Sault College introduces pharmacy tech program

Sault College's board of governors this week agreed to apply for permission to offer a pharmacy technician program.

The college's Dean of Health and Community Service Fran Rose said the new program will be submitted for Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology credentials validation.

If the credentials are granted in timely fashion, the two-year Ontario diploma program will start in September 2011.

It will initially carry provisional accreditation from the Ontario College of Pharmacists, which now regulates pharmacy technicians as well as pharmacists.

Once the program graduates its first class in 2013, it will will be eligible for full accreditation, Rose said.

Students graduating from the program will be eligible to take the provincial pharmacy technician examination to obtain their certification, said Rose.

The program will initially require construction of a $50,000 practise laboratory that will accommodate up to 20 students.

Practising area pharmacists would be employed as part-time instructors.

College staff who set up the program worked closely with staff at Niagara College and an advisory committee of area pharmacists, Rose said.

The program will differ from others offered throughout the province in that it will focus more on the legalities of the pharmaceutical industry and will include more hours of early placement.

Students will learn how to deliver quality customer service right from the first semester. said Chair of Health Science Marilyn King.

Sault College will be the only college in Northern Ontario to offer the program, King said.

Also this week, the college's board approved suspension of two programs and cancellation of one other program.

Journalism - The New Media was suspended to September 2012.

"We wanted to start it in the right way, with the right people and at the right time," said Academic Vice President Leo Tiberi.

The one-year, post-graduate program is still going to play a role in the college's school of media and design, said Tiberi, but the school wants to launch an in-house print and online news source that will include content and design work from all components of the media and design school.

The production, which remains to be named, is expected to launch in February 2011.

"It will show them [prospective students] what they will be working on," Tiberi said.

Meanwhile, several of the courses on the Journalism - The New Media roster will still be offered through continuing education - particularly the multi-media and production courses using the college's new Mac lab.

Truck and Coach/Heavy Duty Equipment Technician was also suspended, but it was suspended indefinitely.

Tiberi explained that a very similar program is being offered under a different name, so suspending this one was just a matter of housekeeping.

He said that two comparable programs, Motive Power Fundamentals - Heavy Equipment and Truck Repair and Motive Power Technician - Advanced Repair, will continue to be offered.

Electrical Technology - Water/Wastewater Treatment was cancelled.

Tiberi told the board that the college has not had any students in this program for some time, even though it is on the books.

He said the relevant courses that were useful to that course are being taught in other programs.