Pharmacy Technician

Description

The Pharmacy Technician program teaches preparing and distributing medications, maintaining the drug inventory and patient records, and other duties. Earn an Associate of Applied Science or certificate and pursue work as a Pharmacy Technician.

Degrees & Certificates

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Top Jobs for Certified Pharmacy Technicians

Note: Some jobs require education or training beyond the CNM degree/certificate.

How to Apply

The Pharmacy Technician Entry Level Certificate of Completion is an open enrollment program. Please complete the interest form so that we may contact you about getting started. 

Enrollment into the Pharmacy Technician Advanced Level Associate of Applied Science degree program requires students to have graduated from an ASHP/ACPE accredited program and departmental approval. Please complete the Department Approval and Override Request form for department approval. 

Students that have obtained training and received a certificate from an ASHP/ACPE accredited program may be eligible to reduce their time to graduate to less than six terms. Apply to CNM to become a current student, then click on the Pharmacy Technician Advanced Level AAS Program – Department Approval and Override Request Form to begin the departmental approval process.

Department Approval and Override Request Form

Please contact the Pharmacy Technology Program Director (William Havins, whavins@cnm.edu) for further or additional information. 

Program Information

Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists in preparing and distributing medications, maintaining the drug inventory, maintaining patient records, and other duties that do not require the professional judgment of a pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians work in various practice settings, such as hospital, community, mail order and specialty pharmacies, under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB®).  After one year of job experience as a PTCB-Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) in a sterile compounding environment, graduates are eligible to sit for the Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician™ (CSPT™) exam offered through PTCB®.

The purpose of the pharmacy technician program is to enable students to obtain the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to become registered by the New Mexico State Board of Pharmacy and achieve national certification. The goal of this program is to provide students with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to gain employment as Pharmacy Technicians and become contributing members of the healthcare team.

This goal will be accomplished by (1) preparing competent graduates in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains, and (2) meeting or exceeding the criteria outlined in the current ASHP/ACPE Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy Technician Education and Training Programs and the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy regulations.

Related Information

Accreditation

ASHP ACPE Accreditation SealPTCB Recognized Education/Training Program seal.

The Central New Mexico Community College Pharmacy Technician Program is jointly accredited by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP), 4500 East-West Highway, Suite 900, Bethesda, MD 20814 Phone 866-279-0681 and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), 135 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 4100, Chicago, IL 60603, Phone (312) 664-357 and is a PTCB-recognized sterile compounding education/training program.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

You can receive credit for courses in the program if you have a valid CPhT certification or CSPT® certification and New Mexico Board of Pharmacy License.  To find out if you qualify, fill out the Credit for Prior Learning (Pharmacy Technician) Form.

Links

Student Achievement Data

PTCB® Exam Pass Rates (by fiscal year, July-June) Program National Average
2021 - current 89% 71%
2020 - 2021 No candidates -
2019 - 2020 82% 62%
2018 - 2019 86% 58%

National Certification Exam Candidate Eligibility:

National Certification (CPhT) Maintenance and Renewal: