New Zealand Certificate in Pharmacy (Specialist Technician) (Level 6)

Programme highlights

Are you a pharmacy technician looking to make the next move in your career?

This qualification will help you get ahead.

You'll learn the skills to step into a specialist technician role and make a difference within your pharmacy.

In order to undertake this course, you must be a qualified pharmacy technician with a Level 5 qualification working in a community or hospital pharmacy.

Our flexible learning options means you can study part-time online, anywhere in New Zealand while you remain in employment.

Flexible Learning

You'll be supported to succeed throughout your journey. 

At Manukau campus, you will have access to a Kaiawhina, a Pasifika support person, a Whānau and a Mā Tātou room.

IT requirements

To complete this qualification you will need to have access to a computer and the internet to retrieve course materials, undertake assessments and to participate in course online activities.

Graduate and Employers Feedback

See what our graduates have to say about studying as a Specialist Pharmacy Technician at MIT.

Donna Skeen

Auckland

"I cautiously weighed up the benefits of completing this course before registering due to the impact studying has on an already busy schedule as a working mum. Study consumes me due to my desire to get the most out of the opportunity. Many times during the course I doubted my ability to meet the assessment requirements.

The course is structured so that the learning is staged to complement both the work environment and the specialised topics in the second year of study. The choice to complete the course over a two to four year period allows each learner the ability to learn at their own pace.

The tutors know our work commitments and give support, direction and positive feedback to keep motivation and vision in seeing this course to its completion.

The result for me has deepened my knowledge on many aspects of pharmacy, especially communication, and recognising individuality in our team. Prior to this course I was already the Pharmacy Manager and felt I did a good job; reflecting on my performance since learning from the Level 6 material I now do a better job in managing the team's strengths and weaknesses, culture, and recognising learning needs. Personally I have learnt the value of the “why” question.

I am unsure how long it will take for the course to be recognised within the profession, but I am confident the pharmacies who have a Level 6 technician will appreciate the knowledge we have, and the ability to apply this knowledge in our workplace.

I would recommend this course to technicians who want to extend themselves professionally to work at the top of their scope, and personally applying the management, interpersonal and communication skills to all facets of life."

Stephanie McGaffin

Ngongotaha Pharmacy, Rotorua

"I’m Stephanie Mcgaffin, I work at Ngongotaha Pharmacy in Rotorua and have been a Level 5 Technician since 2005. I saw an advertisement for the Level 6 Specialist Technician course one day in my lunch break as I was flicking through a contact magazine. I was feeling at a dead end within my position at the time, feeling like there was nowhere to go to from here. My employer was very supportive, so I decided to enrol in the course because I was eager to advance my qualification, not really knowing where it may lead or what doors may open.

MIT has been fantastic throughout my journey. I have met so many people, the lecturers have been amazing and very supportive and it has been great meeting the other girls in my class. We have become good friends and enjoyed staying together when we attended block courses.

I have learnt so much throughout this course, not only in direct relation to my career but also general life skills for example time management, problem solving and computer skills. It has opened up a whole new world for me and I feel so much more competent and confident with the knowledge I have gained.

Roles are expanding within pharmacy and there are now roles within the dispensary that don’t necessarily need to be filled by a pharmacist, opening up a lot more opportunity for technicians. I have recently taken on a management role in my pharmacy and hope to achieve pharmacy ownership in the near future.

I have found the whole experience very enjoyable, and manageable. I work full-time and have three children, so it was essential that I could work around these commitments. I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone wanting to further their career. You never know what doors may open for you"

Kirsty Croucher

Pharmacist at Ngongotaha Pharmacy, Rotorua

"As a pharmacy owner who works in their own business there are some important jobs in the dispensary that are hard to allocate to other staff as they lack training in these areas. Examples are development and maintenance of SOPs, staff management and work flow. Pharmacists tend to learn these skills on an ad-hoc basis, however they are roles that do not require a pharmacist to fill, and are perfect for a technician to step into.

This course has been amazing at training Stephanie in these areas, and because her course covered all the legal and non-legal requirements and their implementation and also required my input, we (MIT, Stephanie and myself) developed her current knowledge to be ideal for our pharmacy, and therefore she easily fulfilled my expectations of her new role. She has moved from being a technician to stepping into a management role, and I look forward to where this leads us in the future.

I would highly recommend this course to technicians who are wanting to step into dispensary or pharmacy management, it is well structured and covers relevant information, and also allows the technician to have choices about which areas they would like to further their knowledge in."

Key facts

Start Month(s) Intakes throughout the year
See start dates
Study Location(s) Online study plus an initial two-day workshop and an additional five subsequent workshops throughout your study. Workshops will be held at MIT Manukau.
Level 6
Domestic fees $5,100 (approx.) per year
Youth Guarantee Not Available
Programme Code NZ2261
Duration

Two years (part-time)
Study Method Part-time, Blended, Online
Credits 120
International Fees Not Available to International Students
Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Scholarship Not Available
Qualification New Zealand Certificate

Entry requirements

Applicants must meet the following entry requirements:

Applicants must have successfully completed the New Zealand Certificate in Pharmacy (Pharmacy Technician) (Level 5) or demonstrate equivalent knowledge and skills;

And

Applicants must be employed in a pharmacy environment and have a minimum of 1 years' experience in a pharmacy technician role following the award of a Pharmacy Technician level 5 qualification;

And

Have English language competence to undertake this programme which is taught and assessed in English. Any applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an-overall lELTS (Academic) band score of 6.5 (with no score below 6.5) or equivalent achieved within the preceding 2 years;

And

Provide an attestation from their employer that they will be supported and released to attend scheduled lecture, block and/or workshop course delivery.

Career opportunities

A range of specialist technician or other specialist pharmacy/healthcare roles, including those in community, hospital, industrial and educational settings.

Programme structure

You will need to complete seven compulsory courses as well as three specialist courses (120 credits):
Compulsory courses:

341.652 Leadership and Management for Effective Teamwork (8 credits)

Supervise, co-ordinate and delegate work across and within a pharmacy team.

727.601 Effective Communication (9 credits)

Develop and maintain communication on complex matters, issues and ideas.

727.602 Learning and Development (8 credits)

Contribute and participate in the development of pharmacy staff in specified areas of pharmacy practice.

727.603 Pharmacy Operational Management (15 credits)

Understand and support pharmacy operational management practices.

727.604 Pharmacy Law and Ethics (15 credits)

Understand and apply relevant legislation, ethics and standards to pharmacy practice.

727.605 Quality Assurance in Pharmacy Practice (10 credits)

Understand and apply quality assurance principles incorporating pharmacy audit and compliance requirements in practice.

727.606 New Zealand Health Care System (10 credits)

Understand the NZ healthcare system and the interaction between healthcare providers to support the delivery of pharmacy services.

Specialist courses:

727.609 Patient Counselling (15 credits)

In this paper you will be researching material about different drugs and assessing appropriate requirements for patient counselling. There is a practical component where you undertake counselling sessions.

727.610 Medicines Information (15 credits)

Research medicines information resources and undertaking self-learning. There is a practical component where you undertake medicines information queries.

727.611 Dispensary Management (15 credits)

Develop your dispensary management skills. You will research your own resources enabling you to answer several management scenarios. There is a practical component which will be a work based improvement project.

727.612 Education and Training Support (15 credits)

Develop training sessions and research assessment and competency.  There is a practical component where you will run teaching sessions for staff.

727.615 Advanced Dispensing Administration (15 credits)

Focus on areas of dispensing services that require specialist knowledge, monitoring and/or counselling and CPSA, the contract through which pharmacies are funded. There is a practical component which will be developing an inception package around a health initiative in which your pharmacy is either currently providing to the public or looking to implement.

727.616 Health Screening and Testing (15 credits)

Research background information and current health screening and testing in NZ. There is a practical component which will be around setting up a service in your pharmacy, or perhaps critiquing and improving an existing one.

727.617 Medicines Reconciliation (15 credits)

Develop your medical history taking and medicines reconciliation skills. There is a practical component where you undertake medicines reconciliation.

727.619 Quality Assurance and Risk Management (15 credits)

You will research Quality Management Systems and either reporting on an existing QMS or developing one for your pharmacy. There is a practical component where you will undertake a risk assessment in your workplace

If you would like more information or would like to talk about study options related directly to the Pharmacy Specialist Technician Level 6 certificate please email a course lecturer Paula Ferguson paula.ferguson@manukau.ac.nz.

Key dates

To find the start date of your programme intake listed above, please view the MIT calendar and key dates.

Key information for students

New Zealand Certificate in Pharmacy (Specialist Technician) (Level 6)

Entry Requirements
Minimum requirements [?] Any minimum or preferred criteria for entry to this qualification. Applicants must meet the following entry requirements: Applicants must have successfully completed the New Zealand Certificate in Pharmacy (Pharmacy Technician) (Level 5) [Ref: 1889] or demonstrate equivalent knowledge and skills. AND Applicants must be employed in a pharmacy environment and have a minimum of 1 years' experience in a pharmacy technician role following the award of a Pharmacy Technician level 5 qualification. AND Have English language competence to undertake this programme which is taught and assessed in English. Any applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of an-overall lELTS (Academic) band score of 6.5 (with no score below 6.5) or equivalent achieved within the preceding 2 years AND Provide an attestation from their employer that they will be supported and released to attend scheduled lecture, block and/or workshop course delivery.
Detailed requirements [?] Click here for more information on any additional entry criteria for this qualification. More information about entry to this qualification
Duration [?] The minimum amount of time it takes to complete this qualification. 2 Years
Tuition Fees Annual Total Qualification
Student fees [?] Annual:
The annual tuition fees payable by a student to study this qualification, additional to what the government contributes. (This is an average based on recent course enrolments. Your fees may differ depending on your course selection.)

Total Qualification:
The total tuition fees payable by a student to study this qualification, additional to what the government contributes. (This is an average based on recent course enrolments. Your fees may differ depending on your course selection.) 		$2,500 $5,001
Government tuition subsidy [?] Annual:
The average annual amount paid by government towards the tuition fees for this qualification, additional to what the student pays. (This is an estimate based on the fees subsidy paid by government to tertiary providers last year.)

Total Qualification:
The average total amount paid by government towards the tuition fees for this qualification, additional to what the student pays. (This is an estimate based on the fees subsidy paid by government to tertiary providers last year.) 		$3,098 $6,196
Total [?] Annual:
The combined total of the annual amount paid by both the student and government towards the tuition fees for this qualification. (This is an estimate based on recent course enrolments and the fees subsidy paid by government to tertiary providers last year.)

Total Qualification:
The combined total of the amount paid by both the student and government towards the total tuition fees for this qualification. (This is an estimate based on recent course enrolments and the fees subsidy paid by government to tertiary providers last year.) 		$5,598 $11,197
Compulsory student services fee
Student loan information [?] Click here for more information on loans and allowances. StudyLink
Student Success
Successful course completions [?] The percentage of students who successfully completed courses towards this qualification last year. 99%
National Graduate Outcomes (3 years after completion)
Median earnings [?] The median represents the middle value for all earnings of young graduates who completed a qualification in this subject area at this level nationally. Earnings do not relate specifically to graduates who completed qualifications at this TEO. $43,751
Earnings range [?] The range shows the upper and lower quartile values representing the one quarter point and three quarters point for all earnings of young graduates who completed qualifications in this subject area. Half of all graduates had earnings within this range. $33,334 - $47,470
In employment [?] This percentage relates to young graduates who completed a qualification in this subject area at this level nationally and does not relate specifically to graduates who completed qualifications at this TEO. 73%
In further study [?] This percentage relates to young graduates who completed a qualification in this subject area at this level nationally and does not relate specifically to graduates who completed qualifications at this TEO. 18%
On a benefit [?] This percentage relates to young graduates who completed a qualification in this subject area at this level nationally and does not relate specifically to graduates who completed qualifications at this TEO. N/A
Note: all KIS information is the most recent available relating to domestic students only.
Click here for more information about the Key Information for Students
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Information is correct as at October 2019. Programme fees are based on a full-time student and may vary depending on your final selection of courses that make up your programme. To provide you with an indication of costs, the approximate fees quoted in this publication are based on the indicative 2020 fee structure. The indicative programme fees for 2020 do not include the Compulsory Student Services Fee (CSSF). The CSSF is an additional levy to your 2020 programme or course fees. Further information about the CSSF can be found here www.manukau.ac.nz/cssf. Programmes stated as eligible for free study in 2020 are based on the 2019 fee structure and subject to funding confirmation for 2020. All fees are in New Zealand Dollars. You will be advised of the current fees at the time of enrolment. All courses and programmes will proceed subject to numbers and academic approval. Manukau Institute of Technology is accredited under the provisions of the Education Act 1989. International students must study in class and will not be able to enrol for online study options.