall hospital pharmacy practice, inventory management and control, and aseptic technique for handling and compounding sterile drugs. More than one hundred hours of classroom training and six hundred hours of clerkship training provide the experience to ensure competence. A certificate is awarded upon satisfactory completion of all classroom and clerkship training requirements.
The program begins twice a year, in January and July. Applications and supporting documents must be received by April 30th for entrance in July, or by October 31st for entrance in January.
Admission Requirements
The following requirements must be satisfied for admission to the program:
Preference will be given to applicants who have had previous pharmacy technician experience. Notice of acceptance or rejection will be given as soon as the admissions committee has taken action on the application.
Technical Standards
To successfully complete the course of study for the hospital pharmacy technician certificate, the student must demonstrate an acceptable level of competency in the intellectual, technical, and emotional realms encompassed by this program. In order to develop the level of competency required of a practicing hospital pharmacy technician, a student must:
I. Participate in all phases of the educational program; demonstrate understanding of classroom lectures, experiential rotations, etc., through examination and/or experiential preceptor evaluation in order to:
A. Acquire all specific information, skills, and experiences required to successfully complete the hospital pharmacy technician program, become eligible for national certification, and become competent for employment as a pharmacy technician;
B. Apply appropriate, contemporary knowledge and/or technical skills to problems in pharmacy practice standards; federal and state pharmacy laws; pharmacy ethics; quality improvement processes; pharmaceutical abbreviations, symbols and terms; general chemical and physical properties of medications; extemporaneous medication compounding and packaging; pharmaceutical calculations; medication purchasing and inventory control; medication doses, dosage forms, and routes of administration; aseptic procedures and equipment; traditional and automated medication distribution systems; and record keeping functions of medication dispensing;
C. Apply basic concepts of the legitimate, ethical, and legal duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician to contemporary pharmacy roles in the provision and promotion of patient care.
II. Function appropriately in interpersonal communications and interpersonal relationships by demonstrating good judgment, empathy, reliability, and emotional stability; must demonstrate the ability to work appropriately and accurately with other health care personnel in stressful situations in order to:
A. Interact with patients and patients' families in a manner which provides the desired psychosocial support by:
(1) recognizing their own reaction to illness and disability,
(2) recognizing the patient's and patient families' reactions to illness and disability,
(3) respecting each individual's cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences
(4) utilizing appropriate communications in light of individual differences.
B. Engage the greatest possible degree of patient motivation and compliance with prescribed medication therapies.
C. Demonstrate safe, ethical, and legal practice, as set by the pharmacy profession.
D. Function effectively with pharmacy co-workers and other health care professionals in providing appropriate patient care and improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care.
E. Be responsive to ideas, techniques, or procedures that may be more appropriate, safe, or effective in providing patient care.
III. Communicate effectively with patients, pharmacy staff, and other health care professionals in order to:
A. Instruct, confer, and integrate the preparation and delivery of medications with other aspects of patient care.
B. Facilitate the provision of pharmaceutical care to each individual patient.
C. Participate in the planning, organization, and control of medication distribution and pharmaceutical services.
IV. Function appropriately in pharmacy practice in order to:
A. Review, evaluate, and prioritize pharmacy workload to meet patient requirements.
B. Support pharmacists in the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients.
C. Correctly, safely, and effectively operate a variety of pharmacy equipment including but not limited to: computers/software/peripherals; automated dispensing systems; solid and liquid unit-dose packers; clean rooms; biological safety cabinets; horizontal laminar flow hoods; volumetric pumps, class A prescription and analytical balances; biological refrigerators and freezers; ointment slabs and pill tiles; and mortars and pestles.
The director of the hospital pharmacy technician program welcomes questions or inquiries from individuals with disabilities regarding the standards and their application to each individual's unique situation. In each case, a determination will be made as to whether the individual is qualified for admission to the program and if reasonable accommodations can be made. While the hospital pharmacy technician program is prohibited by federal law from making inquiries about specific disabilities prior to admission, applicants who are selected for admission must be prepared to meet the performance standards in order to complete the program.
Certificate Requirements
Students must complete both the six required didactic courses and the experiential clerkship courses with a grade of S, satisfactory, to earn the hospital pharmacy technician certificate.
Students who complete the two semester program with grades of U, unsatisfactory, or I, incomplete, in any of the seven required courses may request readmission to the next program in order to correct the deficiencies. The student will be required to complete the missing assigned work in the case of an incomplete, or will be required to re-attend the entire course in the case of an unsatisfactory grade. In either case, correcting the deficiencies will require registration for one, or possibly two, additional semesters. If students are readmitted to the program and fail to satisfactorily correct their grade deficiencies, they will be permanently excluded from the program.
Financial aid is available to allied health students regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, or age. Information on the type and availability of financial aid may be obtained by writing or calling the Office of Financial Aid, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, or call 404-727-1140.
Hospital Pharmacy Technician Certificate
090. Introduction to Hospital Pharmacy Practice
Principles of pharmacy practice in a hospital setting. Orientation to the
hospital and hospital pharmacy, their purposes, and regulations governing
them.
091. Hospital Pharmacy Services
Concepts and principles of services provided by the pharmacy department to the
patient and other hospital departments.
092. Pharmaceutical Calculations
Stepwise approach to learning and performing calculations used in pharmacy
practice.
093. Pharmaceutical Preparations and Techniques
Study of the dosage forms and routes of administrations of medicinals, and
compounding, packaging, and labeling techniques; and the preparation of
sterile and nonsterile products.
094. Therapeutics
Systems approach to the study of drugs; mechanisms of action, and indications for
use. Strength, route of administration, and frequency of use of the most
commonly used drugs are included.
095. Medical Terminology
Study of terms used in medicine and pharmacy.
099. Experiential Clerkship
A total of 600 hours spent at clerkship sites throughout the pharmacy
provides training and experience in pharmacy technician activities, including
unit dose distribution, intravenous admixture, materials management, packaging,
compounding, and outpatient services.