Pharmacy Technician Schools in Connecticut - CT
Pharmacy Technician Education in Connecticut
Educational programs for pharmacy technicians are found in Connecticut’s community and technical schools, including eLearning and distance learning, some hospitals, and in the military. The Connecticut Pharmacy Association also offers training through a number of community colleges in Connecticut. Classes are available during evening hours. While in the past an entry-level employee came into a pharmacy and was trained on the job, this scenario is no longer customary or widespread.
Typically, introductory courses through Connecticut pharmacy technician schools cover the background and current issues facing today’s pharmacy practice. Laws that apply to a pharmacy, including HIPPA, as well as ethics are stressed.
Since the majority of pharmacy technicians work in community-based pharmacies, expect training courses to focus on the duties that a pharmacy technician can expect to perform in this environment. Maintaining inventories of drugs and healthcare supplies is important. Additionally, technology used in pharmacies today may be introduced and students should become comfortable with software and applications used in this environment. Safety and sterile practices and standards, including preparing drugs to dispense in a sterile environment, are also covered.
Preparing drugs accurately is a critical function of a pharmacy technician. Introductory training covers pharmacy calculations, including measurement and calculating drug dosage, as well as the appropriate mathematics involved. A course in advanced pharmacy calculations will enable the student to complete the more complex dosage procedures, such as concentrations, dilutions and allegations (which are essentially mixing products with different percent strengths of the same active ingredient.)
Pharmacology courses introduce medical terminology and abbreviations, drug classifications, dosage formulations and administration. Additionally, anatomy, physiology and common diseases and treatments are covered in pharmacology courses.