WKU Owensboro News

Adult learners in the Glasgow, Elizabethtown, and Russellville areas will have access to three new career training programs in the healthcare field this fall.

Clinical Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, and Phlebotomy Technician courses will be offered in hybrid formats, combining the convenience – and safe distancing – of an online course with traditional hands-on training. The programs include online instruction and on-campus labs, as well as externships opportunities with local employers. Students and instructors will follow community health guidelines to ensure the health and safety of everyone.

CLINICAL MEDICAL ASSISTANT - Upon successful completion of this program, students would be eligible to sit for the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) national examination. 

Students learn medical office functions including how to prepare patients for examination and treatment and conduct routine laboratory procedures, diagnostic testing and other clinical functions.

This course covers phlebotomy, pharmacology, the proper use and administration of medications, taking and documenting vital signs and cardiology, as well as professional workplace behavior, ethics and the legal aspects of healthcare. Students will complete 140 hours of classroom lecture and hands on labs and a clinical externship opportunity at a local healthcare provider.  

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN - Students who complete this program are eligible for the Pharmacy Technician Certified Board (PTCB) Exam.

This comprehensive 50-hour program prepares students to work as a pharmacy technician in a retail or other pharmacy setting. Students learn pharmacy medical terminology, the pharmacy practice in multiple environments, calculations and measurements, reading and interpreting prescriptions, and defining drugs by generic and brand names. 

Through classroom lecture and hands on labs, students review dosage calculations, drug classifications, the top 200 drugs, IV flow rates, sterile compounding, dose conversions, aseptic technique, the handling of sterile products, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control, and billing and reimbursement.

PHLEBOTOMY TECHNICIAN - Students who complete this program can pursue the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Phlebotomy Technician Exam.

This 90-hour course prepares professionals to collect blood specimens from clients for laboratory analysis. Students become familiar with all aspects of blood collection and develop comprehensive skills to perform venipunctures completely and safely.

Students gain hands-on experience in blood collection and procedures, universal precautions for handling specimens, anatomy & physiology terminology, and safe and effective venipuncture skills.

Courses begin in August, and registration is going on now. Sallie Mae student loans are available. More information, including dates, times and tuition, is available at wku.edu/cpd/career-training.php.