Prescription for Success. At Bow Valley College’s downtown Calgary campus, students study full-time and complete practicums in hospital^† and community pharmacies to obtain a Pharmacy Technician Diploma.

The program has Full Accreditation Status^†† with the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP), preparing graduates for the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada's national certification exam. Pharmacy technicians are regulated under the Health Professions Act and register with the Alberta College of Pharmacy.

Registered Pharmacy Technicians have an expanded scope of practice that includes responsibilities such as performing final checks on prescriptions and receiving verbal orders from prescribers. Other tasks include compounding mixtures, dispensing medications, or preparing sterile products such as eye drop compounds or intravenous mixtures. Demand is increasing and pharmacy technicians can earn up to $37/hour.

With over 350 lab hours in a state-of-the-art facility, this program integrates cutting-edge technology and emphasizes hands-on training to produce competitive dispensary-ready graduates. Students learn to prepare sterile products in authentic certified sterile production hoods and operate a PACMED^® high-speed automated medication packager.

^†Students will be required to travel to various locations in order to complete their practicum placements. Every effort is made to accommodate students in placements within the timeframe of the program, however in rare instances there may be a delay in program completion until a placement can be arranged.

^††The Pharmacy Technician Program of Bow Valley College has been awarded Accreditation Status by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs from January 1, 2023 - June 30, 2028.

Facilities

The Pharmacy Technician Diploma program has a designated lab. The world-class lab simulates both community and hospital pharmacy practice with individual work areas equipped with computers, phones and dispensing supplies, compounding equipment, certified sterile production hoods, and a high-speed automated medication packager (PACMED^®).

You will be required to travel to various locations to complete your work integrated learning placements. It is each student's responsibility to arrange travel to their clinical and/or practicum sites; placements may be outside the City of Calgary as well as in any area of Calgary. Every effort is made to schedule learners for Work Integrated Learning placements within the time frame of the program. In rare instances there may be a delay in program completion until a Work Integrated Learning placement can be arranged.

Work Integrated Learning placements may include day shifts, evening shifts, night shifts, and/or weekend shifts. Shifts are determined by the placement sites and not the College.