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This collection provides AJHP articles that describe pharmacy technicians contributions to pharmacy practice and patient care.

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PTCB relies on data gathered through research on pharmacy practice to inform our programs and guide updates to our credentials. PTCB conducts independent research to gather data and feedback on topics related to pharmacy technicians, their work, and public perceptions. We analyze and share research findings relevant to pharmacy technicians. 

2023: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey 

In an effort to help employers empower pharmacy technicians to serve their patient community more equitably and feel supported in their workplace, PTCB conducted a first-of-its-kind survey on diversity, equity, and inclusion of over 9,000 Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs). Respondents represented a cross-section of the pharmacy technician workforce, including technicians across the country, working in various pharmacy practice settings. More than half of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that DEI is important for the workplace, but the survey also shows pharmacy technicians say there is room for improvement. Read more .

2022: Pharmacy Technician Workforce Survey

In May 2022, to better understand the current pharmacy technician workforce, PTCB fielded an online survey to 366,850 pharmacy technicians, with 20,000 certified and non-certified pharmacy technician respondents. PTCB collected data on technicians’ attitudes toward their jobs and the actions employers could consider to retain existing talent and attract new employees. Results from the survey show that the majority of certified pharmacy technicians remained dedicated to serving patients and advancing their careers despite pandemic-related challenges. However, the data also revealed that, of the people who reported leaving the profession, more than 25 percent noted they would have continued working as pharmacy technicians if not for COVID-19 pandemic stressors. Read the press release .

Following further analysis of the data, PTCB published The State of the Pharmacy Technician Workforce White Paper in 2023.

2020: Changes in PTCB Certification Eligibility Requirements

To guide our regular Certification Program updates, we periodically conduct a Job Task Analysis to study the tasks that technicians perform on the job and the knowledge and skills they need to perform those tasks in current pharmacy practice. To determine our 2020 updates, we applied data from our most recent Job Task Analysis in 2016, which generated responses from more than 40,000 technicians. The 2020 changes reflect findings on critical job tasks, and important knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs). We further conducted a 90-day comment period in January 2018 to collect essential input on the implementation of our 2020 education/training requirement and received comments from more than 600 stakeholders (educators, employers, regulators, and pharmacy organizations). Read more .

2019: Assessing Pharmacy Technician Certification

A study published in June 2019 shows that nationally certified pharmacy technicians are more committed to a pharmacy career and have a greater desire to take on new and expanded responsibilities than noncertified. The study*, “Assessing Pharmacy Technician Certification,” published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA), compared the viewpoints of certified and noncertified technicians and explored the perceived value of certification in the areas of medication safety, skills, and abilities, experience, career engagement and satisfaction, and productivity. Based on the findings, certified technicians have a stronger organizational commitment and view themselves as making fewer medication errors. They are more likely than noncertified to complete a pharmacy technician training program at a community college or vocational school, work 40 hours or more per week, and have an expectation for higher wages. The majority of respondents have confidence in performing the final check on another technician’s preparation of a new or refilled medication, a process known as Technician Product Verification (TPV). Read more .

2016: Public Perceptions Related to Pharmacy Technicians and Certification

In October 2016, PTCB released the results of a public perception survey conducted by KRC Research on behalf of PTCB. The findings reveal that 85% of the public believes it is very important for pharmacy technicians to be certified. Consumers feel so strongly about certification that 76% say that they would seek out a different pharmacy if they knew technicians working in their current pharmacy were not certified. The survey results and key findings show that among consumers, frequent pharmacy visitors are even more likely (79%) to seek a pharmacy where technicians are certified, and adults with children at home are most likely (82%) to look elsewhere. Read more .

2010: Pharmacists’ Perception of the Value of Technician Certification

Results from a PTCB-sponsored survey found that lead pharmacists perceive pharmacy technician certification as an essential component in reducing medication errors, ensuring patient safety, and increasing positive health outcomes. The results, unveiled at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting in March 2010 by researcher Shane Desselle, R.Ph, PhD, FAPhA, Associate Dean for Tulsa Programs, Chair, and Professor of the Department of Pharmacy: Clinical and Administrative Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, reflect information from 609 usable responses to a survey of more than 3,200 pharmacists serving in a variety of practice settings across the United States. The study is published in the Journal of Pharmacy Technology.

September 21, 2023

Drug Shortages Impacting Nearly All Pharmacies, PTCB Survey Finds

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Correction - Asthma: A Treatment and Delivery Device Update - Vol 27 No. 2

PTCB Reaches Milestone with 1,000 Compounded Preparation Technician Certifications Granted

Table of Contents

Why technicians need to study pharmacology and therapeutics.

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Learning objectives.

After completing this chapter, you should be able to

Define medication, pharmacology, and therapeutics and explain how they are related to one another.

Describe reasons why it is important for pharmacy technicians to study pharmacology and how it provides benefit to pharmacy practices.

Explain how an understanding of pharmacology enhances a technician’s abilities to better help patients and other pharmacy staff.

List examples of how a pharmacy technician’s professional development and career advancement are related to understanding pharmacology.

Explain how pharmacy professional development has changed from the past to today.

All across the country, every day, thousands of prescriptions and medication orders are filled. In a hospital, the medications , or drugs, will be taken to the bedside and administered by a nurse, and in a retail pharmacy patients will collect the medication to take at home as prescribed. Every single dose is prescribed with an intended purpose. Each prescription has been evaluated on many different levels before it ever reaches the patient. Drug researchers are constantly developing new medications with the intent of alleviating a specific disease state. Prescribers are evaluating patients’ needs to determine what medications will be necessary. Finally, pharmacists are reviewing the prescriptions and dispensing the medications to the patients to provide them the therapeutic effects they need. Along the way, each of these professionals has an obligation to do their best to provide care to the patient. They are part of a team of professionals united to provide care to a patient. A pharmacy technician is an integral part of that team and provides care to each and every patient with each and every dose.

Being a pharmacy technician means taking on the responsibility to provide the best care to every patient. To accomplish that task, it is important to develop a unique set of skills. These include knowing the different brands and generics, understanding the basics of prescription insurance, and calculating doses based upon what is prescribed. To perform these duties professionally, it is important to have a knowledge of pharmacology. Pharmacology is the study of drugs, and includes where medications originate, how they are developed, and their effects in the body. Having a basic understanding of pharmacology provides the technician with the ability to provide great care to the patients. Without that understanding, a technician is like a carpenter who doesn’t know what a hammer is.

In a community pharmacy, during a typical work shift technicians will be responsible for numerous prescriptions or orders. In a retail pharmacy, prescriptions will be sent electronically or handed over in person. Upon receipt, the technician reviews each prescription to ensure it is complete before updating a patient’s profile with the medication and directions for use and processing it through any insurance. Then the technician will count the correct amount to dispense, prepare the prescription with the correct package information, and prepare it for review by the pharmacist. The technician will also prepare the prescription for shipping, delivery, or for pick up by the patient. Once the patient comes to pick up the prescription, the technician will verify what the patient is receiving and confirm the patient understands the prescription directions. If a patient needs counseling, it is the responsibility of the technician to have the pharmacist explain particulars of the prescription, its directions, administration technique, and even side effects.

In a hospital setting, the process for handling a medication order starts after it has been verified by the pharmacist. When the medication label is printed the technician will review it and begin preparing the order for the patient. This means selecting the correct medication from stock, performing dose calculations, and, for oral medication, preparing a unit dose at the processing counter. For sterile intravenous solutions, the technician will mix the solution in a clean room, and finally, making sure it is delivered to the correct nursing unit medication room and placed in the proper area for the nurses to retrieve. In almost every pharmacy, the technician plays a vital role in preparing medications. Proper performance of each of the steps to prepare a medication is enhanced by a knowledge of pharmacology.

Why is it so important to have an understanding of pharmacology? The answer seems straightforward, yet many technicians will simply state that it is the responsibility of the pharmacist, not the technician, to know why and how the medications are used. In reality, knowing the basics of pharmacology will allow a pharmacy technician the opportunity to provide a better quality of care to patients, become a vital asset to the pharmacist, and advance his or her career opportunities.

With a basic understanding of pharmacology, a technician gains a plethora of valuable knowledge that can be used to assist patients every day. Application of that knowledge allows the technician to make an impact on a patient’s life and provide the best care possible. For example, if Mrs. Smith calls the pharmacy and asks the technician for a refill on her “water pill,” a technician with a knowledge of pharmacology will be able to identify the diuretic medication in the patient’s profile. This technician knows that diuretics are used to help remove excess water from a patient’s body, which will decrease the patient’s blood pressure. Mrs. Smith also needs to refill her “sugar pills.” The technician will know to check the patient’s profile for her diabetes medication. Understanding the different types of medications, their chemical structure, and the intended use of each of the medications allows the technician a level of independence that a pharmacist can count on.

Each medication has its own unique set of storage, handling, and compounding guidelines. These guidelines are related to a medication’s classification and other properties. Some medications, for instance, must be protected from light, while others might need to be refrigerated. If a medication is not placed under the proper storage conditions, it could possibly deteriorate or even undergo a chemical change. When compounding sterile products, a technician must be aware that some medications require reconstitution with specific fluids. If the incorrect fluid is used, a precipitate could form, exposing the patient who receives it to dangerous particulate matter. While it might sound trivial, disregarding the proper procedure when storing, handling, or compounding a medication can make a dramatic difference and lead to considerable harm to a patient.

Within pharmacology is a branch called pharmacokinetics . This is the study of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of medications within the body. Pharmacokinetics can influence several aspects of a prescription. Medications being administered orally by a tablet or via injection of a solution have different pathways and even different mechanisms for how they work in the body. An experienced and educated technician is able to discern what routes of administration are most effective for each medication. For example, vancomycin is not absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, if a systemic course of vancomycin is needed, it will be administered intravenously (IV), 1 while if it is being used to treat an intestinal infection, it may be given orally. Knowing this can give insight into the disease state that a patient has, and can be applied to better meet the needs of the patient.

With an understanding of pharmacology, technicians are able to help pharmacists more safely and effectively. Pharmacists must be confident in placing their trust in the technicians with whom they work. In today’s healthcare environment, pharmacists are taking on increasingly advanced roles. They are responsible for many nontraditional duties that, years ago, were not considered pharmacists’ responsibilities. Nowadays, many people count on their local pharmacist to administer flu shots, help with Medicare enrollment, and even counsel on smoking cessation. With the ever-evolving functions that pharmacists are assuming, it is expected that the role of the technician will advance as well. Accountability for safe, legal, and efficient pharmacy operations is shared between the pharmacist and the technician. As current trends continue, technicians’ responsibilities are expected to expand and increase.

With pharmacists spending more and more time meeting the clinical needs of patients, the daily operations of the pharmacy have transitioned to become the obligation of the technician. All across the country pharmacists administer flu vaccines (and many other immunizations), and it is common for the technician to prepare the patient and ask appropriate screening questions. While the technician assists with the vaccination record, a pharmacist will counsel a patient seeking a cold remedy. In a hospital setting this concept is no different. Relying on a technician to complete an order can allow the pharmacist to step away and discuss the needs of the patient with other healthcare providers.

Technicians today are breaking out of their traditional job descriptions into new roles and duties. Such new career opportunities would not be available today if technicians had not pushed for advancement and prepared for new tasks. In a number of states, technicians are already able to administer immunizations, provide final reviews of medication refills, and transcribe new prescriptions called in from a doctor’s office. 2 Each of these innovations came from professionals realizing the potential of pharmacy technicians. With the proper training, advanced technician roles in pharmacy operations have become more prevalent. It is important that technicians are good stewards of these positions, which requires application of checks and balances. Technicians can use their knowledge of pharmacology to provide checks for themselves. For example, when immunizing a patient, knowing the length of the needle is important for proper administration. When providing a final check on a refill, knowing the difference between the variations of formulations can ensure the correct product is chosen. When transcribing a medication order, knowing the indication of the drug will provide context for the complete prescription, including dosage form, route of administration, and schedule. A knowledge of pharmacology provides the ability to enhance the care technicians provide with every task.

As technicians assume additional responsibilities, expectations will shift regarding what a technician is required to do and know. This shift in focus is nothing new to pharmacy. In the early twentieth century, for example, Abraham Flexner, a renowned educator at the time, was asked by the American Medical Association to evaluate the state of medical colleges. 3 In his report, he noted that being a pharmacist was not a professional occupation because the pharmacist simply submitted to the wishes of the physician. In response to those remarks, the Association of Colleges of Pharmacy altered educational practices and required a more rigorous curriculum for pharmacy students. This reform led to pharmacists becoming more autonomous and taking additional roles not traditionally considered. As technicians begin to take on new skills and new knowledge, their autonomy will increase just as it did with pharmacists. Technicians will be asked to do more because they know more.

When patients go to a hospital, they expect to receive the best care and believe that the doctors who treat them have studied and understand the basics of medicine. This expectation applies to pharmacy care as well. Patients needing prescriptions believe that taking medications will give them the therapeutic effects that are intended, and they trust the pharmacy staff to apply their skills to be sure this occurs. The only way to fulfill these expectations is to be competent and knowledgeable in pharmacy. Part of being a professional technician is taking on the responsibility of knowing aspects of pharmacy that will make you more effective at your job. The American Association of Pharmacy Technicians Code of Ethics 4 states that it is the first consideration of the technician “to ensure the health and safety of the patient, and to use knowledge and skills to the best of his/her ability in serving others.” Taking on this responsibility to the patients requires extensive knowledge and learning.

Technicians’ capabilities are elevated by the study of pharmacology. With a basic foundational knowledge of how medications impact the body, a technician can make decisions that positively affect the health of their patients. Technicians should be a valuable resource to any pharmacist with whom they work, and with the proper degree of passion, a technician can continue to expand their profession into new areas. It is a large responsibility to take on, but when lives are at stake it is important to know that the person who is dispensing medications has been educated to meet the obligations of their duties.

Rao S , Kupfer Y , Pagala M , et al.  Systemic absorption of oral vancomycin in patients with Clostridium difficile infection . Scand J Infect Dis . 2011 ; 43 ( 5 ): 386 – 388 . doi: 10.3109/00365548.2010.544671 .

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Peshek SC. Professional Skills for the Pharmacy Technician . Burlington, MA : Jones & Bartlett Learning ; 2017 : 17 – 19 .

DiPiro J. The 21st century Abraham Flexner . Am J Pharm Educ . 2008 ; 72 ( 4 ): 79 . doi: 10.5688/aj720479 .

American Association of Pharmacy Technicians . Code of Ethics for Pharmacy Technicians. https://www.pharmacytechnician.com/pharmacy-technician-code-of-ethics/ . Accessed May 24, 2021 .

REVIEW QUESTIONS

How does a technician having a basic understanding of pharmacology provide a benefit to the technician, patient, and pharmacist?

What direct impact does the pharmacy technician’s role have on the care that a patient receives? Is there also an indirect impact?

What are some ways that technicians have been able to advance their professional development, and how is that dependent upon understanding pharmacology? How do you see the technician’s role advancing in the future?

Explain how the Pharmacy Technician Code of Ethics promotes the ideal of learning pharmacological principles.

© 2024 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. All Rights Reserved.

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Pharmacy Technicians’ Willingness to Perform Emerging Tasks in Community Practice

William r. doucette.

1 College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, 115 S. Grand Avenue, S518 PHAR, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA

Jon C. Schommer

2 College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, 308 Harvard Street, S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; ude.nmu@010mohcs

Associated Data

New tasks are being developed for pharmacy technicians in community practice. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the willingness of community pharmacy technicians to perform new tasks, and (2) to identify factors affecting technicians in assuming new tasks in community pharmacy practice. An online survey asked about the respondent characteristics, involvement in pharmacy technician tasks, willingness to perform emerging pharmacy technician tasks, and influences on pharmacy technicians’ performance of emerging tasks. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all items. A total of 639 usable surveys from community pharmacy technicians were used in the analyses. The respondents reported a mean of 11.5 years working as a pharmacy technician, with 79.2% working full time. Technicians reported high willingness to perform four emerging tasks, moderate willingness for six tasks, and low willingness to perform two tasks. The low willingness tasks were administering a vaccination and drawing a blood sample with a finger stick. Four workplace influences on willingness to perform emerging tasks were insufficient staffing, insufficient time to complete additional tasks, employers not classifying technicians based on specialized skills, and usually feeling stress at work. It appears likely that pharmacy technicians will be willing to perform the new tasks needed to support the emerging patient care services in community pharmacies.

1. Introduction

Community pharmacy practice continues to evolve as payers seek higher quality care for limited payment, providers pursue improved coordination of care, healthcare systems strive for collaborative care models, and chronically ill patients prefer care from a pharmacist they know [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. As new community pharmacy services are expanded and developed, typically there are changes in workflow and staffing within the pharmacies. While pharmacists are being called upon to provide greater patient care through collaborative and other innovative healthcare models, pharmacy technicians are also undertaking new roles in community pharmacy practice. New roles for pharmacy technicians are derived from new services, such as medication management [ 4 , 5 ], technician prescription validation (i.e., tech-check-tech) [ 6 ], medication reconciliation [ 7 ], medication synchronization [ 8 ], and immunizations [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Although some growth has occurred with these services, as pharmacy payment and care models also evolve, it is likely that these services, and others, will continue to become a part of community pharmacy practice [ 12 , 13 ]. To succeed in this environment, community pharmacies will need a strong supply of well-trained and motivated pharmacy technicians. Such technicians can free up pharmacists to deliver additional patient care services, while performing new tasks themselves. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the willingness of pharmacy technicians to perform new tasks as community pharmacy practice changes in the future.

The specific objectives of this study were as follows:

• (1) Assess the willingness of pharmacy technicians to perform new tasks in community pharmacy practice;
• (2) Identify factors that can affect pharmacy technicians in assuming new roles in community pharmacy practice.

2. Materials and Methods

This study was an online survey sent to 29,084 certified pharmacy technicians. The sample was obtained through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the National Health-Career Association (NHA). The sample frames did not support a priori screening to identify technicians working in community pharmacies, so such screening was done in the survey itself. A Qualtrics online survey was prepared by the research team, and links to it were sent out via email by PTCB and NHA. Three email contacts containing a survey link were sent to the sample about 10 days apart from each other. The survey was open for 40 days overall.

The survey asked about four primary topics: respondent characteristics, involvement in pharmacy technician tasks, willingness to perform emerging pharmacy technician tasks, and potential influences on pharmacy technicians’ performance of emerging tasks. See the supplementary material for the formatted survey questions. The respondent characteristics included several demographics (e.g., age, gender), as well as practice-related variables (e.g., practice experience). Technician involvement in 12 emerging pharmacy technician tasks was rated with a 3-point scale (1 = not at all involved, 2 = somewhat involved, 3 = regularly involved). Respondents also rated their willingness to perform the 12 emerging pharmacy technician tasks using a 4-point scale (1 = unwilling, 2 = slightly willing, 3 = moderately willing, 4 = very willing). Finally, the survey respondents used a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = somewhat disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = somewhat agree, 6 = agree, 7 = strongly agree) to rate workplace variables. The list of emerging technician tasks was developed from the literature and with input from community pharmacy informants. Based on the willingness ratings of respondents, the emerging tasks were categorized as high willingness (at least 60% very willing), moderate willingness (25–59% very willing) and low willingness (less than 25% very willing). Descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, median, frequencies) were calculated for all items, using data from respondents who reported current employment as a pharmacy technician in a community pharmacy setting. This study was approved by the University of Iowa Human Subjects Office.

A total of 1257 survey responses were received. Of these, 639 were usable surveys from people working as community pharmacy technicians which were used in the analyses described in this article. The overall response rate was 4.3 percent. All of these respondents reported being a certified pharmacy technician. The most common setting type was large chain community pharmacy (36.2%), followed by mass merchandiser (28.8%), independent (15.2%), supermarket (10.6%) and other (9.3%). The regions the respondents came from were the Midwest (39.1%), South (37.6%), West (15.4%) and Northeast (7.9%). The respondents reported a mean of 11.5 (S.D. = 8.7) years working as a pharmacy technician. A majority (79.2%) of respondents reported full-time employment (>30 h a week). Similarly, a large percentage (87.5%) of respondents were female. The mean age of the community pharmacy technician respondents was 42.5 (S.D. = 12.4) years. Over half (54.3%) of the respondents reported their primary method of training to work as a pharmacy technician was unaccredited on-the-job training from their employer. Other reported training methods included unaccredited structured training program from their employer (11.3%), accredited standalone training program (10.6%), accredited structured training program from their employer (10.2%) and other (13.5%).

At least half of the community pharmacy technician respondents reported regular involvement with only two of the emerging tasks ( Table 1 ): calling a prescriber for clarification of a prescription order (56.2%) and collecting patient medication history from a patient (51.3%). Less than 20% of respondents reported regular involvement with eight of the emerging tasks. This last set of activities has historically been performed by pharmacists, often due to legal restrictions preventing technicians from performing them. Three of these activities are related to dispensing: performing final prescription verification, taking a prescription order over the telephone, and transferring a prescription to another pharmacy. The three least commonly performed tasks were part of relatively new services, and perhaps were beyond the traditional scope of pharmacy technician roles: obtaining patient vital signs, administering a vaccination, and drawing a blood sample with a finger stick.

Involvement A and willingness B to perform emerging technician tasks.

A Involvement rated with a 3-point scale: 1 = not at all involved, 2 = somewhat involved, 3 = regularly involved. B Willingness rated with a 4-point scale: 1 = unwilling, 2 = slightly willing, 3 = moderately willing, 4 = very willing.

The respondents also reported their willingness to perform the 12 emerging technician tasks. For four of these tasks, at least 60% of the respondents stated that they would be very willing to perform them, while less than 8% said they were unwilling to do them ( Table 1 ). These “high willingness” tasks were calling a prescriber to clarify a prescription order, collecting patient medication history, documenting patient care, and calling patients prior to medication synchronization filling. Another set of six tasks had lesser willingness, being rated as very willing to perform by 37–53% of respondents, and showing greater unwillingness (17–29%).

Two final “low willingness” tasks were rated as very willing to perform by less than 25% of respondents, and unwilling to perform by at least 47% of respondents: administering a vaccination, and drawing a blood sample with a finger stick.

The final section of the survey asked respondents about 11 workplace variables that could affect their willingness to perform emerging pharmacy technician tasks. For reporting, the number and percentage of respondents who rated any level of agreement (i.e., somewhat agree, agree, strongly agree) were calculated for each variable, as well as the scale mean and standard deviation. Seven variables expected to support pharmacy technician willingness to perform emerging tasks had agreement from at least 59% of respondents ( Table 2 ). The remaining four variables showed less likelihood to support technicians’ performance of new tasks, having strong agreement with a negative factor (1 item) or having low agreement with a positive factor (3 items). These four variables were that current staffing may not support technicians assuming new tasks (negative item), having enough time to complete additional tasks, employers classifying technicians based on specialized skills, and not usually feeling stress at work.

Work environment variables.

Agreement was rated on a 7-point scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = somewhat disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = somewhat agree, 6 = agree, 7 = strongly agree. Agreement variable = sum of somewhat agree, agree and strongly agree. Note: Unshaded variables are expected to support technician willingness to perform new tasks, while shaded variables are not.

4. Discussion

There were four emerging tasks with moderate involvement ratings. Three of these moderate involvement tasks were related to communication: two with patients (i.e., collecting patient medication history and calling prior to medication synchronization filling) and one with providers (i.e., calling a prescriber for clarification of a prescription order). These tasks show the importance of communication skills in expanding the roles of community pharmacy technicians. Technicians that regularly interact with patients need to be effective in gathering information from them, as well as in giving pertinent details to them. The other task categorized in the moderate involvement sector was documenting patient care. This task would typically be outside of dispensing, for which documentation occurs automatically through the dispensing software. Rather, this task likely relates to non-dispensing services, such as documentation of immunizations in state registries and of medication management services. Lengel et al. reported low participation by trained pharmacy technicians in documenting medication therapy management (MTM) services [ 5 ].

Based on reported technician involvement, eight tasks were categorized as low involvement. These tasks may not be performed by technicians in many community pharmacies due to legal or regulatory restrictions. For example, many states do not currently allow technicians to perform the final prescription verification in community pharmacies. Desselle and Holmes also reported technician verification of other technicians’ work as having low involvement from community pharmacy technicians [ 14 ]. Similarly, transferring a prescription to another pharmacy and taking a prescription order over the telephone are restricted to pharmacists in some states. Until state laws address these tasks, it is likely they will not be shifted largely to technicians. Conducting medication reconciliation after discharge from a hospital was reported as being done regularly by almost 10% of respondents in this study. Given the strong interest in smooth care transitions, this could be a task that becomes more common as more community pharmacies deliver such a service. Three tasks had no more than 2% of respondents rate that they are regularly involved in them: obtaining patient vital signs, administering a vaccination, and drawing a blood sample with a finger stick. These tasks are not widely performed in community pharmacies by technicians. Thus, it is likely that community pharmacy technicians have little or no opportunity to perform these tasks at this time. Desselle et al. also reported very low involvement by pharmacy technicians in administering immunizations [ 15 ].

The respondents’ involvement ratings indicate that most of these emerging tasks are not widespread in community pharmacy practice. Considering the involvement and willingness to perform ratings together, it can be seen that respondents tended to be less willing to perform tasks with which they had lower involvement. That is, some of the unwillingness to perform might simply derive from a lack of familiarity with the low-rated tasks. Another characteristic of the two tasks with the lowest willingness ratings is they involve needles. It could be that some of the respondents are not comfortable with such activities, which may be outside of their technician training.

Over half (54.3%) of respondents stated they used unaccredited on-the-job training from their employer, while the next most frequent method was unaccredited structured training program from their employer (11.3%). In addition, another 10.2 percent of respondents reported using an accredited structured training program from their employer. Thus, about three-fourths (75.8%) of the respondents completed technician training through their employer. Accredited technician training programs accounted for just over 20%, between accredited standalone (10.6%) and accredited employer (10.2%) programs. It is clear that employer-led training programs are currently, and will likely continue to be, a key factor in training pharmacy technicians for emerging roles. As new standards are developed for training pharmacy technicians, their employers are likely to influence the future content and delivery of such training.

Based on technician ratings, seven of the work environment variables very likely would support new technician tasks, while four would be less supportive or even unsupportive. Four of the more supportive workplace characteristics represented organizational factors: technicians working well with pharmacists, managerial support for technicians performing new tasks, technicians receiving training to perform new tasks, and support of fellow pharmacy staff to implement a new service. As new activities are introduced into a workplace, the support of the employees at all levels is needed for the activities to be performed properly. These findings point to the need for technicians to be supported by their managers and fellow pharmacy staff when taking on new pharmacy technician duties. The other three more supportive variables were characteristics of individuals: confidence to learn new tasks, belief that new tasks keep work interesting, and being excited about implementing a new service. These individual characteristics could be considered at the time of hiring technicians. In addition, confidence relates to self-efficacy, which can be increased by education, mastery experience and social modeling [ 16 ].

The four workplace characteristics that were expected to be less supportive of technicians performing new tasks included current staffing being unable to support new tasks, insufficient time in the current workday to support new tasks, feeling stress at work, and the employer not classifying technicians based on specialized skills. Any workplace that introduces new tasks will need to be aware of how the new tasks affect employee time and workload. Pharmacies that utilize technicians in new roles to implement new services will need to manage the workload of their technicians. It is expected that new tasks would add to technicians’ stress level, which likely could be managed by training and experience. As technicians begin to perform new tasks, some of them will need specialized skills and training. Training and some type of credentialing could be used to support technicians obtaining advanced knowledge and skills.

This study has several limitations. The low response rate limits its generalizability to the population of community pharmacy technicians. Thus, the findings should be interpreted conservatively. Another limitation is that many of the questions had not been used in previous studies. To try to assure clear understanding by respondents, the items were evaluated and improved through a cognitive testing process in which pharmacy technicians read the items aloud and provided feedback on vague language. Also, content experts read the survey and provided feedback prior to the main survey. It is possible that pharmacy technicians’ willingness to perform emerging tasks varies by state due to differences in state law. Although this was a national sample, over half of the states had less than ten responses. Future research could be done to examine the effects of state laws and regulations on technicians’ willingness to perform new tasks. Finally, the limited detail collected in the survey about technician training did not allow study of the extent to which these emerging topics are being taught during technician training. Again, future research is recommended to investigate this issue.

5. Conclusions

Overall, community pharmacy technicians reported being willing to perform almost all of the emerging tasks that were rated in this study. It is likely that technicians will be able to increase their roles where community pharmacy practice offers expanded and new patient care services and where permitted by law. As pharmacies work to integrate into collaborative care and other innovative care models, it appears likely that pharmacy technicians will be willing to perform the new tasks needed to support the evolution and advancement of patient care services delivered in the community pharmacy setting.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Emily Schommer, CPhT for her assistance with reviewing early drafts of the survey. Also, we acknowledge Alina Cernasav, PharmD, for her assistance with coding and analyzing.

Supplementary Materials

The following are available online at http://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/6/4/113/s1 , Formatted Survey Questions.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization—W.R.D., methodology—shared, software—shared, validation—shared, formal analyses—shared, investigation—shared, resources—W.R.D., data curation—W.R.D., writing original draft—shared, writing review & editing—shared, visualization—shared, supervision—W.R.D., project administration—W.R.D., funding acquisition—W.R.D.

This research was funded by National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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2022 Pharmacy Trends

As change continues to sweep the industry, we take a closer look at the trends that may be coming to a pharmacy near you.

The long reach of the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed every industry, including pharmacy. Although many industries have worked to adapt or survive, the variety of issues affected by the pandemic has triggered positive shifts in community pharmacy practice overall, according to Bri Morris, PharmD, senior director of program development at the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) in Alexandria, Virginia.

Across the country, many pharmacists have long been waiting to practice closer to the top of their licenses. These emerging trends offer community pharmacists unprecedented opportunities to do exactly that. Here are some potential pharmacy trends to watch in 2022.

Expect to See an Uptick in Point-of-Care Services

Community pharmacies increased their point-of-care testing services during the pandemic—a feat that Morris says many pharmacists have “embraced…to meet their patients’ immediate needs.”

“Now that so many pharmacists have [obtained] their CLIA [Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments] certificates of waiver and introduced COVID-19 testing into their regular practice, there is an opportunity to branch into other acute infectious disease and chronic disease management,” Morris told Drug Topics®. “In many states, pharmacists are able to test and treat these patients for minor ailments as well.”

Immunization Services Are Here to Stay

Immunization services have been trending in pharmacy for years, and the surge in recommended infectious diseases immunizations has only increased patient demand. Yet despite the apparent opportunity, providing these services remains a significant pain point for pharmacists on the front line, who often operate under the mounting pressure of meeting high prescription volumes with minimal staff support. Morris, though, is optimistic that recent technological interventions and logistic strategies have helped alleviate some of the pressure.

“Now community pharmacies have adopted scheduling platforms and designed a staffing workflow to integrate immunizations into pharmacy workflow,” she said. “Gaps still exist in routine immunizations for both adults and children, and community pharmacies can meet those gaps.” The numbers speak for themselves: As of November 9, 2021, community pharmacies and federal programs had administered and reported nearly 163 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to data collected by the NCPA. This number does not include the data for vaccine doses administered and reported by state-administered programs.

Expanding Roles for Pharmacy Technicians

The soaring demand for immunizations has expanded roles for pharmacy technicians. Much like the pharmacist’s role, that of pharmacy technicians’ has evolved over the years, and the concept of expanding the services that technicians provide is not new either. 1 The COVID-19 pandemic led to the declaration of the Public Readiness and Preparedness (PREP) Act. Initially enacted by Congress on December 30, 2005, the PREP Act endows the secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services with the authority to declare the act whenever an emergent event poses a threat to public health.

In the pharmacy world, the PREP Act allows medical professionals to engage in the provision of services that may exceed their ordinary scope of services under usual circumstances, in an effort to address the shortage of responders and improve the availability of services and resources. 2 On February 2, 2021, Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Norris Cochran moved to amend the PREP Act declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic to define the list of individuals able to prescribe, dispense, and administer vaccines. The amendments culminated with one defining pharmacy technicians as “qualified persons” able to administer the seasonal influenza vaccine to adults in the state in which they are legally allowed to practice.

Secretary Xavier Becerra was responsible for the final amendment, which also grants pharmacist interns similar authority to administer seasonal influenza vaccines to the adult population. The act also allows pharmacy technicians to facilitate point-of care testing during the pandemic. Both pharmacy technician–provided immunizations and point-of-care services require pharmacist supervision. Morris anticipates that these services temporarily allowed by the PREP Act are the gateway for an entire suite of services that pharmacy can expect to fall under technician ownership.

“This expansion of scope combined with increased workforce demands brings about new roles for pharmacy technicians,” Morris said. “Medical billing specialist, immunization administrator, med sync [medication synchronization] lead, and community health worker are just a few of the titles we can expect technicians will have in the coming years.”

At Home Services Will Expand

“With more than 10,000 Americans aging into Medicare daily, providing medical-at-home services to keep patients who might otherwise be in a nursing home in the familiarity of their homes is a patient care no-brainer, and many pharmacies are currently caring for these patients,” Morris explained. “Currently, the incentives and payment don’t match the effort.”

However, Morris anticipates that the historically poor reimbursement for the services that pharmacies provide will change with services that allow patients to age in place. For example, a new clinically integrated network focused on helping patients age in place, combined with advocacy efforts led by NCPA’s long term care division, helps pharmacies capitalize on potential business opportunities.

According to its website, 3 NCPA has asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to formally “recognize medical at-home pharmacy services regardless of where the patient resides.” The Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Networks (CPESN) USA started CPESN At-Home, a new network that contracts for enhanced services designed to address the needs of patients. Such patients would otherwise be candidates for a nursing facility, including those who are homebound, have trouble accessing a pharmacy, or require some level of caregiving assistance.

“You, as the pharmacist, are able to provide the same level of care that that same patient would receive in the nursing home, but you’d provide it at their home,” Morris said.

Improvements in a pharmacists’ longstanding battle for formal recognition by the US government and payors as health care providers continues, and with that comes the challenge not only of seeking compensation but also of gaining respect. However, a 2021 article by Deloitte, The Pharmacist of the Future, 4 suggests that a lack of the latter may prove advantageous from an accessibility standpoint.

“Pharmacists are not seen as authority figures the way that doctors are seen,” said an anonymous educator and research scientist who was quoted in the article.” [I]in a way, that’s probably sad, but what it means is that the pharmacist is more approachable than the doctor, and that can be really useful.”

The article’s authors also highlighted how pharmacists’ approachability, coupled with frequent patient contact, automatically enhances the opportunity to build trust. The patient-pharmacist rapport establishes a gateway into the patients’ worlds, with pharmacists able to form a bond that allows them to take a deep dive into their patients’ experiences and collect vital problem-solving information.

Being central figures in the health care equation uniquely allows pharmacists to identify additional resources for their patients and help them navigate the health care system. Watching these and other trends unfold over the past year suggests the consulting firm’s crystal ball is quite clear. Only time can tell how the industry will truly take shape.

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Cannabis Consulting: Are You Ready?

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2021 Pharmacy Salary Survey Results: Stress and Workload Continue to Increase

Each autumn, Drug Topics® surveys its readers from across the country to take the pulse of the pharmacy profession before heading into the new year. This year, 1123 respondents were more eager than perhaps ever before to share their feelings on important workplace issues.

Vaccine and Pain Management Updates from ACR Convergence 2021

Highlights included updates on COVID-19 vaccine tolerance in individuals with rheumatic diseases, the latest data on medical cannabis use in fibromyalgia, and more.

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111 Pharmacy Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on pharmacy, 🌶️ hot pharmacy essay topics, 👍 good pharmacy research topics & essay examples, 💡 simple pharmacy essay ideas, 🎓 most interesting pharmacy research titles.

• Drug Testing in Pharmacology
• Pharmacy as a Professional Field and Its History
• The Competitiveness of Saudi Pharmaceutical Industry
• Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company and Its Market Relations
• Pharmaceutical Industry: Drug Development
• Asthma: Pharmacology and Medicines Management
• Pharmacy: A Career Pathway
• PharmaCARE: Product Safety & Intellectual Property Using the case of PharmaCARE, this paper discusses legal and ethical considerations in marketing and advertising, product safety, and intellectual property.
• Good Manufacturing Practices for Pharmaceuticals Creating conditions for the safe production of pharmaceuticals is a practice that has evolved significantly due to the introduction of modern approaches to the manufacturing process.
• Pharmacogenetics in Clinical Practice The improvements in the understanding of the effect of genetic differences on interpersonal variability in drug response contributed to the development of pharmacogenetics.
• Evidence-Based Pharmacology: Major Depression In this paper, a certain attention to different treatment approaches that can be offered to patients with depression will be paid, including the evaluation of age implications.
• Pharmaceutical Advertising is Propaganda This paper has shown through a discussion that pharmaceutical advertising can be propaganda or informative and helpful to the life of a patient.
• Reverse Logistics in Pharmaceutical Industry: Handling Products Back to the Manufacturer Reverse logistics plays an enormous part in the pharmaceutical industry as poor-quality goods must be delivered safely back to the final disposition point.
• Ranitidine Medication’s Pharmaceutical Analysis Ranitidine has been shown to be an effective treatment for DUs and GUs, GERD, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and pyrosis when used at appropriate dosage levels and frequency.
• Virginia State Board of Pharmacy vs. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council Representing drug customers, the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council opposed a policy enacted by Virginia state that made it unlawful for pharmacists to promote their drug costs.
• Animal Use in Pharmacology: Negative Effects on Humans and Animals The use of the animal to develop drugs for humans may result in the manufacture of harmful medicines. The substances used to manufacture the drugs have adverse impacts on animals.
• CVS Pharmacy’s Strategic Plan of Expansion The strategic plan of CVS Pharmacy includes opening its stores worldwide, meaning going out of the USA borders.
• Drug Release: Ethical Dilemma in Pharmaceutics A moral issue has emerged as to whether a pharmaceutical company has to release a new drug or not. This drug is thought to be an effective treatment of depression.
• Outsourcing in the Pharmaceutical Industry Technology is the powerful force that now drives the world toward a single converging commonality. No place and nobody is insulated from the alluring attractions of modernity.
• Database Design Proposal for Pharmaceutical Products Project is crucial for healthcare professionals to realize all the DDIs and avoid prescription errors. The database is useful for hospital managers to control substance use.
• Pharmaceutical Companies and Utilitarian Ethics One of the ethical questions is whether pharmaceutical companies are morally obliged to ensure that their products are not consumed illegitimately or in an abusive manner.
• CVS Pharmacy Inc. SWOT Analysis The paper is a SWOT analysis of CVS Company to understand the various factors, both internal and external, that affect its operations and how they could be used.
• Pharmacology and Influence of Antibiotics Throughout the essay, both the fundamental conceptual concepts of science and the science-based properties of drugs are described.
• Retail and Supply Chain in the Pharmaceutical Industry Retail is the result of work to optimize B2B strategy and logistics. The pharmaceutical industry has become a classic business that increases sales and revenue from customers.
• Pharmacology Transcribe: Explore More The take away for this teachable explore more is that I want you to remember medications that are on medication list, and what are they for.
• Researching Retail Pharmacy Retail pharmacies are on the leading edge of rendering health care services to patients after the pharmacist has filled the consumer’s drug.
• Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management: Operational Plan Due to the specificity of its activity, a healthcare organization tends to require a pharmaceutical supplier which provides medicines to be vended in the facility.
• Pharmacology: Drug Licensing Opportunity Obtaining a license for a new drug is a very costly and time consuming affair. Any pharmaceutical company would have to weigh all its options before embarking on such a process.
• Pharmaceutical Industries: Changes and Challenges Pharmaceutical industries are responsible for the manufacture of drugs. Like any other industry that we know, they aim at making profits.
• Employee Engagement in Pharmacy Services Employee engagement illustrates willingness and desire of employees to give their best and outperform themselves daily, motivated to contribute to organizational success.
• Toxicological Evidence in Forensic Pharmacology Forensic toxicology entails the analysis of stains and drugs found in fluids and solid materials collected from a crime scene. Numerous methods are used in a toxicological analysis.
• Using Testing as a Learning Tool: Pharmaceutical Education The presentation about medication errors was introduced to new nurses and nursing students at the progressive care unit of the local hospital in Dallas.
• How Pharmaceutical Patents Create a Monopoly A breakdown of reasons why pharmaceutical corporations deserve patent rights, alongside potential negative effects associated with them, form the basis of this paper.
• Flagyl ER: Pharmacological Characteristics Flagyl ER is one of the medications that use metronidazole as an active component for the treatment of bacterial, parasitic, and protozoal infections.
• Metformin in Pharmaceuticals and Medicine Metformin stimulates glycogen formation and improves the transmission capacities of all varieties of membrane glucose carriers by interacting with glycogen synthase.
• Pharmacology Research: Cyclophosphamide The paper discusses Cyclophosphamide. It is a widely used chemotherapeutic prodrug that treats different types of cancer in a wide range of patient populations.
• Cloud Technology Innovation in Pharmaceutical Company Digital technology facilitates the storage of records and access to databases, but with each passing year, using physical hard drives becomes less efficient.
• Fibromyalgia Pharmacological Management Antidepressants and anti-seizure medications can be more effective for fibromyalgia treatment. It is vital to know about the side effects of medications to ensure patients’ safety.
• Why Pharmaceutical Industry Is High-Tech and Knowledge-Intensive Pharmaceuticals is one of the most high-tech and knowledge-intensive industries in the global economy, which is determined by three groups of interrelated factors.
• The Profound Knowledge of Pharmacology The successful absorption of the drug depends on various aspects. The profound knowledge of pharmacology allows for gaining more rapid treatment results.
• Acupuncture vs. Medication: A Comparative Study for Migraine Prevention The current paper aims to compare the efficiency of managing migraines by employing acupuncture and pharmacotherapy clinical processes.
• Merck’s Pharmaceutical Company Ethical Dillema The dilemma raised by Merck’s management is defined by two outcomes: the pharmaceutical company invest money in unsound project or have abandoned because of disproportionality.
• Unpatented Pharmaceuticals for American Public The pharmaceutical industry is greatly influenced by the registration of intellectual property rights for a product that has been manufactured.
• Acupuncture vs. Standard Pharmacological Therapy for Migraine Prevention “Systematic Review: Acupuncture vs. Standard Pharmacological Therapy for Migraine Prevention” is a study conducted by Zhang.
• Microeconomics Case Analyses in Pharmacology This paper examines the pharmaceutical industry using the theory and models of industry structure and Pfizer’s make-or-buy decision for developing and producing its COVID vaccine.
• Aspirin: Vascular Pharmacology Aspirin is one of the most used medications worldwide, with its history going back to 1897. It is a plant-based drug made out of salicylic acid.
• Interaction of the Pharmaceuticals with Alcohol Intake It is important to establish the key value of healthy living based on the interaction with the pharmaceuticals and alcohol intake to avoid developing a dependency on the elements
• Advanced Pharmacology: Arthritis Treatment Arthritis is more regular among aging adults, though it can be diagnosed in any other person irrespective of age, including children.
• Marriage and Family Therapy and Pharmacological Treatment The notion of marriage and family counseling presupposes a sophisticated process during which professionals are to adopt an integrative approach to the therapy.
• Major Depressive Disorder: Pharmacological Treatment SSRIs are effective first-line treatment for MDD. This class of medications includes many antidepressants with comparable effectiveness in treating this disorder.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Pharmacological Treatment Approved medications can help treat PTSD symptoms and improve patient outcomes. SSRIs, such as sertraline, have been shown to reduce anxiety and increase concentration.
• Economics for Pharmaceutical Companies The paper discusses pharmaceuticals. They are an industry that is doing well financially due to the patents and exclusive rights they enjoy due to their developments.
• Pharmaceutical Science: Vicodin The aim of report on the drug known as Vicodin to highlight the truth in relation to its position and verify the truth behind claims made in reports such as Herper’s.
• Pharmacology: Uses of Albuterol and β2-Adrenergic Agonist This paper is aimed at reviewing research articles aimed at studying the use of albuterol and β2 adrenergic receptor agonist and defining the optimal frequency of its usage.
• National Pharmacy Technician Association One of the biggest global certified associations for pharmacy technicians is the National Pharmacy Technicians Association. This association was established in Houston, Texas.
• Accessing the Pharmacy Services: Safe Medication When receiving medication from a pharmacist, it is important to be aware of the extent of the pharmacist’s competency and their knowledge of the subject matter.
• Pharmaceuticals in the U.S.A. Analysis The purpose of the paper is to discuss the accessibility of medications to the population in the USA, their prices.
• Medical Pharmacology: Noradrenaline Effect on Vascular Rings Noradrenaline is a hormone produced as a catecholamine by the sympathetic neurons from the heart; it is mainly used as a neurotransmitter.
• Purdue Pharmaceutical Company’s OxyContin Opioid The adverse effects of OxyContin presuppose the development of addiction, deterioration of the overall state, and even death.
• Distribution Chain in the Pharmaceutical Industry International pharma trade is subject to government regulations, limiting the distribution of exported raw materials to ensure safety and prevent contamination.
• Comparison of the Pharmacy Laws This paper aims to compare two laws related to the operation of pharmacies – the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) and the Texas Pharmacy Act.
• Certification, Licensure, and Registration of Pharmacy Technicians The rules for certification, licensure, and registration of pharmacy technicians will be discussed in terms of the differences among these procedures with a focus on Texas laws.
• Importance of Compliance Procedures in Pharmacy Compliance procedures have been instituted in the pharmaceutical industry as a measure to foster professionalism in the practice of pharmacy and also to ensure public safety.
• Genetics or New Pharmaceutical Article Within the Last Year Copy number variations (CNVs) have more impacts on DNA sequence within the human genome than single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
• Heath Care – Impact on Pharmaceutical Companies The signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will demand that the Pharmaceutical industry align their practices within the guidelines of this legislation.
• Pharmaceutical Industry: Effective Market Strategy Effective market strategy greatly determines the successful performance of a business. A marketing strategy in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Ethics in Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Ethics in the medical and pharmaceutical industry is a vital component of providing quality services and developing products that will benefit the patients.
• Disease Pathology, Management, and Pharmacological Impact for Tularemia and Hantavirus The purpose of this paper is to describe disease pathology, management, and pharmacological impact for Tularemia and Hantavirus.
• Veteran Pharmaceutical: Cause and Effect Due to the economic crunch being experienced all over America and the whole world at large, there has been a decline in profits for Veteran in the last few months.
• Cialis Production: Pharmaceutical Review The case relates to a firm that is in the process of innovating and launching a new drug with the brand name Cialis in the market. The drug is aimed at treating impotence in men.
• System Approach to Organizational Change: Pharmacy Automation As per the discussion and analysis in the paper, it will be clear that the automation and networking in a pharmacy enables to expand its customer base thus increasing the business.
• The Concept of Pharmacogenetics: Brief Analysis The present paper includes a brief analysis of the concept of pharmacogenetics, that is the study of people’s genetically determined responses to some drugs.
• Medical Pharmacology: The Langendorff Experiment The Langendorff experiment aimed at using an ex vivo isolated rat heart preparation to demonstrate the pharmacological effects of two unknown drugs.
• New Pharmaceuticals and Their Path to the Market When a new pharmaceutical is invented, several steps need to be taken to bring it to the market. Effective marketing is preceded by primarily drug development and manufacturing.
• Pharmacogenetics Characteristics and Development Pharmacogenetics is a relatively young branch of medical science, but it is supposed to have significant potential when it comes to the effectiveness of treatment methods.
• Vapi Pharmaceutical Firms: Strategies for Toxic Waste Disposal Vapi (India) pharmaceutical companies’ strategies on toxic waste products don’t satisfy and comply with laws and legislation on toxic waste management.
• Computerized Provider Order Entry in Pharmacology Computerized provider order entry is an information system that provides a possibility to digitally enter the patient data and chart.
• PharmaCARE: Ethical and Legal Issues The case of PharmaCARE entails a scenario of manipulating the intellectual property rights responsible for safeguarding the production rights of PharmaCARE.
• National Pharmacy: Mobilising Creativity and Innovation This paper is focused on utilising innovation and creativity theoretical models to improve the work environment at the National Pharmacy L.L.C.
• Pharmacy and Policy: Inappropriate Prescription of Drugs It is essential to develop a policy that would enable to reduce the practice of multiple drug prescriptions and eliminate excess financial and health costs associated with it.
• The UK Pharmaceutical Industry: International Business This article will discuss the international business opportunities and risks faced by the pharmaceutical industry in the UK.
• Lack of Leadership in Pharmaceutical and Medical Companies This document concentrates on pharmaceutical and medical companies. It describes and expounds the unethical instances that these companies encountered in the course of their activities.
• CVS Company’s Pharmacy Fulfillment Process The current fulfillment process at CVS seems to be overly complicated of the entrepreneurship to function efficiently and make sure that the customers’ needs are met adequately.
• Caffeine Use in Medicine and Pharmacy Caffeine is used is increasingly becoming popular. The authors of the published research article are distinguished researchers in the field of medicine and pharmacy.
• Turing Pharmaceuticals’ Unethical Price Hikes Turing Pharmaceuticals received so much media attention due to an overnight increase in the price of the drug Daraprim from $13.50 per pill to $750.
• Pharmacy Technician Career: Programs That Can Help People to Become a Good Pharmacy Technician It is possible to outline some existing programs which can help a person to become a good Pharmacy Technician in Oklahoma.
• The Environmental Condition of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmaceutical industry presently undergoes a sluggish growth with the intensification of pricing policies, sluggish growth of prescription drugs.
• PharmaCare Company Ethical Issues This paper presents a case study of PharmaCare, which is one of those companies that have been victims of ethical issues. It will consider the emerging marketing strategy.
• PharmaCARE Company Analysis: Stakeholders and Practices PharmaCARE is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, which has made a significant contribution to the development of drugs and treatment of diseases.
• Pharmacare Company Ethic and Corporate Responsibility This paper evaluates the ethical and corporate responsibility issues that arise in the scenario presented involving Pharmacare: ethical treatment of employees and whistle blowing.
• Deregulating the Pharmacy Market: The Case of Iceland and Norway
• Margins and Market Shares: Pharmacy Incentives for Generic Substitution
• Mission and Target Market of Rite Aid Pharmacy
• Pharmacy: Where Serving Others Is the Key to Success
• Weighing, Measuring and Compounding in Pharmacy
• Bringing the Gap That Exists in Pharmacy Communications
• Why Is the Pharmacy Profession Not Just a Four-Year Commitment?
• Pharmacy: Medicine and Motivating Factors
• Hospital Pharmacy Decisions, Cost Containment, and the Use of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
• Young Mothers and the Marketing of Pharmacy Services
• Overview of Intranet Pharmacy Information Systems
• Sales and Inventory System of a Pharmacy
• Pharmacy Data Integrity for Optimal Analytics
• Healing, Serving and Educating in Pharmacy
• Independent Pharmacy Gives Main Street American Service
• Generic Pharmacy Inventory and Point of Sale System
• Strategic Marketing Management for Boots the Pharmacy
• Tools for Hospital Pharmacy Process Improvement
• Chemical Principles for Pharmacy Technicians
• Why Did Walgreens Eventually Become America’s Leading Pharmacy?
• Strategic Risk Management for Llyods Pharmacy

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Case study: The ever-evolving role of Pharmacy Technicians in research

Marking an important anniversary in the evolution of the role of Pharmacy Technicians

By Jenny Warmington, Senior Pharmacy Technician

To mark the 10 year anniversary of Pharmacy Technician registration (1 July 2021) I wanted to reflect on the important role of pharmacy technicians in research.

I myself qualified as a Pharmacy Technician back in 2001. Over the last 20 years my job role has evolved beyond anything that a 20 (something) year old, newly qualified me would have thought was possible.

Our profession has moved away from an unregulated (mainly) dispensing role to become registered medicines management specialists who are able to lead in our chosen area of expertise. This has allowed other pharmacy professional roles to evolve alongside Pharmacy Technicians, resulting in a pharmacy revolution in healthcare!

I vividly remember the first time I dispensed a clinical trial prescription. Still very newly qualified, I was handed an outpatient prescription and told to fill in a folder in the office at the back of the dispensary. The folder had a post-it note on the front telling me to “fill in the log in section 2 and dispense the allotted number bottle from the shelf”. I did as I was instructed and that was that.

I had no understanding of what I was dispensing, the significance of my actions or the importance of clinical research. I definitely did not know what Good Clinical Practice (GCP) was.

I, alongside my dispensary colleagues, used to do a little pile shuffling when it came to dispensing prescriptions - trial prescriptions were something to avoid (alongside those for syringe drivers).

In July 2011, mandatory registration for pharmacy technicians (with the GPhC ) came into effect. Registration before this time was voluntary.

This was a game changer for the whole pharmacy profession. In terms of research, pharmacy technicians moved away from their dispensing roles and began to lead services. They began to work closely with departments outside of pharmacy (such as Research & Development) and were quickly recognised as the medicines management specialists that they are today. The delivery of Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Product (CTIMP) studies changed too, with pharmacy technicians taking the lead in some Trusts and pharmacy assistants supporting research delivery. This allowed pharmacists to spend time in roles such as prescribing, taking clinics and developing CTIMP protocols.

In writing this blog, I asked my pharmacy colleagues to tell me about their roles and responsibilities within research. I was astounded at the response. Each role was unique to the Trust and it was clear to see that the delivery of the Urgent Public Health badged studies over the last 12 months had seen even more innovation and development of our roles.

These are just a handful of the diverse roles that pharmacy technicians do:

Managing Trust-sponsored studies at multiple sites Writing IMP management sections of the study protocol for Trust-sponsored studies Taking part in Trust inspections (such as MHRA inspections) Identifying potential trial patients in clinics (for example) Accuracy checking of prescriptions Managing priority of workload (with input from R&D) Managing the team within pharmacy (pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and assistant technical officers) Managing the study set up process including feasibility assessing studies Liaising with the other non-pharmacy members of their research team within their Trust Creating content and deliver training Reviewing costings for commercial studies or identifying cost pressures for non-commercial studies Setting up studies themselves Attending Site Initiation Visits

So you can see the impact of Pharmacy Technicians in research is substantial and directly impacts on patients having access to the right research for them.

Pharmacy technicians’ roles are incredibly diverse and are constantly evolving. I encourage my research colleagues both within and outside pharmacy to think about the added value pharmacy technicians could bring to research within their Trusts by making small changes and challenging the roles in their teams. For example, is there a study that the Trust is struggling to recruit to, could someone from pharmacy be well placed to help identify potential patients or is there a study in a clinic that is high risk because of complex manipulations, could a Pharmacy Technician add value to that team and enable the research to happen?

Pharmacy Technicians’ role in research is a space that's filled with potential and opportunity for the future, we just need to recognise the potential and create that opportunity.

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Developing a research question

Developing a research question is not always easy. Use the tips here and explore the books and links to help you determine a topic. 1. Start by considering what you are interested in, and what drew you to pharmacy practice. You'll be working with this project for some time, so having personal interest is important. 2. Consider the readings you have been assigned in class. What questions have you developed after reading, say, a chapter about communication skills for pharmacists? Or the effects of rising costs of drugs? Could you do a project to answer these questions? 3. Research is intended to fill in gaps in knowledge. Consider any readings you have done, or lectures you have attended, where it is mentioned that more research is needed to answer a question. Can you try to answer part or all of that question? 4. Examine specific types of research to find gaps in knowledge.

4a. Examine guidelines and look at the levels of evidence supporting each claim. Are claims supported by low-level evidence? Could you create stronger evidence?

4b. Look at UpToDate or other clinical tools, focusing on the evidence supporting each claim. Are the claims supported by high-level or low-level evidence? Could you create better evidence? 4c. Examine textbooks focused on pharmacotherapy, body systems, or diseases. Look for problems mentioned in these texts, look for future directions in research being summarized, look for words like "unclear, controversial, uncertain." All of these areas can be possible research topics.  

• UpToDate This link opens in a new window An evidence-based resource covering multiple medical specialties. Includes topic monographs, patient education, practice updates, drug interactions, guidelines, and medical calculators. To obtain CME, create a personal profile and log in.
• AccessPharmacy This link opens in a new window Textbooks, drug monographs, quizzes, flashcards, videos, cases, and calculators, selected for relevance to Pharmacy education.

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• Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 2:21 PM
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May 30, 2024

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French pharmacists strike over pay and drug shortages

French pharmacists began their first walkout in 10 years on Thursday, closing up shop over drug shortages, low regulated prices, pharmacy closures and fears medications could be sold online.

After poster and email campaigns to warn of the closures in recent days, patients found around 90 percent of pharmacies across France closed for the day, with every single one in some regional towns shutting their doors.

Local authorities have requisitioned some locations to ensure a legally required minimum coverage.

Protesters in cities including Toulouse, Nice, Angers and Limoges chanted slogans like "Pharmacies in danger means a threat to health" and "Where's the amoxycillin?" referring to an antibiotic that has suffered repeated shortages.

The USPO pharmacists' union said around 13,000 people had joined morning demonstrations.

Professionals say they are just as concerned about drug shortages, rural closures and training reform as about remuneration and working conditions.

"We are having to pause diabetics' treatment because we're missing one injectable drug," said Isabelle Pailler, a pharmacist of 30 years from Bellac in central France who joined a 400-strong march in Limoges.

"We spend an hour and a half or two hours every day on the phone with doctors, the hospital, the drugmakers" to deal with the problem, she said.

For the profession as a whole, "the biggest worry is vanishing pharmacies" as they face economic hardship in rural areas and sometimes even in towns and cities, said Philippe Besset, president of the FSPF pharmacists' union federation.

Around 2,000 pharmacies have closed nationwide in 10 years, leaving around 20,000 in operation, trade bodies say.

Unions are calling for higher remuneration from next year as inflation blows up their costs, ahead of talks next week with France's national health insurance authority.

Pharmacists claim that drug prices in France, which are set by the government, are lower than in neighboring countries, which has contributed to shortages.

Beyond the walkouts and nationwide protests, a central march in Paris will run through the capital's south from the pharmacy school to the economy ministry.

A major sore point concerns suspected government plans to make it easier to sell over-the-counter medications online.

"All the ingredients are in place to kill the network" of pharmacies across France, which employ a total of 130,000 people, said USPO union chief Pierre-Olivier Variot.

Marc Ferracci, an MP for President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party, told AFP that easier online sales were "under consideration" but that people should "keep their heads".

The government would not endanger pharmacists' drug monopoly, he insisted.

"Nothing will be opened up to big supermarkets nor will medications be added to Amazon," Ferracci said.

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