Introduction to Pharmacy
PHRA 1301/PHRA 1001
Course Description
Examination of the qualifications, operational guidelines, and
job duties of a pharmacy technician. Topics include definitions of a pharmacy
environment, the profile of a pharmacy technician, legal and ethical guidelines,
job skills and duties, verbal and written communication skills, professional
resources, safety techniques, supply and inventory techniques, and introduction
to common pharmacy reference materials.
Learning Objectives
Unit 1: Introduction to Pharmacy
and a Pharmacy Technician Career
- Define pharmacy.
- Define pharmacist.
- Define pharmacy technician.
- Identify significant historical events that influenced pharmacy practice.
- Identify career options for the pharmacy technician.
- Identify the role of the technician, pharmacist and other members of the
pharmacy team in each career setting.
Unit 2: Medical and Pharmaceutical Terminology
and Abbreviations
- Recognize and define pharmaceutical or medical terms commonly used in pharmacy
and pharmaceutical literature.
Unit 3: Interpreting Prescriptions and
Medication Orders
- Recognize and define Latin terms and abbreviations commonly used in pharmacy.
- Accurately interpret signas of prescriptions and medication orders.
- Identify and label the parts of a prescription: inscription, superscription,
subscription, and signa.
- Identify how a prescription may be received in a pharmacy.
- Identify information required on a prescription.
- Identify information required on a medication order.
- Identify the differences between a prescription and a medication order.
Unit 4: Federal Pharmacy Law, Ethics and
Patient Confidentiality
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Sherley Amendment.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose and the three main sections of the
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938.
- Identify the role of the Food and Drug Administration as outlined by the
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
- State the Federal Legend.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Durham-Humphrey Amendment.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose fo the Kefauver-Harris Amendment.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Fair Packaging and Labeling
Act.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Controlled Substances Act.
- Identify the five types or schedules of controlled substances.
- Identify the organization responsible for enforcing the Controlled Substances
Act.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose and specific examples of types of
exceptions of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Orphan Drug Act.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the Prescription Drug Marketing
Act.
- State the purpose of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990.
- Identify specific points that should be covered by the pharmacist when counseling
a patient according to OBRA.
- State and briefly discuss the purpose of the FDA Modernization Act.
- Discuss patient confidentiality as it pertains to pharmacy.
- Discuss the need for a Code of Ethics for Pharmacy Technicians and other
health care providers.
Unit 5: Texas Pharmacy Laws and Rules and
Patient Confidentiality
- State the differences in technician duties as outlined in pharmacy law for
Class A and Class C pharmacies.
- Identify and define the different classes of pharmacy licenses in Texas.
- Define pharmacy terms listed in Texas laws and rules.
- Describe the ratios of technicians to pharmacists in the different classes
of pharmacies.
- Identify duties that cannot be performed by a pharmacy technician in the
different classes of pharmacies.
- Describe the characteristics of a prescription and a medication order as
outlined in Texas law.
- Discuss the responsibility of health care providers in maintaining patient
confidentiality.
Unit 6: Pharmacy Organizations and Accreditation
- Discuss the benefits of active involvement in and the differences between
local, state and national technician and pharmacy organizations.
- Identify the four areas of focus of the advisory committee.
- Identify the qualifications of practicum training sites.
- Identify the qualifications of the Program Director.
- Identify the qualifications of the preceptors.
- Given a list, identify the objectives of the pharmacy technician-triaing
program.
Unit 7: Technician Certification
- Discuss the value of and process of obtaining technician certification.
Unit 8: Sources of Information
- Given specific information and/or a description of a drug, select and identify
the appropriate reference to use.
- Given a list of references, select the reference(s) most commonly used in
a drug information section of a pharmacy.
- Describe the function of a drug information section of a pharmacy.
- Given a specific drug information question, select the appripriate reference(s)
used to find the answer.
Unit 9: Job Search
- Identify methods for conducting a job search.
- Identify appropriate and inappropriate questions for a job interview.
- Prepare a cover letter and resume for a pharmacy technician job.
Unit
10: Top 120 Drugs
- Given the brand name of a product identify the generic name, and vice versa,
for the Top 120 Prescription Medications.
Schedule
of Assignments and Exams