Skip to Main Content

Department of Pharmacy

Training Program Curriculum

What is the curriculum of the JHHS Pharmacy Technician Training Program?

The JHHS Pharmacy Technician Training Program provides robust didactic lectures in conjunction with hands-on simulation activities and rotation experience at one of the hiring pharmacies at Johns Hopkins Health System.

The program length is 14 weeks in duration. Students' weekly curriculum contains all three aspects of the training program: Didactic, Simulation, and Experiential Rotation. It allows students to apply computer-based didactic learning and lab activities in a real-world environment and progress through required competencies in this continuous learning model.

Important topics covered in the JHHS Pharmacy Technician Training Program curriculum include medication error prevention and safety, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacology, community pharmacy practice, institutional pharmacy practice, federal law, and state-specific pharmacy law.

Didactic Modules

Therapeutic Research Center website

JHHS has partnered with Therapeutic Research Center (TRC) to provide online didactic instruction through Pharmacy Technician University (PTU) that integrates narrated lectures, pacing questions, digital animations, and interactive assessments of knowledge application. The digital delivery of information offers flexibility to students in their access and review of the didactic lectures. The Department of Pharmacy will also supplement the computer-based learning with five review sessions by taught by pharmacy content experts.

Simulation Labs

Simulation Labs

The simulation labs imitate real-world scenarios and allow students to develop skills and practice processes described in lectures before going into their rotation experience. The simulation activities of the program also contain both onsite and computer-based simulation activities. Onsite simulations will be lead and graded by program instructors.

Experiential Rotation

Experiential rotations provide real-world opportunities for students to work alongside pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other health care professionals and apply their classroom and simulation training to provide patient-centered care. Students will be assigned to the same practice site to achieve longitudinal progression on required competencies and prepare students for employment at the designated Pharmacy within the Johns Hopkins Health System.
rotation
During the experiential rotation, the student will perform pharmacy technician duties under the direct supervision of the preceptor of record or preceptor designee. Students will get exposure to various experiences, including medication preparation and delivery, performing routine inventory of medications and supplies, performing dispense prep and tracking functions within the Electronic Health Record, IV training, Pyxis Medstation refills, non-sterile compounding, and shadowing clinical pharmacists and the pharmacy inventory specialist.
technicians in pharmacy

Sample Weekly Curriculum

Days of the Week Program Component Curriculum
Monday A mixture of didactic and simulation (8 hours) Complete the following modules:
  • Inventory Control and Management 
  • Inventory Management
  • Supporting Materials
Complete the following simulation exercise:
  • Communication – Duplicated Therapy
  • Communication – Drop Off Prescription
  • Communication – Angry Patients
  • Handling OTCs
Tuesday Hands-on simulation activities (8 hours)

Complete the following simulation exercises

  • Counting tablets/capsule
  • Filling Prescription
  • Reconstitute an oral powder
  • Original Container
  • Refrigerated Medication
Wednesday A mixture of didactic and simulation (8 hours)

Complete the following modules:

  • Specialty Medications
  • Unit Exam V

Complete the following computer-based simulation:

  • Expiration Dates
  • Ordering Inventory
Thursday Experiential rotation
(8 hours)		 Complete training and education per hiring pharmacy
Friday Experiential rotation
(8 hours)		 Complete training and education per hiring pharmacy

Technician Training Program Hours

  • School days (didactic, simulation, or a mixture of didactic/simulation components)
    • Generally are day shifts from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
    • Each day's course load is assigned based on the class's credit hours, estimated at the average learner's speed, approximately six credit hours per day.
  • Experiential Rotation hours in hiring Pharmacy
    • Hours are rotating (day/evening rotation), as determined by the hiring pharmacy. 
    • Weekend and holiday requirements during the training program period as scheduled