Introduction to Pharmacy is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the pharmacy profession. This subject will introduce the student to the important role that they will play in a career as a Pharmacy Assistant. They will also become familiar with the Canadian Pharmacy Organization, Standards of
Practice, Legislations, and Ethics. In Introduction to Pharmacy, the student will first review pharmacy history to see how pharmacies in general and their role as an assistant have changed throughout the centuries. The profession of pharmacy as it is today will be examined from the context of the role of the
pharmacy personnel, the structure of the various types of pharmacies that are in our society. Students are then introduced to both Federal and Provincial drug benefit plans along with other private third party insurance companies and their billing procedures. Lastly, Introduction to Pharmacy provides the necessary requirements to make a prescription, patient profile and label valid and the process of filling a prescription.

This course explores the basic principles of pharmacology, with an emphasis on drugs used for prevalent diseases in the community setting. Students will learn the pharmacokinetic processes that affect medications and the body. Students will learn to identify drugs by their therapeutic use. Students will learn about conditions that affect the different body systems and how these conditions are treated with prescription and over-the-counter medications. Commonly prescribed Canadian generic and brand name drugs will be discussed along with dosage forms, indications, contraindications, side effects, drug interactions and other special administration considerations and dispensing tips.

This course is designed to provide students with the mathematical skills a Pharmacy Assistant needs to work in a pharmacy. The course will prepare students for a variety of situations that could be encountered in a pharmacy: calculating medications to be dispensed; calculating ingredients for basic compounding; business math that pertains to pharmacy practice. The students will also become familiar with multiple ways of expressing strengths, systems of weights and measurements, and dispensing language currently used in pharmacy practice.

This course is designed to teach students about the various aspects of community pharmacy from the viewpoint of the pharmacy assistant. The course covers the dispensing process and dispensing techniques, pharmacy business practices, third party billing, and blister packing. Students learn about pharmacy business practices both in the dispensary and front store. Students learn to complete many of the technical tasks associated with the day-to-day operations of a pharmacy. Students read and interpret a prescription, review calculations, enter prescriptions into the manual or computerized system to be filled, and complete the appropriate filling process including packaging. Pharmacy equipment and dispensing techniques will be demonstrated within the course with the opportunity for students to practice as well. The course exposes students to general principles of effective and efficient inventory management. Theory and practice will educate students about control and maintenance of community pharmacy inventory. Students will be learning a minimum of 200 commonly used Canadian drug names and reviewing their use. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) objectives will also be covered. An Introduction to Kroll, pharmacy software, and prescription entry is explained, demonstrated and practiced. 

This module is designed to give the student the skills and knowledge that are required to develop a career as a Pharmacy Assistant. Students will become efficient at preparing pharmaceutical preparations and the necessary documentation to meet and maintain standards. Emphasis is on calculations in this module. The students will become proficient at the use of equipment and supplies used in compounding. A variety of dosage forms will be reviewed with emphasis being placed on the knowledge and skills that are needed to accurately prepare prescribed compounds.

The students will review and practice the various mixing techniques and NAPRA standards of non-sterile compounding and learn the necessity of compounding medications. Students are expected to calculate, measure, weigh and mix. Proper and timely cleaning and maintenance of compounding equipment and area will be stressed.

Pharmacy software applications are necessary in both the retail and institutional setting. The students are required to efficiently use the KROLL pharmacy software in all aspects of the daily processes that take place in a pharmacy. The more knowledgeable the student is with respect to the detail involved in entering and processing prescriptions, the more valuable they will be to the employer.

Many pharmacies are actively using the KROLL pharmacy software. It is a user-friendly program with a variety of options that help deliver optimal care to the patient.

In this final integration practice module, students are provided with the opportunity to practice and understand the basic technical duties required to work as a Pharmacy Assistant in a community pharmacy in Canada. Students will participate in duties and tasks as Pharmacy Assistants working in a community pharmacy. Their daily tasks
will include receiving prescriptions, patient and prescription data entry, generating labels, retrieving or compounding medications, filling each prescription, leaving prescriptions to be checked, returning stock to inventory, filing completed prescription hard copies, storing prescriptions for pick-up and delivery.

In addition to learning career-oriented skills, students learn how to get a job in their chosen profession. Our Employment Services department will assist the graduate in resume writing, as well as preparing for job interviews. Our staff is sensitive to current job market trends and the needs of employers in each local market.
Our graduates receive guidance and training to use career tools that help job seekers build a better resume and cover letter, manage an online portfolio, hone interviewing skills, and develop a personal brand online.
Students will have the use of a computer lab which has unlimited Internet access, as well as job search resources. Facilitators will also be made available to advise on job finding resources, interview skills and techniques and to carry out mock interviews.

This course also looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview:

• How people find jobs
• Employer expectations
• Presenting an enthusiastic attitude
• Focusing on the right job and the hidden job market
• Transferrable skills
• Thank you letters
• Effective telemarketing
• Handling objections, self-confidence, and self-esteem
• Individual counselling and coaching

This practicum will place students in actual workplaces related
to their field of study where they are expected to act as a
regular employee for the set time periods in order to gain the
valuable “real world” experience, often sought by employers
who are hiring. Students are encouraged to find their own work
experience; however, once placed, continuation in the
placement is a mandatory diploma requirement. This
practicum is an unpaid work experience.

Students and practicum hosts are provided with a practicum
“package” that outlines the expectations of both the student
and the host that need to be met to have a successful
outcome.