(PHOENIX, Ariz., June 29, 2005) - Currently, there is a shortage of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians throughout the United States and the demand for both types of professionals continues to increase. Additionally, they are projected to increase over the next five years.

To prepare local hospitals and retails for the increasing demand, Phoenix College has developed a new Pharmaceutical Technician Training Program, which will begin this Fall.

The new program is a 72-hour course designed to teach students the fundamentals and particulars of being a pharmacy technician. It is geared towards a variety of students including those interested in becoming pharmacy technicians, pre-pharmacy students, or those with a healthcare background looking to strengthen their current skills.

The class introduces students to various pharmacy practice settings and covers drug classes, basic physiology, drug interactions and daily pharmacy operations. The Pharmaceutical Technician Training Program trains individuals to effectively assist in pharmaceutical preparations and complete daily required tasks in any pharmacy environment, although on-the-job training is still a part of the pharmacy training.

Course topics are aplenty:

-- Pharmacy Settings --Licensure Requirements
--Technician Rules and Regulations --New Drug Approval Procedure
--Stock Labels --Rx Drug Labels
--Recalls/Pregnancy Categories --Useful Definitions
--Dosage Forms & Routes --Roman Numerals
--Terminology/Abbreviations --Metric Systems
--Calculations -Bio-pharmaceutics
--Pharmacokinetics or drug kinetics --Interpreting Rx's
--Compounding --Disease States
--Managed Care --Inventory Control and Purchasing
--Technology --Over-the-Counter Medicines
--Pharmacy Law --Medication Errors

According to the Allied Physicians, Inc. web site, evening and weekend schedules are common in this profession. The hourly wage for hospital and retail pharmacy technicians range from $10 to $13.50. Median hourly earnings of wage and salary pharmacy technicians in 2002 were $10.70 and has gone up in 2005. The highest 10 percent earned more than $15.82 in 2002.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Pharmacy Technicians held about 211,000 jobs in 2002. Although most pharmacy technicians receive informal on-the-job training, employers favor those who have completed formal training and certification. Good job opportunities are expected for full-time and part-time work, especially for technicians with formal training and certification.

The program will begin this Fall at the Phoenix College downtown location - City Colleges Center. The course will run Mondays and Wednesdays (Sept. 12-Nov. 30) from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

For more information about the program or to register, please call 602.285.7998.

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