Academics

Penn State Lehigh Valley announces three new health care programs

Programs available for pharmacy technician, clinical medical assistant and physical therapy aide

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Penn State Lehigh Valley's Department of Continuing Education has announced three new programs in the health care field. Programs are available for pharmacy technician, clinical medical assistant and physical therapy aide, and are open to anyone with a high school diploma or equivalent. Classes begin Oct. 8 at the campus in Center Valley.

Pharmacy Technician

Students who complete this 50-hour program are prepared to enter the pharmacy field by aiding in the areas of dispensing prescriptions, inventory control, and billing and reimbursement. Topics covered include pharmacy technician roles and responsibilities, drug regulation and control, pharmaceutical terminology and related anatomy, parts of the prescription and labeling, pharmacy calculations and math review, inventory management and financial issues.

Physical Therapy Aide

This 50-hour program covers the non-technical duties of physical therapy such as preparing treatment areas, ordering devices and supplies, and transporting patients while working under the direction of a physical therapist. It includes basic anatomy, abbreviations and medical terminology, measuring vital signs, patient positioning and transfer, effective communication and types of physical therapy modalities.

Clinical Medical Assistant

This program prepares medical assistant students to perform patient clinical skills in various medical office settings. Students learn to perform clinical duties such as taking medical histories and recording vital signs, explaining treatment procedures, preparing patients for examination, assisting the physician during the examination, collecting and preparing laboratory specimens, instructing patients about medication and special diets, drawing blood, preparing patients for x-rays and changing dressings. This is a 300-hour program which consists of 140 hours of classroom instruction and 160 hours of clinical time.

Visit http://lehighvalley.psu.edu/CE/profdev.htm for more information about these programs and more.

Last Updated August 26, 2014

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