Pharmacy Technician

Each year, Canadians spend nearly $30 billion on prescription drugs, and more than 40% of the country took at least one prescription medication last year, making pharmacies among the busiest businesses in Canada.
If you?re looking to launch a unique, varied, and rewarding career in healthcare, CDI College?s Pharmacy Technician diploma program is the right place to start.
Pharmacy Technicians
Pharmacy technicians work closely with pharmacists and pharmacy assistants in busy community?and hospital pharmacies.?Throughout your coursework in the program, you?ll learn the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful pharmacy technician, including compounding, dispensing, pharmacy mathematics, drug and body interactions, and using pharmacy software programs.
Hands-on Pharmacy Technician Courses
As part of your pharmacy technician training, you will partake in an eight-week, 360-hour practicum placement, split between a community pharmacy and a hospital pharmacy.?
Students will have the opportunity to learn in a dedicated lab space outfitted with technologies currently being used in the profession, including a laminar airflow hood and computers with the Kroll? computer software. The spaces students will use include a dedicated classroom, mock community pharmacy, and a separate aseptic room to help with the preparation of sterile products.
Pharmacy Technician is a regulated health profession under the guidance of the?College of Pharmacists of BC?(CPBC). Graduates of this program will attain competencies specified in the?National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities?(NAPRA) Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice and the?Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association?(CPTEA) Educational Outcomes for Pharmacy Technician Programs in Canada.
Graduates will also be eligible to apply to write the certification examination offered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada?(PEBC) and to register with the CPBC.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate and receive a diploma, students must obtain a minimum of 70% on all modules, a minimum grade of 70% in all final exams, and meet the zero tolerance criteria in pharmaceutical calculations module and prescription checking?as required by the regulatory body.
Students must complete the program within four years of admission.
Practicum Requirements – Community and Institutional
Students must successfully complete their practicum rotations split between both community and hospital pharmacies.
International Student and English Language Proficiency Requirements
Applicants who have graduated from high school or post-secondary programs outside of Canada?(including English-speaking countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia) must demonstrate English language proficiency for program admission.
This standard is based on the recommended tests and scores of the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES). In addition, all international transcripts and credentials must be assessed through the ICES prior to enrolling.
?
Admission to the CDI College Pharmacy Technician diploma program is dependent on producing one of the following test scores prior to signing enrolment contracts and documentation.
?
Test
Details
Minimum Score
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Internet-based test
Speaking
23
?
Writing
25
?
Reading
22
?
Listening
21
?
Total
91
Michigan Language Assessment Battery (MELAB)
Speaking
3+
Writing
80
Reading
83
Listening
80
Total
81
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Academic format
Speaking
6
?
Writing
6
?
Reading
6
?
Listening
6
?
Overall Band
6.5
CDI College, Burnaby ???Pharmacy Technician Faculty
Dr. Charles Park, PharmD, RPh ? Program Director and Instructor ? charles.park@cdicollege.ca ? 604-437-8585
The Pharmacy Technician program at CDI College’s Burnaby campus has been awarded Accreditation Status by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2027.
This program has been approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.
?
Graduates of this program will be eligible to apply to sit the certification examination offered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) and register with the British Columbia College of Pharmacists
?

Campus Availability

Burnaby