Pharmacy Technician Program
Pharmacy Technicians are a critical part of the health care team. Working closely with Pharmacists in hospitals and community pharmacies, they ensure that the highest standards of quality and accuracy are met in the compounding and dispensing of drugs that are vital to the survival and well-being of their clients.
We offer this program in two delivery formats.
- Our On-Campus program is offered once each year and is 8 months long.
- Our Blended Learning program is offered two times each year and is 8 months long at 100% workload, and 10 months long at 80% workload. Students take most of the program through distance learning. This option is designed for students who do not live in the Kamloops area, and who cannot move to Kamloops for six months to take our on-campus program. Students do have to come to Kamloops for six weeks of hands-on labs.
The next On-Campus class starts October 7, 2013
The next Blended Learning (mostly online) class starts September 30, 2013
Thompson Career College has been offering this program since 1999. Even though we focus on serving the population of British Columbia, our reputation has also drawn students from several other provinces. We are very proud to have graduates working at pharmacies and hospitals in many different cities and provinces. Our best advertising is the references we get from our past students and their employers.
ACCREDITATION STATUS
This program has been awarded the status of FULL ACCREDITATION by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs for a five year term 2013-2017.
We are currently the only program in British Columbia with FULL Accreditation status.
REGULATION OF PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
Big changes are happening in pharmacies throughout Canada.
Refer to the College of Pharmacists of BC web site for official, detailed information on the regulation of Pharmacy Technicians in BC, or to the College of Pharmacists web site for your province. Click on the link for 'Pharmacy Technician Regulation'.
Pharmacy Technicians play a key role in assisting pharmacists in prescription processing and preparation, across all pharmacy settings - community, hospital and long-term care. Until a few years ago Pharmacy Technicians were 'non-regulated' which means they had no direct autonomy, authority or responsibility over these duties.
This has changed, and for those who want to get into the field the timing is excellent. Graduating from a recognized, accredited program will make you eligible to move forward in becoming a Regulated Pharmacy Technician under the new national standards.
The regulation of Pharmacy Technicians is a national initiative which has resulted in the creation of a new healthcare professional, the Regulated Pharmacy Technician. Regulated Pharmacy Technicians have their own scope of practice for which they are responsible and ultimately held accountable. It will take a considerable amount of time to educate, test and register a sufficient number of Pharmacy Technicians who meet the new standard, so those people who achieve this new status early in the process have a major career advantage. A Regulated Pharmacy Technician can earn up to $10 per hour more than a program graduate who works as a Pharmacy Assistant and does not become regulated.
Only graduates from schools accredited by the Canadian Council for the Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) are eligible to take the national and provincial exams required to become Regulated Pharmacy Technicians.
Thompson Career College was the first school in British Columbia to receive this accreditation. The process of applying for accreditation required our program to demonstrate that it complies with the latest standards defined by NAPRA (National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities) , and CPTEA (Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association) . In January of 2009 we were awarded the status of Provisional Accreditation, 18 months before any other college in BC achieved this status. In December of 2012 we achieved another first in BC by being awarded Full Accreditation, and we are currently the only college in BC with that accreditation status.
If you want to get in on the ground floor of the changes that are occurring in pharmacies across Canada , you should consider becoming a Pharmacy Technician. If you choose this career path, then Thompson Career College is your best choice for getting the training you need. |
