Diploma in Pharmacy Assistant
Length: 30 Weeks
Credential: Diploma
Program Delivery: Online
In-Class
Blended
Practicum: 4 Weeks
Intakes: Every Month – Morning/Evening/Weekends
Pharmacy Assistants work with pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to ensure patients receive the proper dosage of medication and are taken care of when they visit a pharmacy.
Pharmacy Assistants play an integral role in retail and institutional pharmacies. They mainly work with customers but also do some things behind the scenes. Pharmacy assistants communicate with customers and answer their questions over the phone and in person, as well as handle payment transactions and stock shelves with over-the-counter medication.
When they’re not helping customers, they’ll help pharmacists prepare prescribed medication by counting tablets or pills then packing and labeling them. Pharmacy assistants can also help patients handle third-party insurance claims.
You can take our 30-week pharmacy assistant program at Calgary campus or Online. One of the benefits of studying with us at City College is you’ll learn from experienced industry instructors in a fully-equipped pharmacy lab setting. You’ll get comfortable using the exact technology that you’ll see in a real work environment.
Our pharmacy assistant program will give you theory, lab and practicum training so you’ll be ready to hit the ground running in your new career. You’ll learn about Community and Institutional Pharmacy procedures so you’ll be equipped to work in a variety of pharmacy environments. We’ll also teach you the basic math calculations used in retail and hospital pharmacies.
And that’s not all—you’ll gain extensive knowledge in basic human anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and medical terminology so you’ll be able to identify the major drug classes used to treat different medical conditions. The combination of theoretical and practical training will set you up for success as you enter the workforce as a pharmacy assistant.
Over the length of this program, students:
Communication, Interpersonal and Customer Relations
This course teaches students the essential skills for basic professional interaction with clients.
Microsoft Office Applications & Keyboarding
This course equips students with the Microsoft Office skills needed to work in a fast-paced pharmacy or clinic environment. Students will build skills in keyboarding, internet use, and how to use all common Microsoft Office Suite applications including Excel, Outlook, and Word.
Community Pharmacy Practice
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the retail pharmacy workplace. This course takes a practical view in educating the students on how to receive prescriptions and be efficient at problem solving. We will emphasize customer communication skills and body language. The course will also explore the importance of inventory management within the pharmacy. We intend to develop skills needed for being an efficient Pharmacy Assistant in a retail environment.
Pharmacy Compounding
This course will prepare students to develop the skills needed to prepare various pharmaceutical mixtures, creams, ointments, solutions and suspensions in this hands-on, practical course.
Microbiology and Sterile Preparation
This course teaches students preparation of sterile products.
Pharmaceutical Calculations
This course will prepare students to learn the calculations use in the pharmacy, including dosage calculations, expressions of strength and the apothecaries’ systems of measurement.
Anatomy and Physiology
The course teaches pharmacy assistant to have a brief idea of the body systems and how they work also students help them in understanding Pharmacology, and where and how medications act in the body.
Pharmacy Software-Kroll
This course teaches hands on learning using Kroll to optimize operations and enhance customer experience, improve processes with features such as Rx filling (patient, drug, doctor, and SIG), adjudication, label printing, inventory, accounts receivable, extensive reporting, audit trails.
Pharmacy Law & Ethics
This course will focus on helping students understand the role of the pharmacy assistant and their duties and responsibilities. The course will discuss specifically on the gradual stages of development in the pharmacy profession. We will also learn to differentiate among various workplace environments such as community and institutional. This course will also educate students on the Law and Ethics in the pharmacy workplace.
Pharmacology
This course provides concrete knowledge on different drugs, and focuses on a practical and applied approaches to Pharmacology. The primary focus is on the brand name and generic names of drugs, which is essential for a pharmacy assistant when working in the pharmacy. Knowledge on different classifications, look-alike and sound-alike drugs, and their adverse effects will help in reducing the duplication of medication from the same class and thus reducing dispensing errors.
Common Drugs & Uses
Use and support pharmacists dispensing medications, a wide-ranging knowledge of common drugs and uses for the choices and decisions that pharmacy assistants make throughout the workday in the pharmacy environment.
CPR & Exam Review
Student learns Basic Life Support CPR is the foundation for saving lives after cardiac arrest and to recognize cardiac arrest, activate the emergency response system, and respond confidently.
Career Preparation
This course teaches job search skills and helps students understand the labour market. It includes coaching in writing effective resumes and cover letters. Students also participate in mock interviews to correct and refine skills, increasing employment readiness.
Topics include
- Portfolios
- Job search strategies
- Resume and cover letter writing
- Mock interviews and retrospective reviews
- The role of social media in job hunting
Practicum
Students gain practical and hands-on experience to apply the knowledge and skills learned in class to real-world experiences in a professional capacity.
Most pharmacies require trained pharmacy assistants for their day-to-day operations. Graduates of our Express Pharmacy Assistant program can find employment at community pharmacies, healthcare facilities, clinics, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and laboratories.
Our graduates have found employment at numerous pharmacies, working for Alberta Health Services, community pharmacies, clinics, and businesses such as Safeway, Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart.
For more information about the career of pharmacy assistant, visit alis’ pharmacy assistant career information page.
1- High School Students
A High-School student must meet ONE of the below requirements to be considered for admission.
1. Alberta High-School Diploma, verified by transcript.
2. A non-Alberta equivalent, verified by transcript.
3. General Equivalency Diploma (G.E.D.), verified by transcript.
2- Mature Students
A mature student is any applicant who is over 18 years old and does not hold a high school diploma. Even without a high school, mature students will have the opportunity to apply for admission to the Diploma program.
A mature student must meet ALL of the following requirements to be considered into the program:
A. Applicants must be 18 years of age (for residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario) or 19 years of age (for residents of Manitoba and British Columbia) when they submit their application..
B. Applicants must successfully pass the Wonderlic Scholastic Level Test with a 35 score out of 50
C. Applicants must demonstrate English Proficiency by either:
CLB level 6 minimum
Successful completion of English 30-1 and Math 30-1 through transcripts
A score of 5 on the International English Language Test (IELTS)
A score of at least 32 on the Test of English Language Fluency (TOEFL)
A score of at least 40 on the Pearson Academic (PTE-A)
A score of at least 35 on the CAEL
A score of at least 35 on the TOEFL iBT
A score of at least 95-100 on the Duolingo
D. Applicants who are landed immigrants or Canadian citizens and completed prior education outside of Canada must provide transcripts verified by International Qualifications Assessment Service(IQAS) or World Education Services(WES) to minimum meet high school diploma comparative level of academic achievement in Canada and are not required to complete an English Language Assessment exam set out in C.
E. Demonstrate basic computer operational level knowledge.
F. Applicants must successfully complete an interview with the Program Lead Admission Advisor, which will determine a potential student’s personal suitability to the program goals and outcomes.
Practicum Requirements
Pharmacy Assistant program students complete their education with 4 Weeks/160 hours of practicum experience at a partner institution. To participate in the practicum, students must satisfy the following prerequisites.
Graduation Requirements
To successfully graduate from the Pharmacy Assistant Diploma program, students must:
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