Pharmacy Technician

*Domestic applicants include Canadian citizens, permanent residents, protected persons and Convention refugees.
The program uses innovative delivery methods to help students with different learning styles acquire the knowledge and practical skills to succeed. You’ll begin by developing foundational knowledge of a wide variety of pharmaceutical and self-care products, as well as key business concepts and institutional procedures. You’ll also learn how to write for the health sciences field while studying anatomy and pharmaceutical mathematics.
You’ll gain specialized practical skills – including how to safely and efficiently prepare both sterile and non-sterile products – by working in Fanshawe’s state-of-the-art hospital and pharmacy practice labs and by participating in various field placement opportunities.
Intra- and Inter-professional simulation activities blend health care with education to provide students with scenarios that help prepare participants for the real-world environment. Fanshawe’s Pharmacy Technician program provides students with the comprehensive, specialized, simulation, theoretical and practical education they need to achieve entry to practice competencies as outlined by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA).
Graduates of the CCAPP accredited Pharmacy Technician program are eligible to become regulated health professionals in Ontario. Graduates pre-register with the Ontario College of Pharmacists, complete a Structured Practical Training (SPT) program, and sit both the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) Qualifying and Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) Jurisprudence Examinations as required for registration in Ontario.
The Pharmacy Technician program at Fanshawe College has been awarded a five-year accreditation status by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs from July 2021- June 2026.
Graduates of Fanshawe’s Pharmacy Technician program can pursue a career in community, medical clinic, long-term care or hospital pharmacies where they comply with legislation, standards, policies and procedures within their scope of practice.
Did you know Fanshawe consistently ranks high in graduation employment rates among large colleges in Ontario?
Here is an example of an opportunity Career Services has received for graduates of Fanshawe’s Pharmacy Technician program:
Pharmacy Technician
Collaborate, as part of the interprofessional health team, with pharmacists and health care professionals to optimize the health of patients through product preparation and release, compounding pharmaceutical products, demonstrating the use of medical devices, and pharmacy management processes.
I was able to pursue my dream career through Fanshawe’s Pharmacy Technician program. The program provides a variety of pharmaceutical knowledge and hands-on experience needed to set you up for success.
Completing the program was such a rewarding and memorable experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in pharmacy.
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Year 1: Lyona Lunter, RPhT, BA, MPEd.
Year 2 and Accreditation Lead: Jennifer Podeszwa de Oliveira, B.Sc., M.Sc.(MPH), RPhT
This is a competitive program; the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of seats available. Please see www.fanshawec.ca/hcp for details. |
The Pharmacy Technician program is accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP). This accreditation requires that all applicants provide proof of English Language proficiency as set by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities NAPRA and supported by the Ontario College of Pharmacists OCP. Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in English by one of the following methods:
Where the number of eligible applicants exceeds the available spaces in the program, the Applicant Selection Criteria will be:
Note:
The following items are applicable to the program and are time sensitive. Please refer to www.fanshawec.ca/preplacement for important information about preparing for placement by the due date.
For all programs requiring the submission of pre-placement forms, please submit all supplemental forms (with the exception of transcripts) by email to regforms@fanshawec.ca.
The deadline for submission of these forms for the PTN1 program is August 1st for Year 2 students.
Level 1 | ||||
Gen Ed - Take a 3 credit General Education elective course. | ||||
Take all of the following Mandatory Courses: | ||||
WRIT-1048 | Reason & Writing 1 for Health Sciences | 3 | ||
This course will introduce health sciences students to essential principles of reading, writing, and reasoning at the postsecondary level. Students will identify, summarize, analyze, and evaluate multiple short readings and write persuasive response essays to develop their vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and critical thinking. | ||||
COMP-1549 | Computers in Pharmacy | 1 | ||
In this introductory course, an overview on the use of computers and information technology in the pharmacy will be presented. The student will practice basic and advanced word processing skills for document creation, utilize graphics presentation software to create and organize effective presentations and create spreadsheets, charts and reports. Pharmacy software processes will be reinforced and expanded upon to include report functionality with respect to patient care, and reduce the potential for medication error. Students will be expected to communicate professionally with their peers, technologists and faculty that is in line with current pharmacy practice standards. | ||||
MATH-1051 | Pharmaceutical Mathematics | 3 | ||
The student will review basic fundamental math skills necessary in dosage calculations. Students will learn to convert within and between the systems of measurement in order to prepare prescriptions for administration. Dosage calculations for special populations and parenteral administration will be introduced. In addition, calculations required for compounded products will be introduced and practiced. Emphasis will be on increasing the students analytical skills to ensure accuracy in the calculation of medication orders. | ||||
PHRM-1001 | Pharmacy Fundamentals | 3 | ||
The student will be introduced to the practice of pharmacy including historical, ethical, professional and legal issues that influence pharmacy technicians and their practice. An overview of relevant federal and provincial legislation including regulation of drugs and controlled substances will be presented. The evolving role of the pharmacist and pharmacy technician as part of the intra and interprofessional health team will be explored. | ||||
PHRM-1047 | Community Pharmacy Practice 1 | 4 | ||
This course will connect core pharmacy concepts to their practical application, with a specific focus on the community pharmacy practice setting. The student will be introduced to pharmacy workflow and terminology, including Latin/medical abbreviations, dosage forms, routes of administration, and packaging systems such as medication adherence aids. Emphasis will be placed on drug interchangeability, non-proprietary names, brand names, and therapeutic classes of common pharmaceutical products. Ontario's provincial healthcare program, Ontario Drug Benefit, will be introduced, including various plans (Seniors Plan, OHIP+, Trillium, etc.) that fall under the provincial umbrella. With an emphasis on patient safety, the student will practice submitting medication incidents through the provincial error-reporting system, and discuss prescription forgeries, pharmacy robberies and Canada's burgeoning opioid crisis. Practice within the retail pharmacy simulation labs will include interpretation and processing of prescriptions using pharmacy software systems, interactions with simulated patients, professional communication in practice, utilization of pharmaceutical resources, and various simulated scenarios. | ||||
PSYC-1044 | Personal & Working Relationship | 3 | ||
This course is designed for students to understand the principles and dynamics of personal and working relationships. Emphasis will be on perception of self, attitude and interpersonal problems. The principles introduced from this course will be used in various teaching methods to give students the opportunity to reflect on the processes relevant to their normal personal and professional relationships. |
*Total program costs are approximate, subject to change and do not include the health and dental plan fee, bus pass fee or program general expenses.