Pharmacy Technician Course & Program  

• Diploma Program – 49 weeks (total time in class and on practical placement)
• Mornings, Afternoons or Evenings, Monday to Friday 

Would you like to combine your attention to detail with your desire to help people maintain and improve their health? Then the Pharmacy Technician program could be the right option for you! Pharmacy Technicians perform many tasks including filling and final release of prescriptions, compounding medications and managing day-to-day pharmacy operations.

Pharmacy Technician Program Objective   

The objective of the accredited Pharmacy Technician Diploma program is to meet the educational standards for Canadian Pharmacy Technician Programs established by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP). Graduates of CCAPP-accredited programs meet the education requirement of the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP).

The Pharmacy Technician (PHT) diploma program is designed to prepare you for a challenging career in a community/retail, hospital, and/or long-term care pharmacy or a corporate/industrial environment. Throughout your Pharmacy Technician courses, you will learn the history of pharmacy, legislation and health care systems; roles of the pharmacist, technician, and assistants; the various pharmacy organizations in the province, and ethical standards. Upon completion of the program, you will have a solid understanding of medical and pharmaceutical terminology, the ability to interpret a prescription and the associated abbreviations, an extensive understanding of various dosage forms and therapeutic classifications of medications. Courses in the Pharmacy Technician program include Pharmacy Calculations, Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Pharmacy Compounding and Sterile Products and Aseptic Technique. You will have specific courses related to Community Pharmacy Practice, Hospital Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Legislation.

This program will give you hands on training to gain proficiency in operating and maintaining the pharmacy software “PharmaClik”, entering prescriptions, printing labels, creating and maintaining a patient’s health profile, proper search techniques, third party billing and inventory management. A well-equipped pharmacy lab provides our students with a hands on experience in dispensing medications and preparing non-sterile and sterile compounding. This program offers extensive training in communication and customer service skills, inter and intra-professional education, problem solving techniques and conflict resolution.  

The program is designed to meet the standards set by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP). By the end of the program, students are expected to be able to meet the Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice established by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) and the Educational Outcomes for Pharmacy Technician Programs in Canada established by Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association (CPTEA). 

Through a combination of in-class learning, hands on labs and workshops, and community and hospital practical placements, this diploma program will ensure you graduate with confidence in the theoretical and practical skills required to pursue Pharmacy Technician registration.

Pharmacy Technician Accreditation  

The Pharmacy Technician programs of Algonquin Careers Academy, Ottawa and Mississauga, have been awarded the status of Full Accreditation by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) for the five year terms as follows:  

• Algonquin Careers Academy - Ottawa: July 2014 to June 2019  
• Algonquin Careers Academy - Mississauga: July 2016 to June 2022  

Are You Career Training Ready? Find Out! 
Take the Algonquin “Career Training Readiness Quiz”

 The fun, online quiz takes 3-minutes to complete and you’ll get a personalized report. Identify your strengths and social style plus the training and positions you’re best suited for. Get Your Career Training Readiness score now!

Pharmacy Technician Practical Placements  

Algonquin Careers Academy has an excellent working relationship with various members of the medical industry. During the last eight weeks of the program, students will supplement their in-class training with a practical placement arranged by Algonquin Careers Academy. The placement provides an opportunity to apply what has been learned in the classroom, gain confidence, and open doors to future employment. The rotations enable us to provide front line experience for our students, under the direct supervision of a preceptor, who may be a pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician. The eight week placement is broken into two parts: four weeks of retail/community and four weeks of hospital.  

Successful completion of the supervised practical placement is mandatory for graduation.   

Pharmacy Technician Program Faculty  

MISSISSAUGA CAMPUS  

Program Coordinator and Lead Instructor

Irina Parsova, RPhT, BSc Chemistry

Instructor

Kiran Bassan, RPh, BSc Phm   
Ihab Kadry Dimian, RPh, MBA  
Ben Wallace, RPhT

OTTAWA CAMPUS 

Program Chair

Alyssa Stevenson,   RPh, BSc Pharm, ACPR 

Program Coordinator and Lead Instructor

Asfiya Rahman, RPhT, Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery

Instructor

​Ali Elbeddini, BSc Pharm, RPh, CDE, PharmD   
Suzanne MacDonald, RPhT, BMSc, Pharmacology/Toxicology  
Jessica Russell, RPhT

Pharmacy Technician Courses  

• Student Success Strategies (20 hours)
• CPR and First Aid Certification (16 hours)
• Computer Essentials (40 hours)
• Pharmacy Fundamentals (40 hours)
• Pharmacy Calculations (100 hours)
• Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology (60 hours)
• Pharmacology (120 hours)
• Pharmacy Compounding (60 hours)
• Sterile Products and Aseptic Technique (60 hours)
• Pharmacy Software (60 hours)
• Professionalism and Communication Skills (40 hours)
• Community Pharmacy Practice (80 hours)
• Pharmacy Legislation (40 hours)
• Hospital Pharmacy Practice (60 hours)
• Career Planning and Preparation (20 hours)
• Hospital Placement (140 hours)
• Community Placement (140 hours)

Becoming a Registered Pharmacy Technician in the Province of Ontario  

To be eligible to become a Registered Pharmacy Technician, you must graduate from a course that has been accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP). There are additional registration requirements after graduation to pursue registration as a pharmacy technician with the Ontario College of Pharmacists. (Useful website: www.ocpinfo.com)

Pharmacy Technician Program Career Opportunities  

The demand for Pharmacy Technicians is expected to rise in order to meet the health care needs of Canada’s growing and aging population. It is expected the roles and responsibilities of a Pharmacy Technician will continue to evolve in the years to come. Career opportunities exist in community/retail, hospital, long-term care, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. 

Pharmacy Technician Wage Information 

$/hr rate:

Source: Other Medical Technologists and Technicians (NOCC 3219) Ontario www.jobbank.gc.ca, April 2017

Pharmacy Technician Program Admission Requirements

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma or the equivalent, or if 18 years of age or over, you may apply as a mature student and write an entrance exam.  
• Grade 11 or 12: Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry or equivalent  
• Grade 12 English.  Language proficiency is an essential skill required for all Pharmacy Technicians. A Pharmacy Technician's ability to communicate is critical in the delivery of safe and effective patient care. For applicants whose first language is not English and: i) have not graduated from a high school in Canada with three consecutive first language English courses/credits, or, ii) obtained an undergraduate degree from a university in Canada, specific English language proficiency scores must be met. Applicants must possess one of the following: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – Overall Band 6.5; Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) – 91; Michigan English Language Arts Battery (MELAB) – 81; The Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees (CANTEST) - 4.5 Speaking, Reading, Listening, - 4.0 Writing. Specific band scores and/or element scores also apply.  
• For   details   see   napra.ca/Content_Files/Files/Language_Proficiency_Requirements_for_Licensure_PharmTech_Nov2009_Final.pdf
• Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident or Immigration approval  
• Assessment Interview to determine suitability for the Pharmacy Technician program
• A medical report including current immunizations is required for placement
• Criminal background check is required for placement

Pharmacy Technician Program Fee Information 

Tuition: $12,870; textbooks and other fees: $714

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