Academic Program Proposal

Date Proposal Activated	Institution and Proposal	Degree Awarded	Academic Program Name	Objection Deadline	MHEC Final Action	Final Decision Date
	College of Southern Maryland Proposal	Lower Division Certificate (L.D.C.)	Substantial Modification to Pharmacy Technician	5/8/2019	Approved	6/14/2019
Substantial Modification to Pharmacy Technician Program Description
The College of Southern Maryland is proposing substantial modifications to its Pharmacy Technician Certificate (L.D.C.)program to comply with new standards that enable students to sit for the National Pharmacy Certification Exam. Effective 2020, students must comply with new standards as directed by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).  Upon completion of this program under new guidelines, students first must complete a certified training program that complies with (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists/Accreditation Council  for Pharmacy Education (ASHP/ACPE) or Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) standards to take the certification testing. <br> <br>This certificate program prepares pharmacy technicians to work under the direction of a licensed pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians stock and inventory prescription and over-the-counter medications; maintain written or computerized patient medication records; count or pour medications into dispensing containers; prepare sterile intravenous medications; type prescription labels, prepare insurance claim forms; and provide direct customer service. Pharmacy technicians work in hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, home healthcare pharmacies, nursing home pharmacies, clinic pharmacies, nuclear medicine pharmacies, and in mail order prescription pharmacies. As an approved program of the Maryland Board of Pharmacy, graduates of this program may register as Pharmacy Technicians in Maryland with no further testing. Graduates are also eligible to take the national Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE). <br>