Requirements for pharmacy technicians vary by state, but most require certification, registration or licensure. Earning your certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) provides a valuable, industry-recognized credential that meets most states’ requirements.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is kicking off 2023 with new opportunities for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs) to demonstrate their knowledge and earn advanced and specialty certificates. PTCB is relaunching OnVUE, an online proctored testing platform, allowing PTCB CPhTs to earn advanced credentials more conveniently.

PTCB is relaunching OnVUE, allowing PTCB CPhTs to earn advanced credentials more conveniently.

"Following an evaluation period of our initial launch in 2020, we are excited to move forward with this expanded testing option for our certificants," said Khunteang Pa, Senior Director of Certification Operations. "Relaunching online proctored delivery of PTCB's Assessment-Based Certificate Exams empowers pharmacy technicians to pursue career advancement with more flexibility."

Administered on a secure platform using artificial intelligence combined with live virtual proctor supervision and monitoring, online exams are the same as those administered at a test center. To take their test online, candidates need a computer with a webcam, a reliable internet connection, and a quiet space where they can spend a few uninterrupted hours. In-person testing is still available at Pearson VUE testing centers for all PTCB exams.

PTCB offers a growing suite of advanced and specialty credentials for pharmacy technicians to invest in their careers as their responsibilities expand. With almost 60 percent of PTCB-certified technicians considering the profession their long-term career, technicians must have the opportunity to grow and demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Certified pharmacy technicians reported higher wages than non-certified technicians, according to the 2022 PTCB Workforce Survey, which received responses from over 20,000 technicians.

PTCB currently offers ten Assessment-Based Certificate Programs–such as Regulatory Compliance, Point-of-Care Testing, and Supply Chain and Inventory Management–that open doors for technicians to demonstrate their knowledge, receive recognition, and grow in their careers. For a complete list and more information, please visit ptcb.org/credentials/.

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About PTCB

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is the nation's first, most trusted, and only nonprofit pharmacy technician credentialing organization. Founded on the guiding principle that pharmacy technicians play a critical role in advancing medication and patient safety, PTCB has established the universal standard of excellence for those supporting patient care teams by offering the industry's most-recognized credentials, including the PTCB certification for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT).

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SOURCE Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

Online Pharmacy Technician Course

Become a Pharmacy Technician

There’s no shortage of pharmacies in need of skilled pharmacy technicians! This 100% online course will prepare you for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) National Certification test and help you complete an externship with a leading pharmacy chain. 

Job Outlook for Pharmacy Technicians

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), demand for pharmacy technicians will grow 12% through 2028 – that equates to over 30,000 new jobs!

The BLS notes that on average, pharmacy technicians earn an annual salary of $32,700. Top earners can make up to $47,000 per year.

Pharmacy Technicians FAQs

WHAT DOES A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN DO?

Pharmacy technicians order and stock medications, prepare medications for distribution and provide information to patients. Pharmacy technicians may perform many of the same duties as a pharmacist; however, their work must be approved by a pharmacist before medication can be dispensed. 

DO PHARMACY TECHNICIANS NEED A CERTIFICATION?

Requirements for pharmacy technicians vary by state, but most require certification, registration or licensure. Earning your certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) provides a valuable, industry-recognized credential that meets most states’ requirements.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COMPLETE A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN COURSE?

This pharmacy technician course can be completed in one year or less. This does not include the time you spend in an externship program or preparing and sitting for state licensure.

IS A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN A GOOD CAREER?

As the population ages and the prevalence of chronic diseases rises, more pharmacy technicians will be needed in pharmacies and may even see themselves taking on greater responsibilities in their role.

Course Objectives

Learn federal and state laws that govern pharmacies, as well as the ethics of pharmacy practice.

Be fully prepared to sit for the National Certification test titled Pharmacy Technician Certification test (PTCE), offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).

Become eligible to apply for a 100+ hour externship at a national pharmacy chain.

Prerequisites and Requirements

There are no prerequisites to take this course. However, the externship requires that you have a high school diploma and be at least 18 years old.

Curriculum

ORIENTATION TO PHARMACY

History, foundations and role of the pharmacy technician in today’s healthcare system

PHARMACY LAW AND ETHICS

Introduction to law, liability and federal regulations of controlled substances

PHARMACEUTICAL CALCULATIONS

Basic, community and institutional pharmacy math to calculate dosages and dilutions

PHARMACOLOGY

The science of pharmacology, evolution of drugs and administration of pharmacological agents

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Verbal and non-verbal methods, HIPAA regulations

INSURANCE AND INVENTORY PROCEDURES

Cost analysis, purchasing procedures and record-keeping

LAB MODULE

Interactive lab for the retail and hospital settings

CLINICAL ROTATIONS

Virtual externship in the retail and hospital settings

FINAL EXAM

Final comprehensive test to qualify for an externship

Instructors

Melissa Dunworth

Melissa Dunworth has been a certified pharmacy technician since 1997. She is registered with the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences.

Betty Stahl

Betty Stahl holds a doctorate in pharmacy from Shenandoah University. Over the past several years, she has taught pharmacy technician programs at ASA College in New York City and ACT in Arlington, Virginia. Stahl has also worked as a pharmacist in independent and hospital settings.

Registration and Enrollment

This course is powered by ed2go and 100% online. Start anytime.

Question: I suffered an injury while working out and my primary care physician ordered an X-ray. However, after reviewing the results, my doctor recommended that I have an MRI. I am a very anxious person. Can you explain more about what this type of testing entails and what I can expect?

Answer: Understandably, any health care concern can lead to feelings of anxiety and nervousness. Depending upon the situation, your care team may begin with an imaging scan such as X-ray, which is a painless test that gathers images of the structures within the body. If additional information is needed — particularly of the organs or soft tissues in the body — an MRI may be ordered.

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create a detailed image of the organs and tissues in the body.

People often come into an MRI with a lot of misconceptions and just as many questions. Below are the top five questions I hear. Hopefully this will help you understand what to expect when undergoing this radiology test.

How long will this take?

MRI exams take longer than X-ray and CT scans. Our routine appointment time is 45 minutes, though some exams could take as long as four hours to complete. There are many reasons for this extreme time difference. First, electromagnetism is used to create these images. We can only go as fast as the human body will magnetize. Second, the intention is to create the best imaging possible, which inherently means more time inside the scanner.

Why do I have to change my clothes and remove my jewelry?

MRI machines have superconducting magnets that generate heat and create an extremely strong magnetic field, so it is imperative to be safe. The magnets can pull ferrous objects, or those containing iron, into the machine with a large amount of force. This also can cause the machine to rotate and twist with the magnets’ flux lines. Nonferrous objects such as aluminum or copper will generate heat once inside the scanner, which may cause burns. There have been instances in which clothing has caught fire. To prevent any of these issues, we ask all patients to change into hospital-approved clothing and remove all jewelry and any devices such as cellphones, hearing aids and other items from the body.

My doctor said my implanted device is safe. Why do you need my information?

To ensure the safety of every patient and the technologists, it is important to know if certain devices, such as pacemakers, stimulators, clips or coils have been implanted inside the body. These devices often have generators or batteries and require an additional layer of safety to ensure that nothing interferes with the machine, its ability to obtain the most accurate imaging or our ability to keep you safe. When we know that a patient has an implanted device, we must adjust how the scanner operates based on the manufacturer’s guidelines. We also must ensure the device is placed in “MRI safe” mode before we begin scanning. If a patient were to enter the MRI environment without all of the safety measures being taken it could damage the device or burn or even shock the patient.

What, if any, injections am I going to receive?

During an MRI exam, many patients receive a contrast injection, which is used to help enhance the imaging. The injection typically is given through an IV and does not hurt or burn. Also, depending on the test being performed, some patients may receive an injection of a drug called glucagon, which will help slow the motion within the abdomen so more precise images can be captured.

I am claustrophobic. What happens if I feel unsafe or unwell during an exam?

There is a camera inside the MRI tube so technologists can monitor you. Also, patients wear headphones so they can hear instructions and communicate with the technologists. If you feel unwell or anxious at any time during the exam, you can speak up, and staff will work to aid you. Also, for some patients, sedation may be available. If you are unable to have the MRI performed, the radiologist and your referring physician will consult one another and determine if another test is more appropriate.

Another question I often hear relates to whether it matters which type of facility is visited to obtain an MRI scan. I always encourage people to speak with their health team about the reason for the scan and to seek out the best facilities to perform their imaging. There are different types of scanners, which can vary in terms of the magnet strength used to gather images. Depending upon the need of the patient and the part of the body being scanned (i.e., brain, spine, abdomen, knee), a specific scanner might be better suited to accurately view a patient’s anatomy and determine a diagnosis.

Fabian Gonzalez is a radiologist with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), the nation's first and most-trusted pharmacy technician credentialing organization, works with state associations supporting the pharmacy profession across roles and in all practice settings. The PTCB Partnership Funds Program awards funding to state organizations to help support the work of pharmacy technicians, promote medication safety, and advance pharmacy technicians' roles. The recipients of this year's grants are the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA), the Kentucky Pharmacists Association (KPhA), and the West Virginia Pharmacists Association (WVPA).

"With staffing shortages and high burnout across all fields in healthcare, investing in technicians is critical to the future of pharmacy. Our 2022 Workforce Survey data shows that certified technicians stay longer in their careers and have training and experience that pharmacists – and patients – can count on and trust," said PTCB Executive Director and CEO William Schimmel.

The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA), in collaboration with the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA), will provide California's more than 65,000 licensed pharmacy technicians with a four-part webinar series dedicated to specialty pharmacy compounding. Quality education for compounding pharmacy technicians will help meet the growing demand for compounding pharmacy practice and personalized medication needs. The webinar series will adhere to state and federal regulations and provide best practices in compounding pharmacy to promote medication and patient safety.

The Kentucky Pharmacists Association (KPhA) and the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (SU COPHS) are joining forces to develop training for certified pharmacy technicians to take on expanded roles. The Kentucky Board of Pharmacy's approval of advanced responsibilities and this training will allow pharmacy technicians to expand their current duties–providing opportunities for growth and professional advancement for technicians across the state.

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The West Virginia Pharmacists Association (WVPA) will be training and increasing the number of immunizing technicians through immunization administration courses throughout the state. Bolstering the number of immunizing technicians will Improve quality patient care and empower technicians in an expanding role. Pharmacies are an accessible and trusted source of health information, and pharmacy technicians have a considerable role to play. This funding will Improve immunization rates and reduce the burden on pharmacy staff to prevent burnout and medication errors.

About PTCB

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) is the nation's first, most trusted, and only nonprofit pharmacy technician credentialing organization. Founded on the guiding principle that pharmacy technicians play a critical role in advancing medication and patient safety, PTCB has established the universal standard of excellence for those supporting patient care teams by offering the industry's most-recognized credentials, including the PTCB certification for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT).

View original content to obtain multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pharmacy-technician-certification-board-awards-funding-for-training-and-advancement-of-pharmacy-technicians-across-the-country-301736889.html

SOURCE Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

A Regents test administered to thousands of New York students last week was blasted by critics as “unconscionable and shameful” for including “loaded” questions about Israel.

A group of Jewish leaders and civic organizations ripped a section of the test that showed maps of the changes to Israel’s borders over the decades and asked two questions that gave a “dishonest” impression about the Jewish state’s expansion.

“The maps lack all context,” former state Assemblyman Dov Hikind said. “Specifically that border changes were the result of successive wars started by Arab states to annihilate Israel. Second, the questions, at best, lend themselves to debate, not to singular answers from among false choices.”

Hikind also said that the Global History and Geography Regents II, given last Thursday, included the trope that the Holocaust was the prevailing reason for the state of Israel and that “Zionists and Jewish immigrants” benefited most from the “changing borders.”

“When you show these maps, and ask why the state of Israel was created, it just attributes it to the Holocaust,” said Hikind who added that the Zionist movement toward the Jewish state actually began in the 19th century under Theodor Herzl.

He also complained that the test referred to the Golan Heights region, which was recognized by the US in 2019, as being “annexed” by Israel.

The questions shocked proctors charged with administering the test, he said.

“One proctor was so angry, she was beside herself,” Hikind told The Post. 

Hikind, along with Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and the group Americans Against Antisemitism, are calling on New York State Commissioner of Education Betty Rosa “to swiftly remove the disingenuous questions and conduct a thorough audit to ensure such egregious distortions of history that invariably lead to animosity for the sole Jewish state aren’t being inadvertently fed to our children.”

One of the controversial questions asked, “Which historical event most directly influenced the development of the 1947 plan shown on map A (and showed a map of Israel from 1947).” The possible answers were 1) Russian pogroms, 2) the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 3) Paris Peace Conference 4) the Holocaust, with 4 being the right answer.

The other asked, “Which group benefited most from the changes shown on the maps?” The right answer, according to the test, was “Zionists and Jewish Immigrants.”

“Test transparency can raise legitimate issues of questions’ appropriateness and wording,” said David Bloomfield, education professor at  Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. “It’s not a matter of ‘wokeness’ to civilly debate these matters.”

Hikind said that by reducing the creation of the Jewish state to the Holocaust ignores all historical, ancestral and biblical connections of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. “That connection goes back thousands of years.”

This isn’t the first time the Regents has had an Israel problem. 

In 2017, an “anti-Israel” cartoon blasted as “anti-Israel propaganda” was discovered on the Global Studies Regents.

The New York State Education Department said the two questions on Israel were “designed to test students’ knowledge of geography as it relates to historical events.”

“New York State social studies teachers prepared, selected, and reviewed the excerpt and questions on the Global History Regents test prior to their inclusion,” they added. “All test questions are reviewed multiple times by NYS-certified teachers and State Education Department subject matter and testing specialists to ensure they are not biased, accurately measure the learning standards, and contain no errors.”

CNN  — 

ChatGPT is smart enough to pass prestigious graduate-level exams – though not with particularly high marks.

The powerful new AI chatbot tool recently passed law exams in four courses at the University of Minnesota and another test at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, according to professors at the schools.

To test how well ChatGPT could generate answers on exams for the four courses, professors at the University of Minnesota Law School recently graded the tests blindly. After completing 95 multiple choice questions and 12 essay questions, the bot performed on average at the level of a C+ student, achieving a low but passing grade in all four courses.

ChatGPT fared better during a business management course test at Wharton, where it earned a B to B- grade. In a paper detailing the performance, Christian Terwiesch, a Wharton business professor, said ChatGPT did “an amazing job” at answering basic operations management and process-analysis questions but struggled with more advanced prompts and made “surprising mistakes” with basic math.

“These mistakes can be massive in magnitude,” he wrote.

The test results come as a growing number of schools and teachers express concerns about the immediate impact of ChatGPT on students and their ability to cheat on assignments. Some educators are now moving with remarkable speed to rethink their assignments in response to ChatGPT, even as it remains unclear how widespread use is of the tool among students and how harmful it could really be to learning.

Since it was made available in late November, ChatGPT has been used to generate original essays, stories and song lyrics in response to user prompts. It has drafted research paper abstracts that fooled some scientists. Some CEOs have even used it to write emails or do accounting work.

ChatGPT is trained on vast amounts of online data in order to generate responses to user prompts. While it has gained traction among users, it has also raised some concerns, including about inaccuracies and its potential to perpetuate biases and spread misinformation.

Jon Choi, one of the University of Minnesota law professors, told CNN the goal of the tests was to explore ChatGPT’s potential to assist lawyers in their practice and to help students in exams, whether or not it’s permitted by their professors, because the questions often mimic the writing lawyers do in real life.

“ChatGPT struggled with the most classic components of law school exams, such as spotting potential legal issues and deep analysis applying legal rules to the facts of a case,” Choi said. “But ChatGPT could be very helpful at producing a first draft that a student could then refine.”

He argues human-AI collaboration is the most promising use case for ChatGPT and similar technology.

“My strong hunch is that AI assistants will become standard tools for lawyers in the near future, and law schools should prepare their students for that eventuality,” he said. “Of course, if law professors want to continue to test simple recall of legal rules and doctrines, they’ll need to put restrictions in place like banning the internet during exams to enforce that.”

Likewise, Wharton’s Terwiesch found the chatbot was “remarkably good” at modifying its answers in response to human hints, such as reworking answers after pointing out an error, suggesting the potential for people to work together with AI.

In the short-term, however, discomfort remains with whether and how students should use ChatGPT. Public schools in New York City and Seattle, for example, have already banned students and teachers from using ChatGPT on the district’s networks and devices.

Considering ChatGPT performed above average on his exam, Terwiesch told CNN he agrees restrictions should be put in place for students while they’re taking tests.

“Bans are needed,” he said. “After all, when you give a medical doctor a degree, you want them to know medicine, not how to use a bot. The same holds for other skill certification, including law and business.”

But Terwiesch believes this technology still ultimately has a place in the classroom. “If all we end up with is the same educational system as before, we have wasted an amazing opportunity that comes with ChatGPT,” he said.