Pharmacy Technology Pre-Admission Conference

Mission Statement

The mission of the Pharmacy Technician Program is to prepare students to meet the health care needs of the community by providing premier training that ensures that graduates acquire the essential skills and knowledge that enable them to enter and succeed in the field of pharmacy.

The mission of the Pharmacy Technician program is consistent with the mission of Somerset Community College, which is to provide high quality, affordable, and accessible education and training to create student success, economic growth, and enhanced quality of life. Therefore, the program's mission is to graduate competent, ethical, and confident health care practitioners, benefitting the community at-large by providing quality pharmacy services. The program strives to prepare graduates for a career in the field of pharmacy technology and to provide them with marketable skills capable of maintaining a successful career.

Program Recognition

The Somerset Community College Pharmacy Technology is recognized as an education/training program for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), which guarantees graduates of the entry-level and advanced-level programs eligibility to register for and attempt the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE). The most recognized national certification exam in the United States.

SCC Pharmacy Technology Curriculum

The pharmacy technician requires training to provide a knowledge base on which to make decisions to assist the Pharmacist in their pursuit to provide exemplary patient care. The Pharmacy Technology Program prepares the student to function as a pharmacy technician under the supervision of the pharmacist. The essential elements of this program have been designed to provide competency in the skills that pharmacy technicians can use in a variety of pharmacy practice settings. The curriculum includes content areas in professional skills, processing and handling of medications and medication orders, patient care, quality assurance, medication safety, and regulatory knowledge. The program provides comprehensive educational experiences through lectures, simulation, and experiential training.

Program Plans

Your plan may differ depending on the general education and/or technical requirements that you have already completed or need to be completed.

You are not required to have any of them completed before applying for the program.

Additional Program Information

Program completion will be dependent upon the following:

• A final grade of “C” or higher is required in all courses in the program plan. This include the general education courses and technical courses.
  • Example: If you have a “D” or below in CIT 105, you will have to retake this course to bring the grade up to a “C” or higher for program completion. There are possible financial aid issues with retaking a course, so be sure to plan accordingly with the financial aid office.
• A GPA of 2.0 or above is required for program admission and program completion.
  • If you are a new college student without a GPA, the decision will be based upon high school GPA and/or placement test scores.
• See the previous program plan slides for other graduation requirements.

Course Formats

• The program is offered as a hybrid program. This means that it is a combination of online and in-person instruction.
• The lecture portion of the program is offered online, while the lab portion is on campus in our pharmacy tech simulation lab.
• Attendance one day per week in the simulation lab is required and cannot be completed online, via live stream, or in any other format.
• It is vital that students learn the hands-on skills to be able to perform in the workplace.
• Our simulation lab is located on the Laurel North Campus in Building 3, Room 219.
  • The address is 100 University Drive, London, KY 40741
• The clinical experiences will be assigned at a pharmacy location(s) within our service area and travel to those sites is required.
  • Every effort is made to match each student to a site that is within, or close to, their county of residence. 

Pharmacy Clinical Experiences (Externships)

Entry-level students will complete one pharmacy experience (externship) during the program. The entry-level (PHA 150) externship will be conducted at a community pharmacy. Advanced-level students will complete two pharmacy experiences, the student must first complete PHA 150, then they may enroll in PHA 251 where they will complete an externship at an advanced practice site, such as a hospital, long-term care facility, nuclear pharmacy, or other specialty pharmacy. 

The program coordinator has conducted a site inspection at all participating sites and the Pharmacy Technology Advisory Committee has reviewed the site credentials and approved these sites as acceptable for experiential training. 

In addition, the program coordinator will make the arrangements for students at the respective experiential sites, except for the student work schedule. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the site preceptor prior to the start of the semester to establish a work schedule. The program coordinator will provide contact information to the student. Once the schedule is set, the schedule must be reported to the program coordinator by the student. 

We try to accommodate student requests for sites, but the final decision is at the discretion of the program and/or clinical coordinator.

Estimated Tuition, Fees & Expenses*

*All expenses are subject to change.

Selective Admission Assessment

Ready to apply?

Fill out the online application, or see Program Coordinator Lorrenda Merritt to obtain a paper application.

Pharmacy Technology Application

Questions?