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The information posted here is for reference use only. For the most current and up to date information visit PTCB website.
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NPTA's magazine known as "Today's Technician" is dedicated to Pharmacy Technicians everywhere. The articles in this publication affect Pharmacy Technicians daily!
Drug Topics
Should R.Ph.s and Techs take the same CEs?
This article focuses on the CEs for both Pharmacists and Technicians. Judi Chi author of this article states that Technicians and Pharmacists are both professionals and whether we should have the same continuing education programs or if separate activities should be set up.
Drug Topics, January 09, 2006, p8
One of the best magazines to come out for pharmacy technicians is Drug Topics Issue dated February 09, 2004. Pharmacy Technicians have made the cover story and several others inside. Here is a listing of the articles you will find. This one is a must read for all in the profession as we are changing rapidly for the betterment of medical care and that of the profession all over the United States.
Pharmacy Debates Technician Training - pp. 58-59, 60, 62, 63, by, Carol Ukens
Techs Deserve a Closer Look - pp. 14, by, Harold E. Cohen, R.Ph.
More States Regulate Technicians, NABP survey finds - pp. 44, Carol Ukens
Drug Topics, February 09, 2004
Hospital Pharmacy
A practitioner-focused peer reviewed journal for hospital pharmacists
Featured Article: "The Impact of Hospital Pharmacist and Technician Teams on Medication-Process Quality and Nurse Satisfaction" This feature focuses on expanding and innovative pharmacy services. As pharmacy evolves, so do Technicians and Pharmacists. This is a must read article for anyone working in an institutional setting.
Hospital Pharmacy, December 2004, p.1169-1176
Community Practice
Has time come for national standards on technician training?
Education requirements are addressed in this article on technician training standards and who may be the overseer of this. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) guru Michael Rouse is interviewed by Judi Chi of Drug Topics. This article is an eye opener on things to come for pharmacy technicians. This is a must read for technicians and pharmacists.
Drug Topics , January 26, 2004, p. 30, by; Judi Chi
Cover Story
"Fatal Pharmacy Mistakes"
This story deals with an accidental death of a patient which happened from Pharmacy Technician compounding issue. This tragedy happened from numerous errors occurring. Technician training and supervision is also discussed. Read what NPTA has to say about educational standards across the United States.
Ladies Home Journal, May 2003, pp. 176, 180, 182, 184, 187, by; Maureen Kennedy
Cover Story
"Helping Hands" - Exclusive Technician Survey
In an exclusive survey performed by Drug Topics Magazine are now published for your viewing. The results are from 1000 surveys sent out randomly to Technicians from PTCB Certification with 265 responses.
The survey consisted of questions relating to the duties, training, salaries, opinion of the practice of Tech-check-Tech, and several other topics within the four page questionnaire.
OPINION: There are several topics that are touched upon within this article and it should be mandatory reading for all Technicians. Technicians who are looking at making our profession nationally recognized should especially take a good long hard look at this survey. First and foremost with only 265 responses out of 1000, it is totally unacceptable on our part as Technicians not to help move our profession forward by not participating in surveys such as this.
Drug Topics, pp. 59, 60, 62, 65. Vol. 146 No. 15, August 5, 2002
"Pharmacists favoring preserving R.Ph.-Tech ratio, poll finds"
This is a results from a web poll that Drug Topics placed on its website for Pharmacists to answer about the ratio to Pharmacists. The results come from 894 responses. The article is available to read in Drug Topics.
Drug Topics, p. 22, Vol. 146 No. 13, July 1, 2002
Cover Story
"Beware the Dark Side of Pharmacy Life"
This article deals with the dark side of pharmacy. This refers to Pharmacists and Technicians abusing drugs and theft also. The drug addiction of pharmacy professionals is discussed with treatment options available and so much more.
Drug Topics, p. 33-34, 37-38, 41, Vol. 146 No. 13, July 1, 2002
News from:
APhA
In a news article from APhA titled, "Technicians Through The Ages" It states, "...Today, technicians are recognized as professionals with their own certification requirements and as valuable members of the pharmacy team."
APhA Pharmacy Technician, March/April 2002, Vol. 1 No. 4
Professional Practice:
"Technician group stepping up certification of its members"
This article deals with the new programs that the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) is offering to technicians. Mike Johnston founder and President of NPTA speaks about the educational and training issues for pharmacy technicians. "Certification is becoming more broad-based, and many states are picking up on licensing", Johnston said. There is also much more in this article which can be found in its entirety as shown below.
"Drug Topics' Hospital Pharmacist Report" Vol.15 N0.9, p24, September 2001
From the States
What do you like about being a Pharmacy Technician? - by; Linda Almassy, CPhT
Patient Counseling: What is the Technicians Role? - by; Marrianne Lentz R.Ph. MPA
Certified Tennessee Techs Number 3000 plus - by; Ken Tafelsky, CPhT
Why Legislation to Recognize Pharmacy Technicians? - by; Fay M Elliott, CPhT
"the journal of Pharmacy Technology" vol. 17 no. 3 May/June 2001 p.114 - 118
Tech-Check-Tech (TCT) has become a hot topic in the world of pharmacy. There are hospitals in the United States such as Washington that allow technicians to check other technicians work such as performing the final check of unit dose cart fill. There are opposing viewpoints to this which is why it is such a hot topic of discussion. To find out more about Tech-Check-Tech, read the entire article in, "Drug Topics."
While Tech-check-Tech is growing at a slow pace across the United States, There is a new Breed of Pharmacy Technician merging. This new Technician is called a "Clinical Pharmacy Technician."
North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo has such a program. Angela Weeks one of the premier technicians to be in the program has been met with much enthusiasm. She will collect results of various blood test levels and determine if they should be seen by a pharmacist. Doing this type of job means that she must interpret lab results which she and other technicians are trained to do. She is also trained in nutrition support and cross over medication such as changing a drug from i.v. to p.o.
Some hospitals have started putting Pharmacy Technicians on nursing floors to: check and reconcile floor stock, identify discrepancies and lost charges, check nursing medication carts for supplies, place meds in patients room for nurse to administer; i.e.. IV's.
Other specialized duties Technicians have assumed is to work alongside a pharmacist in a methadone clinic, operating rooms, oncology, and sterile product preparation areas.
Pharmacy Technicians also restock drug dispensing machines, do daily narcotic counts, out-of-stock reports, follow up on nursing overrides etc.
"Who Should Be Liable For The Work Of Technicians?" This article explains different approaches as to the liability of pharmacy technicians among states and national organizations. It explores certification, licensure, registration, tech-check-tech, and more.
This article deals with what type of education should Pharmacy Technicians be held to. Jan states that she and others believe that Pharmacy Technicians should at least have an AAS degree. This is based on the fact that in some parts of the United States, Pharmacy Technicians can be as young as sixteen years of age and have no medical knowledge base.
This article presents the pharmacy technician's role in medication error reduction relevant as an issue to public health. The article also speaks of the importance of medication error reporting by technicians. Also discussed is the issue of not blaming individuals but to find out why the error happened and how to correct it.
This article deals with the issues of Pharmacy Technicians as well as Pharmacists. The variety of roles Technicians have taken on since the National Certification Examination was introduced are examined here. Where are Technicians heading and are Pharmacists being pushed aside?
Technicians are being recognized by many companies (chains) and the list hopefully will grow. Certification Examinations are now administered in several countries throughout the world for people in the U.S. armed forces.
Melissa Murer (Executive Director, PTCB) states that among the benefits of Certification, Technicians have seen a monetary reward with an average pay of $10.24/hour or $594.38/week.
This article describes in very good detail the use of Certified Pharmacy Technicians in an Oncology Pharmacy. The article will help those with little or no oncology experience and also is an excellent reference for those hospitals who are thinking of putting Certified Technicians in their Oncology Pharmacy.
Institutions can also view a sample form here to help train their Technicians for issues concerning chemotherapy.
This article deals with Ohio hospital pharmacy technicians and their attitudes towards the national voluntary technician certification.
This study was conducted via questioner and may actually be applied towards any institutional type setting. Although the rate of reposes was low, this may be a good indication of how technicians view national certification.
This article deals with the need for Pharmacy Technicians and/or Pharmacy Assistants in the United States today. There is job role explanations of Pharmacists as well as Technicians. The salary issue of Technicians is also discussed here.
This article deals with the use of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Interns to offer counseling. This deals with laws in New York, Massachusetts, and mentions New Hampshire.
This article deals with the training of technicians via distance learning in South Carolina. This is achieved through a Technical College Program who cooperate with similar institutions in remote South Carolina areas.
This article deals with the duties and tasks that Technicians are doing in many practice settings. With Technicians taking on more duties Pharmacists are able to do more clinical functions and offer patient counseling. There is a block section of responsibilities of technicians both in the retail and hospital type settings. There is also a block section of salaries of Technicians who are certified and those who are not (Drug Topics-only). This includes independent pharmacies, chains, and hospitals. This article stems from a recent survey sent out to pharmacies.
This part of the survey includes geographic U.S. locations of technicians and various types of pay scales. The article includes a block chart of technician salaries with work experience measured in years. There is also an area with annual and hourly salaries for technicians who are certified and those who are not.
The PTCB Task Analysis Identifies Role of Certified Pharmacy Technicians in Pharmaceutical Care.
Here is an outline from the task force updated into 1998. This study was conducted by Professional Examination Service. They are not-for-profit and they provide credentialing services to licensure and certification groups.
1. Task Analysis Supports Development of Valid Examinations a. Expert Committee Reviews Task Analysis b. Critical Incidents Telephone Interviews 2. Survey of Certified Pharmacy Technicians a. CPhT's - Who Are They? b. CPhT's - What Are They Doing? c. Value Aspects of Training d. Benefits of Certification e. Role in Quality Assurance f. Responsibilities of Pharmacy Technicians g. Pharmacy Calculations h. Validation of Knowledge Base
There is talk about a new type of health care professional called, "Pharmacy Assistant (Ph.A.). This would be a job type which is between a technician and a pharmacist. This person would have greater liability, may supervise technicians, perform more tasks, and much more. This is a must read article and you can find it in, "Hospital Pharmacist Report."
The article explores the pharmacy technician roles and certification. This relates as to why we are not yet considered professionals as with many other types of jobs. Also, can medication errors be reduced by being certified?
If you are not able to locate a printed source for the above mentioned articles, RxTrek recommends you try NorthernLight to obtain them. You will incur a charge. NorthernLight lets you preview a summary before you buy and then you can print it on demand. This may save you several dollars if you are only looking for a particular type of article or subject matter instead of having to locate a magazine or journal direct from the publisher. Please note that not all publications and/or articles are available at NorthernLight.com.