OGLESBY – Illinois Valley Community College’s Continuing Education Office is offering a Pharmacy Technician (CCE-1720-300) program Tuesdays and Thursdays Oct. 16 through Dec. 13.
The 50-hour program will prepare students to work as a pharmacy technician in a retail or other pharmacy setting and to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam.
Topics include pharmacy medical terminology, history of pharmacy, pharmacy practice in multiple environments, pharmacy calculations and measurements, reading and interpreting prescriptions and defining drugs by generic and brand names.
The program consists of lecture and hands-on labs where students will review dosage calculations, drug classifications, the “top 200 drugs,” I.V. flow rates, sterile compounding, dose conversions, aseptic technique, the handling of sterile products, total parental nutrition (TPN), dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control and billing and reimbursement.
It also includes a clinical externship through a local pharmacy. To be eligible for the externship, students must successfully complete the 50-hour program, submit to a thorough background check, drug screening and meet other requirements.
A prerequisite for this program is either a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate plus a solid background in math.
Cost is $1,199 and includes a textbook and materials. Cost of PTCB exam is not included in the course fee. For information, call (815) 224-0490 or email cathy_buck@ivcc.edu. No class Oct. 25 or Nov. 22.
