What are the pharmacy technician admission requirements?
- Submit an online application
- Register for a Health Careers Information Session
- Pre-req course: ENG 095 Writing Skills II or take the Accuplacer English test. If you are planning to transfer any credits send your official transcript to academicservices@bhcc.edu.
- Note
- You must be 18 years old by the end of the program
- You must have a social security number
- You must have a high school diploma or GED
- You must have a clean Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) record
How do I apply?
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How is the pharmacy technician program set up?
- One semester program (15 weeks).
- First you start with PMT-111, then PMT 112, then PMT 113. These courses are offered in sequence with each course about 3.5 weeks long. These courses are asynchronous fully online web based. There are no classroom hours. Complete each course with an 80% or higher to progress in the program.
- After completing the 3 courses (PMT 111, PMT 112, and PMT 113) you will complete the PMT 299 externship in-person portion of the program for 4-5 weeks.
What are the externship requirements?
- This is an in-person experience in a hospital or community pharmacy in which the student earns 150 hours of experience. We have an externship coordinator to help arrange the externships. Hours are arranged with the pharmacy but should be 30-40 hours/week, completed in 4-5 weeks.
- We will help you obtain a Pharmacy Technician Trainee License from the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy which is needed to be able to train in a pharmacy in preparation of becoming a pharmacy technician.
- You will need to get health clearance by the BHCC school nurse by providing documentation including for example documentation of vaccinations of Flu, MMR, Varicella, and Hepatitis B.
What is the PTCB Exam?
- A computer-based online exam that has 90 multiple choice questions and it is 1 hour and 50 minutes long. Content categories include medications, federal requirements, patient safety and quality assurance and order entry and processing.
- Completion of the BHCC pharmacy technician program qualifies you to apply to take the PTCB National Certification Exam.
- Once you pass the PTCE you can become licensed as a pharmacy technician.
- BHCC pays the fee for you to take the PTCB exam the first time you take the exam.
What if I already have at least 150 hours in a pharmacy setting in the US, do I still need to do the in-person PMT 299 externship requirement?
We offer a Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) option for PMT 299 so students who already have 150 hours of experience in a US pharmacy setting within the last 8 years can be exempt from the in-person externship portion of the pharmacy technician program. For additional information, contact the CPL Office at (617) 228-2350, or by email at cpl@bhcc.edu. These qualifying students only take the asynchronous portion of the program (PMT 111, 112, and 113).
What if I am only available to do the in-person externship on weekends of 1-2 days a weeks?
This limited schedule/availability would not work for this program. You would be expected to be at your site during the weekdays Monday-Friday between the hours of 8am-6pm for at least 30 hours a week for the last 6 weeks of the semester.
Do I need medical clearance for externships?
You MUST be medically cleared for externship within one month of the semester, otherwise you will not be allowed to go on the externship and will fail PMT 299. You will provide your vaccine history documentation to the BHCC school nurse during orientation day. Then nurse will let you know if you are medically cleared or if you are not, the nurse will let you know what vaccines are incomplete and you would need to then complete any remaining steps for medical clearance.