SOP Launches New Advanced Pharmacy Technician Certificate Training Program
Program will use online content, self-study, practical experiences, and group projects to help licensed pharmacy technicians take their careers to the next level.
By Malissa Carroll
June 23, 2014
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is launching a new certificate program that will help pharmacy technicians with three to five years of work experience advance their practice and take their careers to the next level. Called PharmTechX, the program begins July 1 and will be available through the School’s Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions (CIPS) Knowledge Enterprise, an innovative online learning platform that will allow pharmacy technicians to move through the program at their own pace and at times most convenient for them.
“Hospital and community pharmacy leaders across the state of Maryland have recognized the need for advanced pharmacy technician training that allows current technicians to expand their capabilities, which will enable pharmacists to spend more time delivering direct patient care,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FCP, FAAPS, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy and executive director of University regional partnerships. “Our new PharmTechX Program offers an online, self-paced, and interactive learning environment that is designed to help practicing pharmacy technicians meet their career goals and assume more leadership responsibilities within their organizations.”
Led by Jill Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) at the School, the PharmTechX Program is a collaboration between the School and three local health systems in Maryland – the University of Maryland Medical System, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and MedStar Health. It includes three practice-based certificate training programs that technicians can choose from based on their individual practice interests: Leadership and Patient Care, Specialty Pharmacy Practice, and Community Pharmacy Practice and Management.
“Unlike entry-level pharmacy technician training programs, the PharmTechX Program is designed to help licensed technicians develop the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare them for advanced clinical practice and leadership roles within their organizations,” says Morgan. “The program has been developed by some of the School’s most renowned pharmacist educators, who have more than 80 years of combined experience working in health system pharmacies, community pharmacies, and specialty pharmacy clinics.”
Additional modules within the three certificate training programs will focus on general patient care, pediatrics, oncology and pain, infectious disease, cardiac care, medication safety and regulations, medication therapy management, the business of pharmacy management, leadership, and technology. The program will feature online content delivered through the CIPS Knowledge Enterprise, self-study, and practical experiences.
“The program’s flexible design allows students to learn at their own pace and customize training to meet their career goals in health system or community pharmacy,” says Roxanne Zaghab, DM, CKM, director of operations and business development for CIPS. “Modules are designed to be directly applicable to authentic practice settings, and technicians can access their classroom at any time and any place from mobile devices. This highly interactive educational format provides learners with experience in a wide range of case studies and hands-on practical lessons.”
The PharmTechX Program is currently pending approval from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). After completing the program, technicians will be able to assist with medication management and storage, conduct medication profile reviews, assist with medication histories of patients, educate patients and nurses under a pharmacist’s supervision, complete medication checking, monitor for medication errors, and facilitate improvement of the medication process.
If you are currently working as a licensed pharmacy technician, have three to five years of work experience, and would like more information about the PharmTechX Program, please visit www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu/pharmtechx. To enroll in the program, please visit the School’s CIPS Knowledge Enterprise.
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