Interested in a health career?  Become a Pharmacy Technician!  At West Virginia University at Parkersburg, you can pursue a Pharmacy Technician Certificate in two semesters of study.

About the Program
The Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program prepares qualified individuals to function as pharmacy technicians under the supervision of licensed pharmacists. As an integral member of the pharmacy staff, the pharmacy technician utilizes appropriate techniques and procedures to prepare and dispense medications in both the community and institutional pharmacy settings. The pharmacy technician also maintains patient profiles and manages inventory.

Through a combination of classroom presentations, campus laboratory practice and clinical experiences, you will develop a knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the pharmacy technician in the safe preparation and delivery of medications to patients. The program includes courses in general and technical education. Clinical and community practice experiences are under licensed pharmacist supervision at local hospital and retail pharmacies.
 
At the completion of the program, the graduate pharmacy technician will be prepared to:
  1. Perform pharmacy technician duties within the scope of the position and ethics of the industry.
  2. Perform record keeping functions while protecting patient confidentiality.
  3. Demonstrate a working knowledge of drug doses and routes of administration.
  4. Use the medical terms, abbreviations, and symbols essential to prescribing, dispensing, administering, and charting medications correctly.
  5. Perform accurate conversions between measurement systems.
  6. Perform accurate calculations required for medication dispensing.
  7. Assist the pharmacist in customer support and relations.
Additional information about the Pharmacy Technician Certificate:
APPLICATION TO PROGRAM. Students requesting admission to the Pharmacy Technician Certificate program must first meet the requirements for general admission to the college, including foundation requirements in math, reading, and English and be admitted to the college.  Additionally, the applicant must be able to engage in educational and training activities in a manner that does not endanger themselves or others.
 
Requirements for Admission. The following are requirements for admission to
the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program:
  1. Be a high school graduate or possess a GED.
  2. Score at a College level on a placement test or take and pass remedial classes.
  3. Be of good moral character and have no history of felony conduct or convictions.
Application Procedure. Applications to the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program are available in the Health Sciences Division office. Each applicant must submit:
  1. Application to Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program
  2. High school transcript or GED score
  3. ACT score 17 or higher
  4. Transcript demonstrating any college work
  5. Results of college placements tests
Admission Limitations. Due to space limitations, qualified applicants are ranked according to composite ACT scores, and Cumulative GPA. An interview may be requested at the discretion of the Pharmacy Technician Program Coordinator.
 
Basic Skills Requirement. Applicants must demonstrate competency in English, reading and mathematics as determined by ACT and/or College placement tests or complete required foundation courses at the college, including Math 021.

Requirements for Participation in Clinical Experiences. Each student admitted into the Pharmacy Technician Certificate program must complete the following:
  1. Have a physical examination and file the results in the Health Sciences Division. The student must provide documentation of hearing and visual acuity, Hepatitis B vaccination series with titer, and annual TB test, chicken pox, and MMR titers. Students born after 1957 will not need titers if an immunization record is provided that indicates the varicella vaccine was given at 12-18 months of age, and that (2) MMR vaccinations were given. Students may provide documentation by a physician indicating that he/she has had chickenpox, the mumps, and/or measles.
  2. Maintain current CPR certification, the American Heart Association, Health Care Provider (with use of AED), as well as, in-service education as determined by the faculty and affiliate heath agencies.
  3. Applicants must test negative for drug/alcohol screening. West Virginia University Parkersburg is a drug free community. To that end, students enrolled in the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program must submit to random mandatory drug screenings without notice. Failure to cooperate will result in administrative dismissal from the program. Costs associated with the screenings will be the responsibility of the student.
  4. Criminal background checks are required for all students entering the Health Sciences programs. Costs associated with the state and federal criminal history checks will be the responsibility of the student. Based upon results of the criminal background check, a student may be denied access to clinical agencies/field sites and thus would not be able to complete the program. Involvement in any state or federal criminal investigation while in the Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program may result in dismissal from the program.
  5. Confidentiality statements and HIPAA training: Students in the Health Sciences Programs are subject to institutional, state, and federal regulations. Completion of required documentation is necessary for participation in clinical and community experiences.
  6. Students must demonstrate behavior consistent with Professional Standards and Safe Clinical Practice Standards as outlined in the Health Sciences
Division’s Handbook for Pharmacy Technicians. Failure to adhere to the Standards may result in dismissal from the program.
 
Important: The ability to stand for long hours is a requirement for pharmacy technicians.
 
The WVU Parkersburg administration reserves the right to amend this documentation, upon recommendation of the Health Sciences Division without notice to insure the integrity of the program and safety of the students, college, and community at large.
 
As a requirement for graduation, each student must take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam given by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. Students studying on a full-time basis may normally expect to complete the Certificate within two semesters (fall and spring consecutively). The course of study requires completion of the following courses with a grade of C or better and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0:
 
 
CURRICULUM
Certificate
Pharmacy Technician
 
FIRST SEMESTER

Course

Credit

SPCH 112 - Interpersonal Communication

 3 hours

BIOL 109 - Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology

 3 hours

PTEC101 - Pharmacy Practice

 8 hours

PTEC 112 - Pharmacology 1

 3 hours

Total

17 hours
 
SECOND SEMESTER
Course

Credit
PHIL 346 Introduction to Ethics

3 hours
PTEC 111 Calculations for Pharmacy Technicians

2 hours
PTEC 114 Pharmacology II

3 hours
PTEC 102 Clinical-Community Practice

 4 hours
PTEC 121 Pharmacy Tech Certification Review

 3 hours
Total

15 hours
TOTAL HOURS

32 Hours

For additional information about the Pharmacy Technician Certificate or other health-care career programs, contact WVU Parkersburg's Health Sciences Division office (304-424-8300) or email.

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