Chapter 1: Introduction to

Pharmacy
Learning Outcomes
• Compare & contrast technician & pharmacist roles
• Understand licensing, certification, registration terms
• Describe advantages of formal training for technicians
• Describe a variety of pharmacy practice settings
• Describe characteristics of a professional
Learning Outcomes
List tasks that pharmacy technicians perform in
various pharmacy settings
Describe the concept of pharmaceutical care
Define medication therapy management
Explain why the use of outpatient pharmacy &
medical services is increasing
Key Terms
Pharmacist
Pharmacy technician
Certification
Licensure
Registration
Key Terms
Accreditation
Health-system pharmacy
Home health care
Medication therapy management (MTM)
Pharmaceutical care
Basics
Pharmacology: study of drugs & their actions
Pharmacokinetics: understanding of how drugs are
absorbed, distributed, metabolized, & eliminated by
body
Pharmaceutics: preparation & dispensing of drugs
Roles of Pharmacy Staff
• Pharmacy technicians
– Skilled in practical or mechanical aspects
– Perform routine, day-to-day functions that do not
require judgment of pharmacist
• repackaging medications
• maintaining medication inventory
• Pharmacists
– Responsible for technicians’ activities & performance
– Engage in activities that require professional judgment
– Educating patients about their medications
– Suggesting medication alternatives to physicians
Training
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
– National certification program
• administers nationally-accredited pharmacy technician
certification examination
• pharmacy technician performs activities as the result of
having certain knowledge & skills
• Training requirements for pharmacy technicians vary
from state to state & from employer to employer
Hospital Technician Example
– Might require high school diploma
– Experience and position related to level of responsibility
• Hospital pharmacy technician 1 (PT-1)
– newly hired technician

– fills automated medication dispensing cabinets

• Hospital pharmacy technician 2 (PT-2)

– fills automated medication dispensing cabinets

– charges & credits patient accounts

– compounds intravenous solutions

– inventories narcotics
Community Technician
Example
• PT-1
– receives prescriptions from patients
– checks out patients at cash register
• PT-2
– enters data in computerized patient profiles
– fill & label prescriptions
– review patient insurance information
Technician Advanced Practice
Tech-check-tech
allowed in some states
technicians check work of other technicians
under the supervision of a pharmacist
Automated technology
day-to-day operations & upkeep of systems
computerized narcotic inventory control
preparation & compounding of IV & sterile products
Patient safety
• Top priority for all pharmacists & pharmacy technicians
right drug right route
right dose right patient
right time
• Technicians
– may be responsible for preparation of drugs
– enter patient information into computer profile for later
verification by pharmacist
• Errors can cause potentially fatal outcomes
• Technicians play key role in minimizing risk of errors
Technician Training
• Informal on-the-Job Training
• Learn skills needed to perform a particular job
– fill prescriptions
– automated medication dispensing cabinets
– compound IV solutions or medications
– enter prescription information into computer database
• Informal training situations
– pharmacist or technician who is familiar with job often
instructs trainee
Technician Training
• Structured on-the-job Training
– training course developed by the employer
– classroom teaching combined with hands-on experience
– may last from a week to six months
• aseptic (sterile) technique,
• pharmaceutical calculations
• technician responsibilities
• pharmacy rules & regulations
• patient confidentiality
• organizational policies & procedures
• employee responsibilities
Technician Training
• Formal Programs
Community & technical college programs
– broader in scope than on-the-job training
– six to twenty-four months to complete
– programs typically include:
• technical duties related to pharmacy
• medical terminology
• pharmaceutical calculations
• drug distribution systems
• IV admixture procedures
• medication packaging techniques
Technician Training
• Formal Programs Continued
• Technicians gain skills, knowledge, & experience by
– attending classes
– participating in labs
– completing clerkships
• After completion of many of these programs students may earn
– associate degrees
– pharmacy technician certificates
• Most programs offer
– full-time, part-time, & night classes
– financial assistance to those individuals who qualify
– online distance learning programs
Pharmacist Training
• School
– Two years of prerequisite courses
– Professional college degree is doctor of pharmacy
(PharmD)
– Older pharmacists may hold a bachelor of science (BS)
in pharmacy
• License
– pharmacists must be licensed by the state’s BOP
– licensed pharmacists supervise technicians
– pharmacists must have degree in pharmacy to take the
licensing examination
Pharmacist Training
• Includes advanced training in pharmaceutical sciences
• Learn to use professional judgment
• Must determine appropriateness for each patient every
time prescription is filled:
– verify that medication is appropriate for patient’s condition
– dosage is correct
– patient is not allergic to drug
– prescribed medication will not interact with other meds
– must educate patient on how to take medication properly
– alert patient to possible side effects of drug
Advanced Pharmacist Training
• Elective Residency
– 1 or 2 year postgraduate training programs
– provide opportunity to gain clinical experience
– usually in hospital, ambulatory, or community settings
– after earning a degree
• Elective Fellowships
– usually 2-3 years long
– focus on pharmacy research rather than clinical
pharmacy practice
Levels of Endorsement
 Accreditation
 Process of vouching for conformance with criteria
 Certification
 voluntary process to grant recognition to individual
 lets public know of level of knowledge & skill
 Credentialing
 verification of pharmacist’s ability to provide patient care
 Licensure
 government agency grants permission to individual
 public health, safety, & welfare will be reasonably well protected
 Registration
 process of making list or being enrolled in an existing list
Accreditation/Certification
• Accredited pharmacy technician programs
• Certification examinations
– assure that pharmacy technicians:
• have met a predefined set of standards
• possess an established set of skills & knowledge
• May provide advantages in terms of job
responsibilities, salary, & seniority
Technician Certification
• Scope of Pharmacy Technician Practice developed from
• validated task analysis
– what pharmacy technicians actually do
– what knowledge they need to effectively perform those task
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
• a national pharmacy technician certification program
• States differ in technician requirements
• some states require registration of pharmacy technicians
• some states require certification
• No national requirement for certification at this time
PTCE
• Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination
• To take examination candidates must
– have high school diploma or GED
– submit appropriate application form
– pay fee
– ineligible if
– convicted of drug- or pharmacy- related felony
– any felony convictions any time during previous 5 years
PTCE
• 2-hour, closed-book, computer based examination
• 80 multiple-choice questions + 10 non-scored
questions
• Score is based on number of correctly answered
questions
PTCE Tests in 3 Function Areas
I Assisting pharmacist in serving patients 66%
– dispensing prescriptions
– distributing medications & collecting & organizing
information
II Maintaining medication & inventory systems 22%
– purchasing medications & supplies
– controlling inventory
– storing, preparing, distributing medications
III Participating in management of pharmacy practice 12%
– human resources, facilities & equipment, & information
systems
Passing the PTCE
Candidates who pass the exam may use designation
CPhT (certified pharmacy technician)
after their names
To Maintain Certification
• Technicians must recertify every two years
– complete at least 20 hours of continuing education
– maximum of 10 hours may be earned at the technician’s
workplace under the direct supervision of a pharmacist
• hours must be special assignments or training
• regular work hours do not apply
– at least 1 hour of continuing education must be related
to pharmacy law
ICPT
Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy
Technicians
Exam for Pharmacy Technicians Certification
(ExCPT)
On-demand, computer-based format
Eligibility requirements to take ExCPT are similar to
those of PTCE
Two-hour test with 110 multiple-choice questions
10 are not counted in score
ExCPT-Question Categories
1. Regulations & Technician Duties (25%)
– Technician duties & general information, controlled
substances, & other laws & regulations
2. Drugs & Therapy (23%)
– drug classification & most frequently prescribed
medications
3. Dispensing Process (52%)
– Prescription information, preparing/dispensing
prescriptions, calculations, sterile products, & unit dose
& repackaging
Program Accreditation
ASHP is the only organization that specifically
accredits pharmacy technician training programs
vocational, technical, & community colleges
hospitals
chain drug stores
military branches
Accreditation
Accreditation standardizes the formal training that
pharmacy technicians receive
guidelines on how to train competent pharmacy
technicians
training programs must meet minimum requirements
set by ASHP to earn accreditation
Goals of ASHP Accreditation
• Upgrade & standardize technician training
• assist & recognize training programs
• Provide criteria to help trainees select a program
• Provide pharmacies with a competency tool
• Assist in advancement & professional development of
pharmacy technicians
Professionalism
Definition: Actively demonstrating attitudes,
qualities, & behaviors of a person well educated in an
area of specialized knowledge
putting the needs of others before one’s own
refers to way in which members of a profession present
themselves & communicate with others
Professionalism
• Code of Ethics for Pharmacy Technicians
– Outlines 10 guiding principles for technicians
• Practical examples of professional conduct include
– respect for patients’ privacy
– keeping patient information confidential
– participation in continuing education courses
– honest, conscientious attitude
Professionalism
• Personal appearance communicates a message
• Join a membership organization
– continuing education opportunities
– job placement services
– subscriptions to pharmacy technician journals &
newsletters
– online discussion groups & networks
Pharmacy Practice Settings
• Community Pharmacy
• Mail-Order Pharmacy
• Pharmacy Benefit Managers & Managed Care
• Hospital Pharmacy
• Home Health Care
• Long-Term Care
• Specialty Pharmacy Services
Community Pharmacy
• Corner drugstore
• Local retail or grocery store pharmacy
• chain or independently owned
• Technicians in community settings
– prepare prescription labels for checking by a
pharmacist
– order & maintain drug inventory
– process insurance claims
– operate a cash register
Mail-Order Pharmacy
Prescriptions filled & refilled through the mail
No face-to-face contact with patients
Technicians’ duties in a mail-order pharmacy are
similar to those in community setting
Pharmacy Benefit Managers
• PBM
• Oversees prescription medication programs
• Processes & pays prescription medication insurance
claims
• Develops & maintains a medication formulary
• Technicians who work in a PBM environment
• do not have direct patient contact
• Pharmacists manage drug therapy on a global scale
Managed Care
• Type of health insurance program
– Patients pay a blanket fee for their health care services
• “The application of management principles to achieve
maximum health outcomes at the lowest cost”
• Managed care programs often operate ambulatory
clinics & hospitals
Hospital Pharmacy
• Pharmacists are directly involved with patient care
– daily interactions with physicians, nurses, & other s
– develop plans of pharmaceutical care
– monitor the patients’ drug therapy
– may provide specialized services
– pediatrics
– oncology
– infectious diseases
– nutrition support
– drug information
Hospital Pharmacy
Pharmacists
evaluate trends in medication use
develop guidelines for medication use
educate patients & health care professionals,
implement & maintain drug distribution systems
interdisciplinary work within & outside pharmacy
department
Hospital Pharmacy
Pharmacy technicians in hospitals
work with pharmacists to accomplish many of the
pharmacy’s goals
may enter physician medication orders into the
pharmacy computer system
prepare IV drug admixtures
repackage & label unit dose medications
Hospital Pharmacy
Pharmacy technicians in hospitals
restock automated dispensing cabinets
deliver medications
complete paperwork for quality assurance or billing
purposes
may dispense medications from a preapproved list
Home Health Care
Home care pharmacists
assess patient for the appropriateness of home
medication administration
develop a medication management plan to educate &
monitor the patient
medications administered may be oral tablets or
capsules or continuous infusions of pain medications or
total parenteral nutrition (TPN)
Home Health Care
Technician duties in a home care setting may include
preparing sterile injectable products
maintaining computerized patient profiles
delivering medications & supplies to a patient’s home
Long-Term Care
• Includes
• nursing homes
• psychiatric or behavioral health institutions
• intermediate care facilities for mentally disabled
patients
• skilled nursing facilities
• May contract with local community pharmacies
• Pharmacists & technicians may not have direct
patient interaction
Long-Term Care
• Hospice care
– patients with incurable diseases
– not expected to live more than six months
• Hospice care may be offered
– long-term care settings
– hospitals
– patients’ own homes
• Provides dying patients with best possible quality of life
– focus on relief of symptoms rather than on treating disease
Specialty Pharmacy Services
Technicians may specialize in areas such as
inventory purchasing & management
sterile product preparation
surgical pharmacy
nuclear pharmacy
veterinary pharmacy
nonsterile (extemporaneous) compounding
management roles
Pharmaceutical Care
Pharmaceutical care
“the direct, responsible provision of medication-related
care for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that
improve a patient’s quality of life”
Practice of pharmacy evolving
pharmacist & technician roles will continue to change
Pharmaceutical Care Process
1. Identification of potential & actual drug-related
problems
2. Resolution of actual drug-related problems
3. Prevention of potential drug-related problems
MTM
• MTM is current pharmacy practice model
• Medicare Modernization Act (2003)
– MTM programs mandated
Medication Therapy Management includes
assessment of a patient’s health status
formulation of a medication treatment plan
selection, initiation, modification, or administration of
medication therapy
monitoring of the patient’s response to therapy
review of medications for medication-related problems
Impact of Technology
• Computers, bar coding, & robotic systems
• Provides checks & balances
• Allows pharmacists more time
• Technicians operate & maintain these new systems
Impact of Technology
• More accurate & faster than human
• Improves safety for patients
• Cannot assume technology is correct 100% of the time
• Pharmacists & pharmacy technicians must still apply
judgment when checking the work of a machine