ALBANY, GA – Albany Technical College will hold a ribbon-cutting at 10:00 am, Tuesday, October 19, in the Nathaniel Cross Health Technology building, room 147. These renovations and updates include new equipment and updated software. A community pharmacy lab, a mock pharmacy representing pharmacies such as Walgreens or Wal-Mart, and a new hospital pharmacy lab are among the upgrades. Employers in the community, graduates, and current students will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting Tuesday.
The new lab is a community/retail pharmacy/hospital pharmacy simulated lab that will allow students to learn how to operate and perform as a pharmacy technician. They will learn communication skills, problem-solving skills, how to receive correctly, transcribe, and fill a prescription and use a POS, as well as many more job-related tasks.
Dr. JaNee Mobley, Program Chair of Pharmacy Technology, stated, “ATC students in the Pharmacy Technology program are trained to become pharmacy technicians and are prepared to work in any pharmacy setting locally or abroad. The lab remodel provides a near real-life work experience. This especially holds true within hospital pharmacy labs which include an anteroom in which technicians perform gowning, hand and forearm hygiene, labeling, etc., and a cleanroom for compounding medications in a sterile environment. Students will practice full simulation of both the anteroom and cleanroom gaining the full Pharmacy Technology experience as if they were in a hospital setting.”
Pharmacy Technology New Equipment:
- Win Rx prescription software
- Document scanning/barcoding equipment
- Shelves for storage of drug bottles
- Medication cart
- Crash cart trays
- Laminar Airflow hoods
- Simulated IV hoods
- Pill counter
- Computers
- Adjustable desks and chairs
- Stainless steel motion sensor sinks
- Medication cabinets
Skills taught in this program will ensure students know how to calculate medication dosage to prepare prescriptions, transcribe prescriptions written by providers, and be proficient in the top 10 medications, including brand and generic names. Students will earn a Pharmacy Technology Associate of Applied Science degree or diploma and be eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination. They will then qualify to work as pharmacy technicians in hospitals, nursing homes, retail pharmacies, and other facilities.
The employment of pharmacy technicians is projected to grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Increased demand for prescription medications will lead to more demand for pharmaceutical services. The increased number of middle-aged and older adults—who use more prescription drugs than younger people—will spur demand for pharmacy workers throughout the projection period. Also, as scientific advances lead to new medications, and as more people obtain prescription drug coverage, pharmacy workers will be needed in growing numbers.
Degree program graduates may earn a bachelor’s degree from many schools with current credit transfer agreements with Albany Technical College. For more information about the program, contact Dr. JaNee Mobley, Program Chair of Pharmacy Technology, at 229.430.3596 or jmobley@albanytech.edu
Albany Technical College’s Pharmacy Technology Program is accredited by ASHP (American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacist) and is a PTCB-recognized education training program.