Content about pharmacy technician

TAMPA, Fla. — The outline of an exam that will be used to certify pharmacists working in the specialty channel has received approval from the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board, the group said Tuesday.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid announced the two winners of the 2012 Favorite Pharmacy Team Member contest: a pharmacy technician from Ada, Ohio, and a long-time customer of the Birmingham, Mich., store. Both were selected at random from more than 13,000 entries in the annual contest honoring Rite Aid's pharmacy team members for their commitment to customer care and service.

New applications based on advances in telemedicine and mobile health technology are proliferating as pharmacy providers, physicians and health plans find new ways to connect with patients who are homebound or in remote locations. The result is to extend access to care, improve convenience and lower health delivery costs.


You’ve seen the sign, probably early fall, posted right there on the marquee of the local pharmacy: “Most insurance accepted.” It means that when a patient stops by the pharmacy for a flu shot, the pharmacy can probably bill the health plan for the covered medical benefit. Quick, easy and (mostly) painless. This trend in retail medical claiming, or covering and billing for medical benefits at the pharmacy, is quickly spreading to other products and services, and is largely expanding the scope of convenient, clinical care options for both the patient and the pharmacy.

Health reform will stand. So what’s next for the pharmacy technician?

WASHINGTON — The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board announced the update of the pharmacy technician certification exam blueprint.

While much of the PTCE's content remains unchanged, the PTCB said the blueprint has been reorganized into nine domains, called "knowledge areas," each with a number of sub-domains. This organization gives the new blueprint a knowledge focus and conveys more information about the type and amount of content in the exam. The "knowledge areas" are:

• Pharmacology for technicians;

Gaining training and accreditation as a certified pharmacy technician is a relatively straightforward process, and access to the required course work and exam is readily available through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and other sites.

The prerequisites for taking the pharmacy technician certification exam are simple, the American Society of Health System Pharmacists noted. Basic requirements include a high school diploma, GED or foreign equivalent, and a record free of any felony or drug-related convictions.

Earth Day is April 22. So it's as good a time as any to look at one aspect of community pharmacy that gets far less attention than such issues as managed care reimbursements or medication therapy management, but nonetheless is a key service provided by some pharmacists and a benefit to communities and the environment.

WASHINGTON — An organization that certifies pharmacy technicians is starting a program designed to encourage more technicians to get certified.

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board announced Tuesday the launch of the Employer Partnership Program, which it said was for retail and health-system pharmacies that want to encourage technicians to participate in the PTCB certification program. North Carolina regional chain Kerr Drug already has joined the program, according to PTCB.

Don’t panic. That’s one fundamental piece of advice pharmacy crime experts have for pharmacy technicians, pharmacists and their colleagues in the event that their workplace is hit by an armed robber.

WASHINGTON — The American Pharmacists Association has released a new information resource for pharmacists and pharmacy students about pharmacy management, the group said.

The APhA announced Wednesday the release of "Getting Started as a Pharmacy Manager," a 171-page book for new and aspiring pharmacy managers about handling such managing issues as managing people, adhering to laws and regulations, and running a business.

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas is launching a certification program for pharmacy technicians, the school said.

The university's Professional Development Center, part of its Division of Continuing and Innovative Education, will begin classes in February. Students in the 14-week program, which includes a 120-hour internship at a local pharmacy, will learn the skills needed to work as pharmacy technicians, under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.