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Pharmacy
technicians' roles are as important and critical as ever. There is a
growing need for pharmacy technicians because more people, especially
the elderly, are requiring the services of pharmacists; and pharmacists
need the assistance of pharmacy technicians more than ever also. Good
communication skills are a requirement, because they are working
closely with patients, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals.
But more than that, pharmacy technicians need to be knowledgeable in
all aspects of their duties and responsibilities, because even though
they're in direct supervision of the pharmacist, pharmacy technicians
are still responsible for their customers' well being.
This
is where a pharmacy technician's experience, education, training, and
certification prove their importance. Requirements for pharmacy
technicians are getting stricter every year. Although a high school
diploma is all that is needed, employers now prefer those pharmacy
technicians who have undergone formal training, and even a nationally
recognized pharmacy
technician certification, like what the Pharmacy
Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the Institute for the
Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ICPT) give. Most States also
require pharmacy technicians to register with the State Board of
Pharmacy.
However, once you receive your pharmacy
technician certification, it doesn't end there. Every two years,
technicians must be recertified. To be recertified, you need to get
pharmacy technician continuing education that lasts a total of 20
hours, within the 2-year recertification period. You can earn pharmacy
technician continuing education from different sources, like colleges,
pharmacy associations, and pharmacy technician training programs. You
can also earn up to 10 hours of pharmacy technician continuing
education on your on-the-job training, under the direct supervision of
a licensed pharmacist.
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Other
professions that
deals with healthcare also needs to undergo recertification by
undergoing continuing education. For example, medical assistants can be
recertified through medical assistant continuing education. This is
done by accumulating 60 recertification points, broken down as: 10
points in administrative category, 10 clinical, 10 general, and 30
points from any combination of the above three categories. Walgreens,
the United States' biggest drugstore chain, knows the value of it by
giving their pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses online
opportunities to earn Walgreens continuing education credit hours that
meet the approval of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
(ACPE) and the California Board of Registered Nursing.
CVS/Pharmacy,
the second largest drugstore chain, also gives opportunities for their
employees to receive CVS continuing education while employed in the
company. The company offers this as part of their comprehensive
compensation and benefits package which also include their education
assistance, merchandise discount, recognition for their hard work, and
even the chance to participate in community outreach programs.
Talking
generally, we shouldn't let our minds become stagnant. Continuing
education is very important in everyone's growth, no matter what age
they are. For people involved in healthcare, like pharmacists, medical
assistants, nurses, and pharmacy technicians, it is even more important
because they're dealing with human lives. As a pharmacy technician,
securing your pharmacy technician continuing education is important for
your career advancement; but more importantly, it's important to the
patient who's depending on your professional abilities and know-how.
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