Pharmacy Technicians work in pharmacies under the direction of a
pharmacist. Their main responsibility is filling prescriptions
according to doctors' orders.
Pharmacy Technicians prepare medications for dispensing to patients.
This generally includes retrieving drugs in the correct dosage form
and strength, measuring the appropriate amount of drug and producing a
prescription label. Pharmacy Technicians work with drugs to be
administered orally, topically, for the eye, nose, etc. Depending upon
the practice setting, a Pharmacy Technician is also involved in the
admixture of drugs for intravenous use.
Other duties include:
- checking inventories and ordering
supplies
- receiving and checking in supplies
- assisting customers
- keeping pharmacy work areas clean
- complete insurance forms
- preparation of "bingo cards" for
nursing home patients
Pharmacy
Technicians – Employment &
Education
Pharmacy Technicians may work in retail pharmacies, mail order
pharmacies, home infusion pharmacies, long term care facilities,
hospitals, clinics, pharmacy benefit managers and large industrial
complexes. The demand for Pharmacy Technicians continues to grow with
demand expected to increase substantially through 2008. This high
demand is the result of the constant availability of new drugs, the
national shortage of registered pharmacists, the establishment of
certified pharmacy technicians and the aging population.
Educational
Requirements
Students should have
taken math and science in high school. A high school diploma or GED is
required to sit for the PTCB exam.
Pharmacy
Technician Certification Program
This comprehensive 50 hour
course will prepare students to enter the pharmacy field and to take
the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam.
Technicians work in
hospitals, home infusion pharmacies, community pharmacies and other
health care settings - working under the supervision of a registered
pharmacist. Course content includes medical terminology specific to
the pharmacy, reading and interpreting prescriptions and defining
drugs by generic and brand names. Students will learn dosage
calculations, I.V. flow rates, drug compounding, dose conversions,
dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control and billing and
reimbursement. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Program includes
a graded final exam to help prepare students for the PTCB exam.
PTCB
Detailed Course Information:
-
role of the pharmacy
technician
-
pharmacy
history/discussion of various practice settings and the
technician certification process
-
recruiting by
pharmacy specialty
-
“Evolution of
Pharmacy”
-
review of hospital
pharmacy setting, retail practice, regulatory agencies involved
with a pharmacy practice, long term care practice setting, mail
order pharmacy, home care pharmacy practice
-
pharmacy measures,
roman numerals, abbreviations
-
review of generic
drugs, basic biopharmaceuticals, dosage forms, patient profiles
-
prescription label
requirements, order transcription, ordering and inventory
control, drug pricing, third party reimbursement
-
formularies, unit
dose systems, emergency and crash carts, house supplies,
automatic stop orders, calculating number of doses required
-
all major classes of
drugs including top brand names and generic drugs
-
aseptic technique,
handling of sterile products including antineoplastic agent
considerations
-
basics of IV
solutions, calculating 24 hour supply of IV solutions,
percentages and electrolytes preparations
-
the metric system
-
apothecaries’ and
avoirdupois systems of measurement
-
children’s doses
-
allegation method,
math review
-
Total Parenteral
Nutrition (TPN), demonstration of TPN admixture, hands-on
practice of IV admixture and parenteral medication preparation.
