Pharmacy Technician Administration of Drugs by Injection is comprised of two parts:
- PHAR-PTAD0001 Pharmacy Technician Administration of Drugs by Injection Online Program
- PHAR-IIAT0002 Administration of Injections Workshop
Administration of Injections Workshops are usually held in the spring and fall.
This program was developed to prepare Pharmacy Technicians to administer injections. After training to administer immunizations and ensuring that provincial requirements have been met, Technicians can perform the technical aspects of immunization administration. Those aspects related to clinical therapeutics — such as answering medical questions, counseling the patient, and ensuring the vaccine is appropriate for the patient are all still the responsibility of the pharmacist.
Program overview
This program was developed in collaboration with the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists (NSCP) and the Pharmacy Association on Nova Scotia (PANS)
The first component, Pharmacy Technician Administration of Drugs by Injection, is comprised of 8 online modules, and will take approximately four to five hours to complete. Technicians must achieve at least 70% on the post-study online test prior to being enrolled in the practical workshop.
The second component, Administration of Injections Workshop, is training and certification on the hands on administration of injections. On the day of certification, participants will be provided with necessary supplies (i.e. needles, syringes, practice injection pads, etc.) and time to practice required skills. Trained certifiers from Dal CPE’s IIATP/PTADI Team will provide guidance and answer questions regarding any aspect of the injection/immunization process. There is a virtual component and an in-person assessment where candidates must successfully administer an intramuscular and a subcutaneous injection to receive a certificate of completion for the workshop.
Waiver of liability
Prior to attending the workshop, please review the Waiver of Liability . By signing this waiver you are agreeing to the condition that your professional liability insurance policy will not cover the authorized pharmaceutical service of administration of injections during the training program, but will provide coverage once you have received authorization from your regulatory body to perform injections. Once authority is granted by your regulatory body (NSCP), the insurance policy will cover this new area of practice.
A copy of the waiver will be available at the live-day portion of the program and must be signed prior to commencing the program.
Hepatitis B vaccination reminder
Administering injections creates the potential for blood and body fluid exposure. The risk of developing HIV from exposure and/or a needle stick injury is less than one per cent, but the risk of contracting hepatitis B and C can be as high as seven per cent. It is recommended that technicians planning to administer injections have their hepatitis B vaccination.
IMPORTANT: Completion of this program DOES NOT give authorization to perform injections or immunizations in practice. This authority will be granted to individual members in good standing by the provincial licensing bodies (i.e. Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists).