Education

Critical Care Pharmacy and the Pharmacy Technician

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Critical Care Pharmacy and the Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technicians often work in pharmacies in hospitals and medical centers assisting licensed Pharmacists who are trained in Critical Care Pharmacy. In this position, Pharmacy Technicians are responsible for filling medication orders and mixing IV medications and IV fluids under the supervision of a Pharmacist. These medications, which have been ordered by physicians for their …

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Important Customer Service Skills for Pharmacy Technicians

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Customer Service Skills for Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians engage with customers, patients, health care providers, insurance companies and co-workers regularly on a daily basis. Good customer service skills are essential and go beyond greeting customers with a smile. Technicians should accept early in their career that patients will not always respond with the same courtesy as being shown to them. Three …

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Essentials of Pain Management and the Pharmacy Technician

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Pain Management and Pharmacy Technician

As our population continues to age, more and more Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians are becoming involved in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that approximately 11% of adults suffer from some degree of daily pain and that currently millions of Americans every year are …

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Laws Governing Pharmacy Technician’s Practice

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Laws Governing Pharmacy Technicians Practice

As a Pharmacy Technician, your pharmacy technician practice is closely monitored by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s (PTCB) Code of Conduct for Pharmacy Technicians and by Federal laws and the laws of your state and locality. Failure to abide by these regulations and codes can result in censure, suspension or even revocation of your Pharmacy …

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Ethical Issues in Pharmacy Tech

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Ethics in Pharmacy Tech

As a certified Pharmacy Technician, you are always expected to adhere to a rigorous code of ethics. Failure to do so can result is suspension or even revocation of your Pharmacy Technician licensure by your State Board of Pharmacy. Knowledge of the PTCB code of ethics and an understanding of what is expected of you …

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Guide on Financial Aid for Pharmacy Technicians

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Guide on financial aid for pharmacy technicians

Training to become a Pharmacy Technician can take from 12 to 24 months and can be quite expensive. Understanding the Grants, Scholarships and Financial Aid available can help ease the financial burden of Pharmacy Technician training. Read on to learn about Federal and Private Grants and Loans which are available to assist in financing your …

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The Benefits of Acquiring a Pharmacy Technician License

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The Benefits of Acquiring a Pharmacy Technician License

Filling the role of a pharmacy technician comes with numerous perks. Along with career advancement opportunities, you’ll enjoy working with a team of professionals who have a deep passion for improving the livelihood of a diverse range of patients. Thinking about becoming a pharmacy technician? If so, you’ll definitely want to consider enrolling in a …

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Tips on How to Screen Prescriptions for Accuracy and Completeness

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How to Screen Prescriptions for Accuracy and Completeness

Adverse Drug Events (ADES) are by definition injuries resulting from either medication errors, allergic reactions, overdoses or adverse drug reactions. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), medication errors harm an estimated 1.5 million people annually at an estimated cost of $3.5 billion. In addition, each year Adverse Drug Events …

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How to Specialize in IV Meds or Oncology as a Pharmacy Tech

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IV Meds or Oncology as Pharmacy Technician

Specializing as a pharmacy technician in intravenous medications (IV Meds) or oncology can provide an exciting, lucrative and critically important career path. This additional training can allow for a career as a specially trained pharmacy technician in which you can help contribute to improved patient outcomes and optimal patient care while having a rewarding career …

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Pharmacy Technician Training Programs

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Pharmacy Technician Training Programs

Pharmacy technicians have many responsibilities. As a part of the medical profession, they work to ensure and improve the health of their patients. They must be skilled in several different areas and they undergo extensive training to prepare for their duties. The type of training that a pharmacy technician receives varies depending on where they are being trained. Some pharmacy technicians choose to get formal education to prepare them for their career. Other technicians only receive on-the-job training.

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Pharmacy Technician Certification Programs

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Today’s job market is very competitive. Companies are cutting back and looking for ways to save money. This means that well trained employees are being given more responsibility, while less qualified individuals are being let go. Pharmacy technicians are no exception. Although most states do not require formal training for pharmacy technicians, most pharmacies prefer …

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What Is Being Taught in a Pharmacy Technician Course

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Many vocational schools and community colleges offer pharmacy technician programs, some of which are accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, ASHP. Associate degree programs usually take approximately two years to complete while most certificates can be obtained in as little as one year or less. Job training and certification ensures that pharmacy technicians …

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I Am a Pharmacy Technician. How Do I Become a Pharmacist?

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How Pharmacy Technician can become pharmacist

CPhT to PharmD

Working as a pharmacy technician gives an individual a good understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. A person who is a pharmacy technician first tends to be a more prepared pharmacist than a person who becomes a pharmacist without being a pharmacy technician. However, in order to become a pharmacist, an individual will definitely need more education. The following article describes a general pathway for a person who wants to pursue a “PharmD” designation in the United States. Requirements for education and licensure may vary from state to state and from country to country.

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Online Pharmacy Tech Schools Do Not Fit Everyone

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Pharmacy technician is a growing career choice today. Many states are increasing educational and training requirements for working as a pharmacy technician. This is causing a ripple effect in those states. As pharmacy technicians are being required to have formal training and become certified, schools are opening to provide this education. As pharmacy technicians are being required to invest more money into their career education, the salary rate for this position is also increasing.

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Is it Possible to Prepare for the PTCB Exam Without Going to School?

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During recent years many community colleges and universities have begun offering degree programs in pharmacy technician. These include Associates in Science Pharmacy Technician (AS PhT) and Bachelors in Science Pharmacy Technician (BS PhT) degrees. There are also many accredited and unaccredited private schools offering diploma programs in pharmacy technician. However, although these educational programs seem to be popping up in cities all over the United States, there is no mandated educational requirement for becoming a certified pharmacy technician. This may have you asking yourself, “Do I really need to go to school to prepare to take the PTCB exam?”

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What is PTCB?

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PTCB stands for “Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.” It is a private national organization which provides certification to qualified pharmacy technicians. Their goal is to promote more effective pharmacy technicians and ensure safe patient care to pharmacy customers.

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How to Study and Prepare for Pharmacy Technician Exam

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The ExCPT exam is a standardized test consisting of 90 multiple choice questions. The questions cover all topics which a pharmacy technician should be familiar with such as pharmacy law, HIPAA regulations, pharmacy math, and pharmacy administration. There are many techniques which can be used to study and prepare for the taking the pharmacy technician …

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The Difference Between a Pharmacist and a Pharmacy Technician

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Difference between a pharmacy technician and a pharmacist

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work closely together to deliver medications, advice, and assistance to their patients. The pharmacist relies on the pharmacy technician for many daily tasks, and the technician looks to the pharmacist for guidance. The pharmacist and pharmacy technician are like a right and left hand; they each have their own job, but they work together to get things done.

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