When patients need medication prescribed by their doctor, it is a pharmacy technician’s job to fill the prescription.
Pharmacy Technician Certification
Both the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the National Healthcareer Association administer certification exams, and passage gives technicians the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) credential.
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board
This organization administers the Pharmacy Technician Certification exam (PTCE). The exam contains ninety (only eighty are scored) multiple-choice questions, and it has nine knowledge domains such as Medication Safety, Pharmacology Technicians, Pharmacy Quality Assurance, Medication Order Entry and Fill Process, and Pharmacy Information Systems Usage and Application. Candidates have nearly two hours to complete the exam,and they receive their results in two to three weeks. Re-certification is required every two years, and within that period, twenty hours of pharmacy-related continuing education is required.
National Healthcareer Association
The National Healthcareer Association administers the ExCPT exam which consists of one hundred questions. It focuses on three general areas: Drugs and Drug Procedures, Regulation and Technician Duties, and the Dispensing Process. Candidates are allotted 2 hours, 10 minutes to complete the exam, and scoring takes place immediately.
Sample Questions
No matter which exam pharmacy technicians take, they will see questions such as:
- Which of the following is used to report medication quality problems?
- A PRN order is an order for a medication that is used on what type of basis in a hospital?
- A sixty day supply of Colace 100 mg capsules taken bid should be filled with?
- What is the nature of a drug idiosyncrasy?
- How many ounces are in a pound?
- Which age defines a neonate?
- What three components are needed to bill a pharmacy claim?
- Before, during, and after each shift, pharmacy technicians should wash their hands with an anti-microbial agent for at least?
- Which regulatory agency would initiate a Class II recall on a prescription drug?
- Which DEA Schedule contains substances with the least potential for abuse?
- A preparation consisting of solid particles dispersed throughout a liquid is called?
- Custom mixing of drugs from available products to fit the unique needs of a patient is known as?
- How many teaspoons are in one ounce?
- Which form of diabetes is insulin dependent?
- Which FDA recall is the least severe?
- The acronym APAP is used for?
- What is used to clean a Laminar Flow Hood?
- A dosage form that dissolves between the cheek and gum is known as?
- The abbreviation PC means?
- When can generic drugs be substituted for brand name drugs?
- What protects a drug’s brand name from unauthorized use?
- Which phase of the FDA new drug application involves double-blind, placebo controlled trials to demonstrate that it really works and involves hundreds of thousands of patients?
- The fraction 3/4 is equal to?
- A rolling cabinet in a hospital which is used to dispense emergency medication is generally called?
- Which of the following drugs should be taken on an empty stomach?
- Which of the following dry mass weights is the heaviest?
- Which DEA form is used to report the theft or loss of controlled substances?
Benefits of Certification
There are several benefits to certification such as
- It shows employers you are invested in the pharmacy technician field
- It allows pharmacy technicians to be promoted faster
- It gives technicians better job opportunities
- It allows technicians to earn higher wages
Which States Require Certification?
Several states require pharmacy technicians to obtain certification. They are:
- Arizona
- Idaho (PTCE only)
- Illinois (PTCE only)
- Iowa (PTCE)
- Louisiana (PTCE only)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota (ExCPT only)
- Montana
- New Jersey (ExCPT only)
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Rhode Island (ExCPT only)
- South Carolina (PTCE only)
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wyoming (PTCE only)
To learn more about becoming a certified pharmacy technician, please contact us.
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