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Medical Pharmacy Assistant
Medical Pharmacy Assistants help pharmacists with dispensing medications and providing patients with up-to-date information about their prescriptions and medical conditions. Vancouver Career College's Medical Pharmacy Assistant provides students with the industry-leading training they need to excel in medical and pharmacy jobs.
During this program, students learn how to administer basic medical office tests, answer preliminary patient questions, and learn key medical terminology. Students also study billing and inventory, bookkeeping, communication techniques and prioritizing appointment requests. Courses also include prescription transcription, pharmacy billing, pharmacy math, and hospital or community pharmacy protocols.
All students complete two mandatory five-week practicum placements (10 weeks total) working in the medical/pharmacy field. Graduates of this program receive a Medical Pharmacy Assistant Diploma, Medical Office Assistant Diploma, a Standard First Aid Certificate and a CPR "C" Certificate.
“Vancouver Career College gave me the opportunity to find a job through my practicum. I was hired four weeks into it.” - Sabella L., Vancouver Career College Graduate
This program is 50 weeks in length.
Job Opportunities
- Admitting Cerk
- Emergency Room Admitting Clerk
- Medical Secretary
- Medical Transcriptionist
- Medical Clinical Assistant
- Medical Receptionist
- Medical Billing Clerk
- Pharmacy Assistant
- Medical Office Assistant
Program Courses
The program outline below is for British Columbia.
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| M3020 |
Anatomy and Diseases |
100 |
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- Students will learn through descriptions, illustrations andexercises to identify the major anatomical features andsystems of the body and the common pathologies, whichcan adversely affect these systems.
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| B1045 |
Bookkeeping Basics |
25 |
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- Students are introduced to the fundamentals of double entrybookkeeping including debits and credits, assets, liabilities,equities, journalizing transactions, posting of accounts toledgers and preparing a trial balance. Stock and inventorycontrol is also addressed in this module.
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| M3045 |
Clinical Procedures |
75 |
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- Students will learn techniques and procedures used toprepare and administer basic procedures and tests utilized inmedical offices.
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| B1070 |
Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills |
25 |
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- Students will examine the necessities required for operating a smooth and efficient office environment. Topics covered include basic filing techniques, telecommunications, time management and organizational skills, and the use of general office equipment.
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| M4050 |
Hospital Pharmacy and Aseptic Techniques |
50 |
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- Students will be introduced to the responsibilities of a pharmacy assistant working in a hospital. Procedures and structures specific to hospital pharmacies will be highlighted including methods of drug distribution, procedures surrounding medication administration, and areas that merit special control or methodology. The basic principles of aseptic technique will be explored through theory and practice. Students will learn about parenteral drug administration and precautions necessary for establishing and maintaining an aseptic environment. Students will also learn about TPN preparation, the principles of working with cytotoxic / hazardous drugs and CIVA programs. The importance of quality control checks is emphasized.
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- Students will have the use of our Job Search lab which has unlimited Internet access, a job search resource library and a fax machine and phone for contacting prospective employers. Facilitators will also be made available to advise on job finding resources, interview skills and techniques, and to carry out mock interviews. Students review core program concepts and learning in order to market their skills effectively.
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- Using a computer is essential in today’s office environment. This module offers the students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with a standard keyboard. For the advanced keyboarder, the module focus is to increase typing speed and accuracy.
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- All businesses need to invoice for services rendered andcollect their revenues as quickly and efficiently as possible.Doctors’ revenue comes primarily from the provincialmedical insurance scheme. Students will be introduced to,and practice the procedures, requirements, and codespromulgated by the provincial government for the invoicingand recovery of the doctors’ fees from the provincial medicalinsurance plan.
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| M3025 |
Medical Office Procedures |
50 |
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- Students will examine the necessities required for operatinga smooth and efficient office environment. Topics coveredinclude basic filing techniques, telecommunications, timemanagement and organizational skills and the use ofgeneral office equipment. Students will also learn thetechniques of both manual and computer based appointmentscheduling by learning to assess and prioritize calls(telephone triage) to most effectively schedule thephysician’s limited time.
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| M3010 |
Medical Terminology |
75 |
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- Medicine, like other professions, has its own language.Students will learn to work with the specialized terminologyof medicine, including the pronunciation and spelling ofterms to describe medical circumstances and situations.
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| M3030 |
Medical Transcription |
75 |
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- Transcription is integral to the efficiency of the medical doctor’s practice, providing the documentary records on patient cases that the physician is required by law to maintain. Students will be introduced to the process of medical transcription using actual dictated medical data in different accents. The emphasis of the module is on speed and accuracy.
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| M4020 |
Perscription Transcription |
25 |
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- Students will learn how to process prescriptions, byunderstanding how to enter patient information, prescriptionusage directions, drug information, doctor information, andother pertinent information relating to the drug in question.
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- This subject provides basic drug information including thebasic pharmacological nature and effects of a range ofpsychoactive chemicals. Students will build knowledgerelating drug treatments/usage to various body systems andassociated states of disease.
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| M4025 |
Pharmacy Billing |
25 |
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- Students will be provided an overview of several differentpharmacy billing practices used in BC today, including MSA.
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- Students will learn about ratios, fractions, and other mathrelated topics and how they play a major part in calculatingdifferent prescription and medication dosages. Studentsalso learn about math calculations routinely used in IVpreparation, a requisite skill for employment in a hospitalpharmacy.
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| M4030 |
Pharmacy Practice |
150 |
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- Students cover several aspects of pharmacy law, drug laws and regulations, as well as policies and procedures set by The College of Pharmacists of BC. Students will study over 200 brand and generic drugs, complete dispensing and blister packing procedures, compounding labels and filling prescriptions using a pharmacy computer system. Students will be trained in how to use blood glucose testing machines.
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- This module is for course credits but has no grade. Students will be placed in actual work places related to their field of study and will be expected to act as regular employees for the five-week period, in order to gain valuable “real-world” experience that so many employers seek. Students have a 5-week placement following the completion of the Medical Office portion of their study to directly apply what they have learned. Students are encouraged to find their own work experience placement; however, once placed, continuation in that placement is mandatory.
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- This module is for course credits but has no grade.Students will be placed in actual work places related to theirfield of study and will be expected to act as a regularemployee for the five-week period in order to gain valuable“real-world” experience that so many employers seek.Students have a five-week practicum after the PAT portion to directly apply what they have learned. Students are encouraged to find their own workexperience placement; however, once placed, continuation in that placement is mandatory.