About Being a Pharmacy Technician

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Table of Contents

History of Pharmaceutical Technicians
Reference of pharmaceutical technicians and education requirements
Responsibilities of pharmacy technician
Job description of pharmacy technicians
Medical errors in states and states that have to be certified
Importance of pharmacy technicians
States that are going to be certified and how the law changes
Liability of pharmacy technicians upon certification
References

History of Pharmaceutical Technicians

Pharmacy technicians are pharmacy members of staff who carry out their duties while under direct supervision of a registered pharmacist. Pharmaceutical technician is a relatively young profession that was not developed until the later half of the twentieth century. This was necessitated by the need to provide assistance to board registered pharmacists as they engaged more in decision-making and preparation of guidelines for pharmacy practice.

Earlier in the twentieth century, pharmacy technicians were not recognized. Prior to their recognition, they were part of the hospital support staff referred to as ‘lay help’ charged as pharmacy-helper store keepers as per the ASHP guidelines (The American Society of Health System Pharmacists). However, as pharmacy practice diversified, there was need for setting up the pharmacy technician division. ASHP started a program for incorporation of pharmacy technicians. In 1975, they developed the guidelines for the operation of the technicians (American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 2004)

Subsequently, the Massachusetts College of pharmacy instituted the training program for hospital pharmaceutical technologists in 1979.This was followed by the development of certification standards for pharmacy technicians. These were teaching programs outlined by ASHP in 1982.In 1995; ASHP in conjunction with other groups (The Illinois Council of Health-SystemPharmacists, Michigan Association of Pharmacists and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy) developed the pharmaceutical technician certification board (PTCB) which would be responsible for the accreditation of pharmaceutical technicians (Brown,1996).

Reference of pharmaceutical technicians and education requirements

In 1957, they were referred to as’ lay help’ in hospital pharmacy by ASHP with the job description of ‘pharmacy-helper storekeeper’. Subsequently in January 1966, ASHP together with the AACP (American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy) referred to them as pharmacy technician- helpers in a joint statement. It was not until 1995 the PCTB recognized them as pharmacy technicians. In the military, they are referred as pharmacy specialists charged with the responsibility of carrying out dispensing duties.

Prior to 1975, there were no guidelines as to how pharmacy technicians were to be trained. Training involved informal on the job training. In 1975, ASHP provided an outline for performance of duty by hospital support staff including the technicians. This was followed by the development of the teaching program by the Massachusetts College of pharmacy. In 1995, the PCTB prepared the guidelines for accreditation of the technicians. They were required to obtain a high school diploma in pharmacy.This would be followed by a certification exam either online or in a registered college. On successfully passing the exam, one would undergo training in a pharmacy in order to obtain the necessary working experience. Generally, training of pharmacy technicians is not standardized and varies from state to state.

Responsibilities of pharmacy technician

It is possible for pharmacy technicians to advance in their career and eventually be in charge of the pharmacy. However, this would require that they undertake a degree in pharmacy in order to be equipped with the necessary knowledge. Subsequently, they would be required to undertake masters in pharmaceutical practice(pharm D).The total period covered would be seven years including internship.This would enable them to be licensed as practicing pharmacists. Without these qualifications, they would not be allowed to perform such managerial duties as they involve many legal requirements.

Job description of pharmacy technicians

The prime job of a pharmacy technician is to aid the pharmacist to ensure smooth running of the organization. The job description may vary from institution to institution according to the location; size, available staff the qualifications of the technician. Generally, they are required to: fill patient or physicians orders for medicine, keep records for medication sold over the counter, make, and charge and file prescriptions before the pharmacist checks them. They are also supposed to prepare claim forms for insurance firms and keep summary information about the patient. In some institutions, they may be called upon to perform duties of a cashier and to respond to calls on behalf of the pharmacist. In a hospital set up, they would be required to prepare intravenous preparations (Kibilko, 2006).

In order to perform the above duties effectively, they need to display exemplary teamwork skills, accept responsibility for their actions, and have good customer communication skills. Inaddition, they need to be willing to take directions and should have no history of drug abuse (Kibilko, 2007).

Medical errors in states and states that have to be certified

The pharmacy technician is a relatively young profession hence many states have not set up guidelines for certification of technicians. Lack of certification is likely to increase the incidences of errors while they are performing their duties. This is because without certification, they would not be held liable for the mistakes committed.

The pharmacy profession is constantly growing. The development of new drugs to manage previously untreatable conditions and the expanding pharmaceutical market means that there is need to develop this profession. Staff need to be properly trained and hired in hospitals, retail and industrial set up to reduce commission of fatigue related errors. Most commonly committed errors include giving the patient incorrect medicine or wrong dosage form of medication. This poses great danger to the patient with fatal outcomes in some cases. It is on the backdrop of this that some states decided to develop guidelines for training and certification of pharmacy technicians (Brown, 1996).

Those that require PCTB certificationinclude Virginia, Utah, Idaho, South Carolina, Louisiana, Iowa, Texas, Wyoming and Illinois. Those that require certification by the Institute of Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) include Connecticut, RhodeIsland, NewJersey, and Minnesota. Those that require certification by both bodies include Arizona, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Maryland and Virginia.

Importance of pharmacy technicians

According to recent surveys, certification of pharmacy technicians has led to reduced medication errors. This has led to improved confidence by pharmacists in working with certified pharmacy technicians. Because of this, the technicians can be tasked with some administrative and dispensing duties in the pharmacy. This has a positive impact on patient care as the pharmacists are relieved of some duties and can be directly involved in the care of terminally ill patients or those with chronic diseases. The pharmacists acknowledge that working with certified pharmacy technicians would increase their accountability to them. Hence, they can concentrate on ensuring patient safety especially with the increased number of drugs one uses as one ages (Canadian Pharmacists Association, 2005).

States that are going to be certified and how the law changes

Florida is due to institute certification this year. Conditions for registration vary from state to state but generally, a high school pharmacy diploma is required. After fulfilling these requirements, a certificate is granted upon payment of an application fee. Candidates are required to reregister after two years after completing twenty hours of on service training or ten hours if under direct supervision of a registered pharmacist. All the above are done if the applicant has no previous convictions by law (Corrigan, Madigan, & Scott, 2008).

Although many states do not require certification, recent developments show changes in trends. An increased concern about patient safety has spurred many states to prepare guidelines and laws to govern accreditation of pharmacy technicians. Recent developments show that some states have changed the law to allow certified pharmacy technicians to do some pharmacist jobs. These include contacting the prescriber and preparation of medication (Kibilko, 2007).

Liability of pharmacy technicians upon certification

It has been generally accepted by pharmacists that working with accredited pharmacy technicians has reduced medical errors committed. Registration provides the basis for follow up. This makes them responsible, as negligence would lead to their certificates being revoked. However, to drastically, reduce the incidences of errors, proper training needs to be conducted with adequate staffing to reduce work-related stress (Corrigan, Madigan, & Scott, 2008).

Texas was the first state to certify its pharmacy technicians as from 1996.The states that do not require certification include : Georgia,Colorado,Alabama,Alaska,Arkansas,Delaware,Hawaii,Indiana,Kansas,Kentucky,Michigan,Mississipi,Missouri,Nebraska,NevadaNew Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,Ohio,Oklahoma,Pennyslavania,South Dakota,Vermont,West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Certification increases the marketability of the pharmacy technician thus leading to more pay. Certified technicians can be assigned more supervisory duties. This is because certification increases the responsibility of the technician as it provides basis for follow up in case of error commission (Brown, 1996).

Graph showing comparison in salary between certified and non-certified pharmacy technicians.

A-certified pharmacy technicians
B-non-certified pharmacy technicians

Generally, hospital pharmacy technicians earn more than retail pharmacy technicians do. Certified specialized hospitals offer better pay packages overall compared to private and public hospitals (Turner, 2010).

Table showing comparison in pay.

Certified specialized hospitals	Best paying
Private hospitals	average
Public hospitals	average
Retail pharmacies	Lowest paying

References

American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. (2004). History of ASHP activities for technicians. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 54(5), 210-5.

Brown, E. (1996). Pharmacy technician registration requirements. Web.

Canadian Pharmacists Association. (2005). Pharmacy human resources in Canada: A Study of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Canadian Pharmacists Association Publication, 17, 1-20.

Corrigan, M.M., Madigan, M. & Scott, B. (2008). Pharmacy technician workforce: Trained, tested, and trusted. Web.

Kibilko, J. (2006). Pharmacy Technician job description, career as a pharmacy technician, salary, employment- definition and nature of the work, education and training requirements, getting the job. Web.

Kibilko, J. (2007). What Certifications Should a Pharmacy Technician Have? Web.

Turner, B. (2010). Career path: Pharmacist or pharmacy technician? Web.

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