Welcome to PTEC - Empowering Pharmacy Technicians
PTEC
Pharmacy technicians assist and support licensed pharmacists in providing health care and medications to patients.
Although people have been assisting pharmacists for many years, they have not always been recognized as skilled workers, nor have always been called pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy Technicians have been called pharmacy helpers, pharmacy clerks, pharmacy aides, pharmacy assistants, and pharmacy support personnel. Some pharmacy technicians are still given these older titles in some areas of the country, while in other areas they may be called pharmacy technologists.
Pharmacy technicians must have a broad knowledge of pharmacy practice, and be skilled in the techniques required to order, stock, package, and prepare medications, but they do not need the advanced college education required of a licensed pharmacist.
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Pharmacy technicians may perform many of the same duties as pharmacists, however, all of a technician’s work must be checked by a pharmacist before medication can be dispensed to a patient.
Pharmacy technicians can work everywhere pharmacists work, although some state laws may limit the duties pharmacy technicians can perform. Pharmacy technicians work in hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, home health care pharmacies, nursing home pharmacies, clinic pharmacies, nuclear medicine pharmacies, and in mail order prescription pharmacies.
In addition, some pharmacy technicians have been employed in non-traditional settings by medical insurance companies, medical computer software companies, drug manufacturing companies, drug wholesale companies, food processing companies, and even as instructors in pharmacy technician training programs. Currently, hospital, home health care, and retail pharmacies hire the majority of pharmacy technicians.
A Brief History of PTEC
Pharmacy Technician Educators Conference
Members met in Columbia, SC. Don Ballington organized this first conference as a networking / information sharing experience for technician educators.
Pharmacy Technician Educators Conference was again hosted by Don Ballington.
Attendance at the conference increased and the idea of an organization dedicated to the interests and concerns of technician educators was discussed.
Pharmacy Technician Educators Conference in Charleston, SC,
was the birthplace of the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council. Don Ballington, the founder of PTEC, was elected president, with Larry Nesmith elected Vice President, Vincent Druash elected Treasurer, Dick Kuschinsky elected Reporter, and Jan Keresztes elected President Elect.
Annual PTEC meeting
was held in Charleston, SC, with a meeting focus on pharmacy technician program curriculums, educational materials, and instructional techniques. PTEC selected the journal of Pharmacy Technology as its official journal.
Annual PTEC meeting
was hosted by President Jan Keresztes in Chicago, IL, with a meeting focus on pharmacy technology, pharmacy automation, and teaching critical thinking skills.
Annual PTEC meeting
was hosted by President Peter Vonderau in Cleveland, OH, with a meeting focus on new duties and responsibilities for technicians. Discussions with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy led to a resolution to hold the 1995 PTEC meeting in conjunction with the AACP annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
PTEC Recommended Pharmacy Technology Program Content
PTEC strongly recommends
All pharmacy technician education and training programs seek American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ accreditation of their programs.
Prerequisites
A strong background in reading, writing and mathematics, or remediation which enables the student to succeed in the program.
PTEC recommends
A minimum of 760 contact hours (45 quarter or 32 semester credits) for each training program.
The Training Program
Covers at least the following information :
- Introduction to Pharmacy and the Healthcare System
- Pharmacy Law and Ethics
- Pharmacology, including:
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Prescription & OTC Medications
- Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Pharmacy Operations including:
- Drug Distribution Systems
- Records Management & Inventory Control
- Ambulatory & Institutional Practice
Compounding, including:
- Aseptic Technique
- Non-Sterile Compounding
- General Education, including:
- Medical Terminology
- Interpersonal Relations
- Communications
- Computers / Keyboarding
- Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
- Experiential Training
PTEC recommends at least
320 hours
PTEC recommends at least
320 hours
to be devoted to experiential contact, excluding laboratory hours. The experience should be obtained in multiple situations exposing the student to the broadest range of experience available to the training program.