Friday, June 17, 2011

Pharmacy technician schools in Georgia

Are you looking for the best pharmacy technician schools in the state of Georgia? This post will provide you with the necessary information in finding the schools. Pharmacy tech is a very rewarding career in the state of Georgia. Given that the state requires certification to work as a pharmacy technician attending a 2 year college and getting an associate degree in Pharmacy technology will prepare you, greatly, for the PTCB exam, enable you to get your Georgia pharmacy tech license, and also gives you many skills that will count very valuable in your career path. Below are some of the best pharmacy technician schools in Georgia. You are also offered a detailed list of the courses that they are offering and links to other Georgia pharmacy tech schools. Keep in mind you can also enroll in online program. The many big cities in the state, including Atlanta, Marietta, Athens. Savannah, among others, each has a community  college. Most community colleges has a pharmacy tech program.

Best Pharmacy technician schools in Georgia

Atlanta Technical College

Columbus Technical College

Virginia College in Savannah

Detailed information about pharmacy technician schools in Georgia

Monday, June 6, 2011

PTCB exam

A career as a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) can be very rewarding. The demand for techs is strong and you have the option to continue your education and pursue becoming a pharmacist. You can also apply your knowledge in other medical field. Today, you have to be certified to work as a pharmacy technician in most US states; this requirement is bond by law.
The most popular certification is offer by Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Passing the PTCB exam will qualify to register and become a licensed pharmacy. Certification and license will increase your opportunities and competitive edge in a very challenging market.
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board administers the certification test and offers a guidebook. You may register for the exam as well as access the guidebook and other resources at their website. There are also many information sources that can be accessed online. The PTCB exam covers three main focus of knowledge required of pharmacy technician including: Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients, Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems, and Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice.

Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients was 66% of the exam in 2007 and includes knowledge of anatomy and physiology, knowledge of pharmaceutical and medical abbreviations and terminology, and knowledge of effects of patient's age (for example, neonates, geriatrics) on drug and non-drug therapy.
Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems was 22% of the exam in 2007 and includes knowledge of regulatory requirements regarding record-keeping for repackaged products, recalled products, and refunded products, knowledge of policies, procedures, and practices regarding storage and handling of hazardous materials and wastes (for example, Materials Safety Data Sheet [MSDS]), and knowledge of inventory receiving process.

Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice was 12% of the exam in 2007 and includes knowledge of sanitation requirements (for example, hand washing, cleaning counting trays, countertop, and equipment), knowledge of procedures to document occurrences such as medication errors, adverse effects, and product integrity (for example, FDA Med Watch Program), and knowledge of lines of communication throughout the organization. Also visit your neighboring library to check books.

The test is computer-based. It contains 90 multiple-choice items. Ten questions on the test are for pre-trial purposes, and the remaining 80 will be scored. Candidates will not know which questions are scored and which are not. It is best to attempt to answer every question. The test tutorial, PTCE and exit survey takes two hours, but the PTCE alone takes 110 minutes. Every test covers the same basic material, but no two tests have the same questions in the same order. Candidates need a minimum scaled score of 650 in order to pass. If unsuccessful in the attempt, a candidate must wait until the next testing window, and a minimum of 90 days, before trying again. There are four testing windows annually.

The guidebook to the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam is a comprehensive 41 page document which covers these topics as well as many others and prepares you for taking the exam.

For more information visit Pharmacy technician training JB.

Friday, June 3, 2011

How to become a licensed pharmacy technician in Georgia

To work as a pharmacy technician in Georgia, you have to be licensed by the state Board of Pharmacy (link to license application is at the bottom). A formal educaton is not required by the state board, but some training will halep in passing the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board exam and will also help improve your credibility. Below is a summary of the official requirements to become licensed pharmacy tech in the state of Georgia.

 Submit the $100 application fee;
 Must be least 17 years old;
 Must be enrolled in high school, has a high school diploma or has a GED;
 Obtain a criminal history background check through the Cogent Systems/GAPS at a GAPS location;
 If currently employed in a pharmacy, submit the license number of the pharmacy where the applicant is employed; and
 If certified, submit a copy of Pharmacy Technician Certification Board certificate.

Even though a formal education is not required it advisable that aspirant role in some certification program to prepare them for the challenges ahead.

For more information on how to become a pharmacy tech in Georgia and other US states visit Pharmacy Technician Training JB a portal for pharmacy technician news.

4 Steps to becoming a credible pharmacy tech in Georgia

Thursday, June 2, 2011

What does pharmacy tech do?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics between2006-2016 Pharmacy tech employment will grow by 32 percent. In 2006 there are 285,000 jobs in pharmacy tech, 71 percent of which are in retail, grocery stores, department stores, and mass retailer. Below are the roles and daily duties of pharmacy technician in different environment type. The roles and duties are very dynamic. The opportunity to work with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, chemists, biologists, researchers, in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, research companies, and government organization make career a nice choice for whoever is interested. In this situation an experienced Pharmacy tech have the ability to work in any of these institutions and crossover for a change on environments. The opportunity to work in different institutions and environments 
make the career vary stable. Depending on where they are employed, Pharmacy technician will be doing some of the following:


  • Check that information on active patients matches information on new prescription
  • Scan documents for processing
  • Enter demographic data for all new enrollments
  • Enter required clinical information such as diagnosis, medication profile, allergies, etc as requested on referral forms
  • Document all referral information per policy and procedure
  • Notify patients/clients, doctors, practitioners and or clinics of any services requested, referred, that are not an approved therapy/service provided by the facility
  • Utilizing information about delivery mechanisms, refrigeration requirements, etc, determine and enter "needs by" date into system
  • Based on the referral/prescription images received, attach all of the necessary drug line items to the referral to be reviewed by the Pharmacist