WINSTED, CT – July 23, 2019 – This fall, Northwestern Connecticut Community College, located in Winsted and Tunxis Community College, in Farmington, will jointly offer the Certified Pharmacy Technician Program, which is scheduled to start on September 9 and will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 pm-9:00 pm through December 16, 2019.  The classes will be physically held on-ground at Tunxis Community College and will be fed via WebEx to students in a classroom at Northwestern for a live classroom experience.  This partnership allows students from Northwestern’s catchment area to be able to attend classes for this program at NCCC without having to travel to Farmington.  For classes that require hands-on skills, a local pharmacist will come into class in Winsted, to demonstrate and assess competency.

The Certified Pharmacy Technician Program is a comprehensive 148-hour course that will prepare students for entry-level positions in a community, hospital or long-term care setting.  It is also an excellent review for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) national certification exam.  Topics include medical terminology specific to the pharmacy; reading and interpreting prescriptions and defining drugs by generic and brand names. Students will learn dosage calculation; I.V. flow rate; drug compounding; and dose conversion. Dispensing of prescriptions; inventory control; billing and insurance reimbursement will also be discussed.

Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT) work under the direct supervision of licensed pharmacists to perform routine tasks to help prepare prescribed medication.  They also perform administrative duties, such as answering phones, processing insurance claims, and computer entry of customer information. Most CPhTs work full-time in retail, long term care or small mail-order pharmacies and hospitals.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Certified Pharmacy Technicians is projected to grow 12 percent from 2016-2026.  Increased demand for prescription medications will lead to more demand for pharmaceutical services.  The median annual wage in Connecticut is $38,070.

Applicants for admission to the Certified Pharmacy Technician Program must be 18 years old with a HS diploma or GED. Fluency in basic math and algebra is required to complete necessary pharmaceutical calculations.

For more information, cost, or to register for the Certified Pharmacy Technician Program, please contact: Heather Cappabianca, RN, MHA, Coordinator, Allied Health, Workforce Development Center, Northwestern Connecticut Community College, at 860-738-6484 or email: hcappabianca@nwcc.edu.

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