Noncredit Certificate Program - Harrisburg/Lancaster

Program Brochure (pdf) (slick)
Noncredit Healthcare Certificate Program Course Offerings SPRING 2013 (pdf)  11/21/12
About the Program - Curriculum and Costs (pdf)  5/2/11

Description of Occupation - The pharmacy technician assists the pharmacist in a variety of tasks from accepting and screening medication orders, preparing labels and medications, maintaining drug inventory quality and levels, performing insurance billing, preparing admixtures and compounding medications, maintaining patient records to participating in quality control processes. The pharmacy technician works under the direct supervision and authority of a pharmacist.

Pharmacy technicians should exhibit a professional demeanor; have effective oral and written communication skills; an aptitude for math and science; be self-directed and responsible for their own actions; motivated to learn; work effectively as a member of the health care team; enjoy working with others as well as receive constructive criticism and take verbal direction; understand and respect patient confidentiality issues; understand medical terminology; and knowledge of computer operations.

Veterans Education Benefits: Non-credit Healthcare Programs which result in a certificate upon completion are approved for veterans education benefits.VA benefits are based on the length of the class and the number of clock hours per week. Benefits are determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs.Tuition must be paid in advance since VA benefits are disbursed on a post-payment basis. Information on veterans education benefits is available from the Military and Veterans Affairs Office, Cooper 204B, (717) 780-2331 or e-mail vaoffice@hacc.edu.

Places of Employment and Outlook - Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to increase by 32 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Pharmacy technicians work in a variety of settings such as hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, extended-care facilities, home health agencies, and mail order pharmacy distributors.  HACC does not offer assistance in job placement for this program at this time.

Salary Range for Geographical Area - $31,850 median salary in Harrisburg (using zip 17110)  from www.salary.com May 2012 for Pharmacy Technician I.

Related Websites For Additional Information About The Profession
Career Infonet www.careerinfonet.org
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board www.ptcb.org
National Pharmacy Technician Association www.pharmacytechnician.org
Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association www.papharmacists.com
American Association of Pharmacy Technicians www.pharmacytechnician.com
American Pharmaceutical Association www.aphanet.org

If you are interested in this program or have questions, contact Noncredit Healthcare Education at 717-221-1352 or email pt@hacc.edu.
Pharmacy Technician Program Office
HACC Harrisburg Campus
Blocker Hall 221
One HACC Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17110

To register for classes, call 717-780-2414.

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