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College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
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Community Pharmacy Certificate

Community Pharmacy Certificate
Community Pharmacy Certificate

Community Pharmacy Certificate

This certificate is an entry-level program for students wishing to gain experience in community pharmacy. Students will study courses related to the practice of community pharmacy and will complete 200 hours of externship in a community pharmacy setting.

Program Information

Program Highlights and Locations

“Hands-on learning” defines Sullivan's Pharmacy Technician program. You will spend less time in lecture and more time learning how to fill prescriptions, compound medications, and research drug information in our on-site training facilities. You will learn to master these skills in our fully equipped community and institutional simulation pharmacies and our compounding laboratory.

Online instruction allows for greater flexibility for students wishing to complete the program in the virtual classroom. See the course catalog for classes available for online instruction.

Part of your training includes the completion of an externship during which you gain experience alongside pharmacists and technicians. We have contracts with a large variety of community and institutional pharmacies, so we can find the right fit for you.

Our program is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Additionally, it is regionally approved through multiple state boards of pharmacy including Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.

You can earn a Pharmacy Technician certificate in as little as nine months, expediting your move from classroom to career; or, you can choose a Pharmacy Technician diploma or Associate Degree that can be completed in as little as 12-18 months.

Locations:
Online Louisville Campus

Why Sullivan Community Pharmacy Program?

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Fast Completion

The Community Pharmacy Certificate can be completed in as little as nine months.

Experienced Instructors

Pharmacists and certified pharmacy technicians (CPhT) comprise our faculty. They also have experience and skills in a vast majority of pharmacy settings, including institutional and community.

Simulation Pharmacies

  • Students have the opportunity to practice hands-on skills in both community and institutional simulation pharmacies.
  • Students who utilize our online training will be given simulation materials, enabling tangible training that can be done remotely.

Externships

  • Externships provide students real-life experience working in the pharmacy field. Students will complete a minimum of 200 hours of experience during their externship.
  • Students have the opportunity to complete these externships in their community through our vast network of pharmacy affiliations that are coordinated through the Office of Experiential Education.
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National Certification Exam

  • Students take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) at the end of their externship.
  • Students participate in extensive review sessions that include multiple practice exams before taking the PTCE to ensure that they are fully prepared.
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Online

  • Online learning takes place any time of day in any location that has an internet connection.
  • With Sullivan Online, our programs integrate more fluidly into a busy schedule.

Objectives

What Qualities Should a Community Pharmacy Student Possess?

You should be motivated, have strong communication skills, be able to work in a fast-paced environment, possess strong ethics, have the desire to help others, and be able to comply with the professional standards of the pharmacy profession.

What Specific Skills & Knowledge Are Taught in the Community Pharmacy Program?

Skills:

  • You will learn to adapt to changes in the pharmacy while maintaining complete accuracy in all items that you produce.
  • You will collaborate with other students to achieve goals in the pharmacy.
  • You will master interpreting, filling, & dispensing prescriptions.
  • You will provide excellent customer service to patients & other healthcare providers.
  • You will learn to excel at both time & stress management.
  • You will demonstrate skills in monitoring selected procedures such as blood glucose testing, blood pressure monitoring, & immunizations.

Knowledge:

  • Information about all the types of pharmacy settings
  • Pharmacy calculations
  • How drugs work in the body
  • Federal, state, & other organizations' laws & regulations
  • Community pharmacy operations & process for filling prescriptions
  • Institutional pharmacy operations & process for filling medication orders
  • Sterile & non-sterile compounding
  • Medication safety

Find out more information about program successes in graduation rates, placement rates and occupations for this program. View Licensure Disclosures by State.

Courses

Total Credit Hours: 36

Course

Title

Credit Hours

PHT 101

4.00

PHT 105

4.00

PHT 150

4.00

PHT 151

4.00

PHT 201

4.00

PHT 203

4.00

PHT 299

4.00

MSS 104

4.00

MSS 154

4.00

Total Credit Hours: 36