February 13, 2013 

Mission Statement 

The mission of the Academy of Pharmacy Technicians is to inspire optimal levels of professionalism and job satisfaction, and to establish mechanisms specifically targeted at recruitment and retention of its members.

APT Board  

Erin Michael, Trustee

 

Robin Koon, Chair   

 

Terry Frierson 

 

Toni Villanueva

Dan Wills  


Paige Talley
Staff Lead
(916) 779-4546


Upcoming
Events & CE

Full Calendar of Events

 

West Coast Pharmacy Exchange

March 15-18, 2013

Monterey, CA     

_____________________  


Local Association
Events Calendar 

  

 

Important Links

Sponsor

Sponsorship of this newsletter is available. Please contact Jamie Carota at (916) 779-4511 or jcarota@cpha.com

 

Dear Fellow Techs,

 

First of all, thank you for your support of CPhA, and thanks for being a valued member of the pharmacy healthcare team. Our APT board is hard at work for you.  We recently were engaged in discussions with various parties on technician issues. One of the key discussions was training. With that said, your board will soon start work on drafting a pharmacy technician handbook. Your comments to us on this are much welcomed.

 

Please do not miss coming to and joining your fellow technicians at CPhA's biggest event of the year - the West Coast Pharmacy Exchange March 15-18 2013. No one has done more to support pharmacy technicians than CPhA, so please join us--And plan to attend the APT Reception hosted by PTCB on Sunday March 17 from 5:30pm-6:30pm   

 

Happy New Year to you and your family.

 

Robin Koon, Chair


 

Pharmacy Funnies
cartoon  
About PTCB

In this newsletter we are republishing the article about, and link for, the PTCB because during the West Coast Pharmacy Exchange in Montereyz, March 15-18, PTCB will host a reception and a brief program for the technicians and other interested parties. This event will take place on Sunday, March 17 from 5pm to 6pm in the Colton room of the Monterey Conference Center. We hope to see you there!

 

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) develops, maintains, promotes, and administers a nationally accredited certification and recertification program for pharmacy technicians to enable the most effective support of pharmacists to advance patient safety. PTCB was established in 1995 and is an independent organization whose Board of Governors is composed of the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, the Michigan Pharmacists Association, and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Pharmacy technicians may apply to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam at www.ptcb.org  

 
CPhA House of Delegates Policy
CPhA's pharmacy technician policy is republished in this issue to give you another opportunity to review and, perhaps, provide input to your APT delegates during CPhA's House of Delegates, which will also be held during the West Coast Pharmacy Exchange. Please direct your comments to your delegates, Drew Andrews at Andrew_Jones@heald.edu and Donna Fitzgerald at donna_fitzgerald@yahoo.com.

Following is the CPhA House of Delegates policy relative to pharmacy technicians. Not only should you be aware of these policies, but you also need to know that you can participate in crafting CPhA HoD policy. Pharmacy technician members can be appointed to serve on CPhA committees and can be appointed as delegates for the Academy of Pharmacy Technicians or for the local associations. You have the privilege of the floor at all annual meetings of the association, meetings of the Board of Trustees, House of Delegates or other organized functions of the association. Further, pharmacy technician delegates are entitled to vote in the House of Delegates. Please make sure you are represented.
   

2010-05 Pharmacy Technicians - Trainee Class

The California Pharmacists Association supports a temporary status classification of "trainee" for technicians to allow on-the-job training of persons seeking registration as pharmacy technicians who have met the educational requirements, who are awaiting review and approval of application.

   

2012-44 Pharmacy Technicians

The California Pharmacists Association supports the following:

    1. The pharmacist shall retain those functions involving judgmental decisions, and accept full responsibility for the direct supervision and activities of technical or clerical functions, which are performed by pharmacy technicians.
    2. Minimal qualifications for registration as a pharmacy technician shall include: graduation from an accredited pharmacy technician training program that meets Board of Pharmacy standards, or certification by a certifying body approved by the Board of Pharmacy. All candidates for registration as a pharmacy technician must show verifiable pharmacy practice experience and competency.
    3. All pharmacy technicians, regardless of practice setting, must be registered with the California Board of Pharmacy.
    4. When the health and welfare of the patient can be enhanced by utilizing pharmacy technicians, they should be utilized.
    5. The standard ratio of pharmacist to technician shall not exceed 1:2. Should a "Pharmacist-in-Charge" desire to use more pharmacy technicians than this ratio, the pharmacy must have a pharmacy services plan approved by the California State Board of Pharmacy.
    6. 6. Individuals convicted of crimes which suggest a predisposition to committing illegal acts involving drugs or which, due to the nature or severity of the offense, subject the individual to pressure which could lead to drug-related crimes shall be denied access to prescription drugs as pharmacy technicians. However, evidence of rehabilitation shall be considered a mitigating factor.
    7. Technicians checking the work of other technicians only in instances where technicians with Board of Pharmacy recognized certification are checking other technicians in an inpatient hospital setting, with clinical pharmacy services, and when the work being checked is limited to the filling of a unit dose drug distribution system. Legal responsibility and liability for any "Tech-Check-Tech" program shall include the holder of the pharmacy permit, and the "Pharmacist-in-Charge" and technicians involved. Any "Tech-Check-Tech" program shall include specific written guidelines and continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs. Further, all "Tech-Check-Tech" programs shall establish and maintain a verifiable system which assures the ongoing monitoring and documentation of technician performance.
    8. Requiring pharmacy technicians registered with the board to obtain 20 hours of accredited CE per registration cycle.
    9. Ongoing training of pharmacy technicians by whatever means are appropriate to develop the necessary skills via programs developed and administered under the guidance of pharmacists.


Be sure to make your voice heard!