Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
How Long is the program
- The program is 400 hours and can be completed as early as 10 weeks depending on the amount of time students can dedicate to the studies. Students who can dedicate ~20 hours a week will complete the program in 20 weeks.
Learning Experiences
- Role of the Pharmacy Technician
- Medication error prevention and safety
- Pharmaceutical calculations
- Pharmacology
- Community Pharmacy practice
- Institutional Pharmacy practice
- Non-sterile compounding
- IV Sterile Admixture
- Federal and State laws and regulations
Am I guaranteed a pharmacy technician job with OHSU after completion of the program?
- No, positions are filled based on availability and at employer discretion
What is didactic content?
- Instructional materials and modules intended to teach the content. PTTP didactic content is all done online.
What are simulations?
- The simulation portion of the program is hands on learning and practice. Students will demonstrate gained knowledge to a preceptor.
What is an experiential rotation?
- Students enrolled in PTTP will rotate through an Outpatient setting as well as an Institutional setting (Ambulatory or Inpatient). These rotations allow students to gain an understanding of the day to day operations of technicians in the different pharmacy settings.
Transfer Credit
- OHSU PTTP will not be accepting transfer credits
Electives
What is an elective?
- Expansion of the experiential sites beyond the traditional outpatient and institutional rotation sites
- Electives will be an addition to the program and is not a requirement for program completions
- Electives will be available after completion of the program
- Students can sign up for one or all offered electives
What electives are offered?
- Various Outpatient Sites
- Inpatient Services
- Various Ambulatory Sites
- Specialty and Mail Order
- Compounding Services
- Adult Meds-to-Bed and Medication History
- Pediatric Meds-to-Beds and Medication History
Benefits of Opting for an Elective:
- Students will have the opportunity to explore different avenues of our enterprise, providing them a broad overview of pharmacy
- Students will be allowed to shadow and train with employees gaining an understanding of technician roles and responsibilities within the different departments
- This broad exposure allows the student to be able to find an avenue that sparks their interest
- This will result in student satisfaction and lead towards employment longevity
Licensing and National Certification
Is it required to become licensed and national certified to work as a Pharmacy Technician?
- Yes, Oregon Board of Pharmacy requires licensure and national certification to work as a pharmacy technician
How to I obtain an Oregon license to work as a Pharmacy Technician?
- Oregon Board of Pharmacy webpage
- Apply and complete necessary requirements
- Allow ~1 month for processing
How to I obtain an Oregon license to work as a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT)?
How do I obtain National Certification?
How do I maintain my license and certification?
- After completion of National Certification Exam, complete application for Certified Pharmacy Technician
- Oregon Board of Pharmacy webpage
- Take national certification exam to become a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT). Exams are offered through either:
- PTCB – Pharmacy Technician Certification Board
- NHA - National Healthcareer Association
- Oregon Board of Pharmacy webpage
- PTCB webpage
- Maintain continuing education (CE) requirement for renewal every 2 years
- Apply for renewal prior to expiration
Technology
What technology requirements are needed for the program?
Firewalls and Domain Access
- Users accessing didactic content need to have computer systems that are able to access the internet and play multimedia files (video/flash/html5). Headphones or speakers are needed for audio, or closed captioning can be used if speakers are not available.
Minimum | Recommended | |
---|---|---|
Computer Type | PC (not Mac) | PC |
CPU | 2 GHZ | 2 GHZ or higher |
Memory | 4 GB | 4 GB or higher |
Operating System | Windows 7 | Windows 10 or higher |
Browser | Chrome, Firefox, IE 11 | Chrome, Microsoft Edge |
Flash Version | 11 | 11 or higher |
Network Bandwidth | 256 kbps | 2 Mbps down / 3Mbps up |
PDF Viewer | PDF Viewer | PDF Viewer |
Other | Camera; Speakers & Microphone or Headset | Camera; Speakers & Microphone or Headset |
- In order to facilitate the proper operation for the OHSU Pharmacy Technician Training Program platform, customers must ensure appropriate network connectivity and firewall traversal for the following IP address domains:
1. .therapeuticresearch.com
2. .vimeo.com
3. .practice.xyz
4. .ziggeo.com
5. .zendesk.com