Program Overview
About This Program
The AlliedRx ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Technician program provides comprehensive training in pharmacy operations, medication dispensing, pharmacy law, compounding, calculations, and patient care. Students gain the skills needed to work alongside pharmacists in retail and institutional pharmacy settings.
Upon successful completion, students will be eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Examination and the NHA ExCPT Exam. AlliedRx boasts an 80% PTCB pass rate — 10% above the national average — and a 100% ExCPT pass rate, 35% above the national average (2024).
The program includes 400 total clock hours: 180 didactic, 80 simulation hours, and 140 clinical hours. Students gain hands-on experience through the Virtual Pharmacy simulation and may complete a Walgreens clinical externship. The program covers the Top 200 Drugs, IV flow rates, sterile compounding, and pharmacy billing and inventory management.
What You Will Learn
Learning Objectives
By completing this program, students will demonstrate proficiency in the following core competency areas:
Trace the history of medicine and pharmacy, understand federal and state pharmacy laws, DEA regulations, controlled substance schedules, and regulatory agencies.
Define the scope of practice for a CPhT, demonstrate professional and ethical conduct, and understand the pharmacy technician's role in community and institutional settings.
Understand dosage forms and routes of administration, interpret prescription and medication orders, and apply SIG code abbreviations in prescription processing.
Navigate institutional pharmacy workflows, unit-dose dispensing, floor stock systems, automated dispensing cabinets, and medication reconciliation in hospital settings.
Process retail prescriptions, verify patient information, manage will-call bins, apply patient counseling limits, and provide excellent customer service.
Perform bulk repackaging and non-sterile compounding; apply aseptic technique, laminar flow hood operation, and advanced sterile compounding procedures.
Apply metric system conversions, ratio and proportion, dosage calculations, IV flow rates, alligation, and percentage strength calculations for pharmaceutical preparations.
Process third-party insurance claims, understand pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), manage inventory control, drug recalls, purchasing, and reorder processes.
Identify common medication error types, apply the rights of medication administration, use ISMP guidelines, and implement safety systems to prevent adverse drug events.
Use pharmaceutical references effectively, identify the Top 200 dispensed drugs by brand and generic name, drug classifications, indications, and common side effects.
Weekly Schedule
Course Schedule
This 14-week ASHP Accredited program consists of didactic coursework, virtual pharmacy simulation, and a clinical externship component totaling 400 clock hours.
| Week | Topic | Key Learning Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | History of Medicine & Pharmacy Law | History of medicine, pharmacy law and regulatory agencies, DEA schedules, controlled substance regulations, HIPAA in pharmacy practice |
| Week 2 | Pharmacy Technician Competencies & Ethics | CPhT scope of practice, professional associations, community vs. institutional settings, patient interaction standards, ethics and confidentiality |
| Week 3 | Patient & Medication Administration | Dosage forms (solid, liquid, topical, injectable), routes of administration, SIG codes and abbreviations, reading and interpreting prescriptions |
| Week 4 | Institutional Pharmacy Practice | Hospital pharmacy workflow, unit-dose dispensing, automated dispensing cabinets, medication reconciliation, formulary management, floor stock |
| Week 5 | Community Pharmacy Practice | Retail prescription processing, patient verification, will-call management, OTC recommendations, customer service, drug interaction screening |
| Week | Topic | Key Learning Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Week 6 | Metric System & Basic Calculations | Metric system, units of measure (weight, volume, length), common equivalents, household and apothecary systems, conversion formulas |
| Week 7 | Dosage & IV Flow Rate Calculations | Dose calculations by weight, pediatric dosing, IV flow rate calculations, drip rates, infusion time, percentage strength and alligation |
| Week 8 | Compounding Calculations & Practice | Bulk repackaging, non-sterile compounding, ointment and cream preparations, powder volume, dilution and concentration calculations |
| Week | Topic | Key Learning Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Week 9 | Aseptic Technique & Sterile Compounding | Aseptic technique principles, laminar flow hood operation, preparing IV admixtures, USP 795/797/800 guidelines, sterile product labeling |
| Week 10 | Advanced Sterile Compounding | Chemotherapy preparation, hazardous drug handling, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), advanced aseptic procedures, quality assurance in sterile compounding |
| Week 11 | Pharmacy Billing & Inventory Management | Third-party insurance processing, PBMs, prior authorizations, drug recalls, inventory management, purchasing and receiving, reorder points |
| Week 12 | Medication Safety & Drug References | Medication error prevention, ISMP guidelines, look-alike/sound-alike drugs, Top 200 drugs (brand/generic), drug classifications and indications |
| Week 13 | Pharmacy Clinicals & Virtual Pharmacy | Virtual pharmacy simulation, community pharmacy externship (Walgreens), prescription processing practice, dispensing accuracy, patient interaction |
| Week 14 | Board Exam Preparation & Final Review | Comprehensive PTCB PTCE and NHA ExCPT exam review, mock board examination, exam strategy, final competency assessment and certification preparation |
Assessment & Grading
Grading Policy
| Assessment Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Module Quizzes & Knowledge Checks | 20% |
| Pharmacy Calculations Assignments | 20% |
| Virtual Pharmacy Simulation Lab | 20% |
| Clinical Externship Performance | 25% |
| Final Board Prep Examination | 15% |