Guest guest Posted December 28, 2002 Report Share Posted December 28, 2002 Hi Mari Ann- First of all, go to the PTCB site and take the practice exam http://ptcb.org This will help you to identify your weak areas and give you a feel of what to expect. There are a number of study guides available and can order them through most of the major book stores (Amazon, & Noble, etc). You can also purchase new and used study guides at the Tech Lectures site http://www.geocities.com/techlectures/ NPTA sells new books at their site http://www.pharmacytechnician.org/ If you are strapped for cash or wish to review the books before buying, check out Adopt-A-Tech http://www.adoptatech.org/ Here you can borrow books for up to 6 months--paying only for shipping. We all have our preferences. My personal favorites at the moment are: Pharmacy Certified Technician Training Manual; Michigan Pharmacists Assos. ISBN 0-941174-11-5 Manual for Phamacy Technician and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Review and Practice Exam; both by ASHP. ISBNs 1-879907- 79-8 and 1-879907-80-1 Certification Review for Pharmacy Technicians; Noah Riefman ISBN 0- 914373-34-X I also urge you to visit this site often and post any questions you may have. We have a lot of knowledgeable people who will help answer your questions. If you are uncomfortable posting on the message board you are welcome to email me or Jeanetta privately. Sincerely, Dora,CPhT Group Moderator > Hello, > I've visited your site several times and find it extremely > helpful. The one thing I need to know is where do I get the books I > need to prepare for the exam in March? I completed a course Dec 10th, > and The pharmacy manager asked if I was ready to be certified. I've > only worked at for about 3 months, 20 hours a week with no > real training, so I'm a bit concerned that I'm not really prepared > for the test yet.Especially if they pay for it and I fail it! > If you could advise on this subject, or knoe where I can purchase > the books, I would be very happy. > Thanks, Mari Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2002 Report Share Posted December 28, 2002 Dear Mari Ann, You have inspired me to compile a list of availble guides " faster " than I had planned to do. In the mean time, until you get a study guide try www.rxinsider.com, which is used to train technicians for hire. It is Free. I actually had found this site about a year or more ago. But I lost the site addy. Then Kumar reminded me of it and gave me the site addy. It is in our link section. A great site for beginning primer basic technician information. Dora has also pointed you in the right direction. As she states we all have our personal favorites. Since PTCB exam should be a test of what you already know, the books available should be REVIEW books and not TEXT BOOKS! in other words if you need to learn pharmacy fromthe gound up, you should not expect to find it in a PTCB Test REVIEW BOOK or Manual. These books or manuals for review should be dedicated to review and less TEACHING from ground zero or scratch. If however you know nothing of pharmacy or are very very new to the field then I would suggest a TEXT book. As an educator I use a review book written by Joe Medina in my Review Seminars, with great success. ( I do not get a $ kick back for this recommendation). My students supplement their knowledge from school curriculum from all that I have previously taught them and their internships/experience with this Review Work book. It is available via www.techlectures.com, for about $30. Please check for current prices. But my favorite if my students could afford both books which should be used together and what I find most comprehensive is: The Pharmacy Technician (2nd Edition) by Marvin M. Stoogenke From Amazon as of 12-28-02 Availability: Out of stock Used & new from $35.05 AND The Pharmacy Technician (3rd Edition) by Marvin M. Stoogenke List Price: $55.33 Price: $55.33 & This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. See details. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Only 1 left in stock--order soon. Used & new from $51.99 Edition: Paperback | All Editions (I get no kick backs from this recommendation either). As you can see not much in stock right now and it sells out quick, mainly I think because it is so damn good. However, try Adoptatech for a copy, if you can not buy one. The above two boks from Marvin Stoogenke do not have to be used together, but it is highly recommended. Look for a list on this site of some of the study books available. Respectfully, Jeanetta Mastron CPhT Pharmacy Technician Educator Founder/Owner of this site. > Hello, > I've visited your site several times and find it extremely > helpful. The one thing I need to know is where do I get the books I > need to prepare for the exam in March? I completed a course Dec 10th, > and The pharmacy manager asked if I was ready to be certified. I've > only worked at for about 3 months, 20 hours a week with no > real training, so I'm a bit concerned that I'm not really prepared > for the test yet.Especially if they pay for it and I fail it! > If you could advise on this subject, or knoe where I can purchase > the books, I would be very happy. > Thanks, Mari Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 now that a few days has passed since I took the exam, I can finally think rationally again. Jeanetta, you are probably right, during the exam seeing all the math, I guess my brain froze... I can't give you good examples of what was on the test because it stressed me and I can't remember.... Mainly, my trouble was that given a word math problem I could not decide what formula to use to get the answer... proportions? ratios? dividing? multiplying? there were questions that I felt came out of the blue....on maintenance of equipment, blood pressures in reference to a particular script... Did I get a test that was half math? I think I did, but I can finally realize that the problem was in the fact that I froze and became befuddled.... The test covers such a wide range of topics because Pharmacy Technicians are used in so many different areas of the pharmacy field...if you have on-the-job training only in one aspect covered by the test, the test would probably be difficult... One of the techs I work with took the test about two weeks before I did and he had about two years experience in retail pharmacy...He found the test difficult because his test had numerous questions about hospital termilogy and techniques....I did not have any questions on hospitals... I thought I was prepared when I went to take the test, I had taken a class that said it was preparation for the test, I had worked part- time in retail pharmacy, I studied, took sample tests...yet I was devastated when I finished the test... Maybe for most of you that doesn't seem like much preparation or education, but as far as education goes in Texas, there is little out there other than on-the-job training and that varies with the field you go into and each job setting... In the job that I did choose, the only math that we have ever used has been figuring out how many ml were required to fill a prescription or days supply....we don't make IV's, calculate drip flows, or even do compounding (the head pharmacist sends people with those scripts to another pharmacy) I am not saying that these skills are not important, just that I didn't have enough background on them to really understand the calculations required by the word problems. I knew how to convert measurements but what to do with them once they were converted was the problem... After working in a pharmacy, I certainly agree with many of you in this group that there should be more formal learning available and required...but I am glad there are groups like yours where I hope to finally grasp the math even if I never am required on the job to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Dear MsTreka, I would go to the PTCB or ExCPT site to find the list of items to study and to learn. For PTCB try this: Exam tab Exam Preparation drop down tab https://www.ptcb.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Exam_Preparation & Template=/CM/Conte\ ntCombo.cfm & NavMenuID=806 & ContentID=3269 Scroll down to Content Outline The exam is made of three basic knowledge functions: I. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients Leads you to: http://www.ptcb.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Exam_Preparation & Template=/CM/Conten\ tDisplay.cfm & ContentID=1989 I. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients (66% of exam) A. Receive prescription/medication order(s) from patient/patient's representative, prescriber, or other healthcare professional Accept new prescription/medication order from patient/patient's representative, prescriber, or other healthcare professional Accept new prescription/medication order electronically (for example, by telephone, fax, or electronic transmission) Accept refill request from patient/patient's representative Accept refill authorization from prescriber or other healthcare pfofessional electronically (for example, by telephone, fax, or electronic transmission) Contact prescriber/originator for clarification of prescription/medication order refill Perform/accept transfer of prescription/medication order(s) B. Assist the pharmacist in accordance with federal rules and regulations in obtaining from the patient/patient's representative such information as diagnosis or desired therapeutic outcome, disease state, medication history (including over-the-counter [OTC] medications and dietary supplements), allergies, adverse reactions, medical history and other relevant patient information, physical disability, and payor information (including both self-pay and third party reimbursement) C. Assist the pharmacist in accordance with federal rules and regulations in obtaining from prescriber, other healthcare professionals, and/or the medical record such information as diagnosis or desired therapeutic outcome, disease state, medication history (including [OTC] medications and dietary supplements), allergies, adverse reactions, medical history and other relevant patient information, physical disability, and payor information (including both self-pay and third party reimbursement) D. Collect and communicate patient-specific data (for example, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol levels, therapeutic drug levels, immunizations) to assist the pharmacist in monitoring patient outcomes E. Collect and communicate data related to restricted drug distribution programs (for example, thalidomide, isotretinoin, and clozapine) F. Collect and communicate data related to investigational drugs G. Assess prescription or medication order for completeness (for example, patient's name and address), accuracy, authenticity, legality, and reimbursement eligibility H. Update the medical record/patient profile with suchinformation as medication history (including [OTC] medications and dietary supplements), disease states, compliance/adherence patterns, allergies, medication duplication, and/or drug-disease, drug-drug, drug-laboratory, drug-dietary supplement and/or OTC, and drug-food interactions I. Assist the patient/patient's representative in choosing the best payment assistance plan if multiple plans are available to patient J. Process a prescription/medication order Enter prescription/medication order information onto patient profile Select the appropriate product(s) for dispensing (for example, brand names, generic substitutes, therapeutic substitutes, formulary restrictions) Obtain pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances, controlled substances, and investigational products) from inventory Calculate quantity and days supply of finished dosage forms for dispensing Measure or count quantity of finished dosage forms for dispensing Process and handle radiopharmaceuticals Perform calculations for radiopharmaceuticals Process and handle chemotherapeutic medications commercially available in finished dosage forms (for example, Efudex, mercaptopurine) Perform calculations for oral chemotherapeutic medications Process and handle investigational products Package finished dosage forms (for example, blister pack, robotic/automated dispensing vial) Affix label(s) and auxiliary label(s) to container(s) Assemble patient information materials (for example, drug information sheets, patient package inserts, Health Information Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] literature) Check for accuracy during processing of the prescription/medication order (for example, National Drug Code [NDA] number, bar code, and data entry) Verify the data entry, measurements, preparation, and/or packaging of medications produced by other technicians as allowed by law (for example, tech check tech) Prepare prescription or medication order for final check by pharmacist Prepare prescription or medication order for final check by pharmacy technician as allowed by law (for example, tech check tech) Perform Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) required checks for radiopharmaceuticals K. Compound a prescription/medication order: Assemble equipment and/or supplies necessary for compounding the prescription/medication order Calibrate equipment (for example, scale or balance, total parenteral nutrition [TPN] compounder) needed to compound the prescription/medication order Perform calculations required for preparation of compounded IV admixtures Perform calculations for extemporaneous compounds Compound medications (for example, topical preparations, reconstituted antibiotic suspensions) for dispensing according to prescription and/or compounding guidelines Compound medications in anticipation of prescriptions/medication orders (for example, compounding for a specific patient) Prepare sterile products (for example, TPNs, piggybacks, IV solutions, ophthalmic products) Prepare radiopharmaceuticals Prepare chemotherapy Record preparation and/or ingredients of medications (for example, lot number, control number, expiration date, chemotherapy calculations, type of IV solution) L. Provide prescription/medication to patient/patient's representative: Store medication prior to distribution Provide medication and supplemental information (for example, package inserts) to patient/patient's representative Package and ship pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) to patient/patient's representative li>Place medication in dispensing system (for example, unit-dose cart, automated systems) Deliver medication to patient-care unit Record distribution of prescription medication Record distribution of controlled substances Record distribution of investigational drugs Record distribution of restricted drugs (for example, isotretinoin, clozapine, thalidomide) Record distribution of prescription/medication to patient's home M. Determine charges and obtain reimbursement for products and services N. Communicate with third-party payers to determine or verify coverage O. Communicate with third-party payers to obtain prior authorizations P. Communicate with third-party payers and patients/patient's representatives to rectify rejected third-party claims Q. Identify and resolve problems with rejected claims (for example, incorrect days supply, incorrect ID number) R. Provide supplemental information (for example, disease state information, CDs) as requested/required S. Direct patient/patient's representative to pharmacist for counseling T. Perform drug administration functions under appropriate supervision (for example, perform drug/IV rounds, check pumps, anticipate refill of drugs/IVs) U. Process and dispense enteral products II. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems Leads you to: http://www.ptcb.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Exam_Preparation & Template=/CM/Conten\ tDisplay.cfm & ContentID=2020 II. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems (22% of exam) A. Identify pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) to be ordered B. Place routine orders for pharmaceuticals, durable and nondurable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) in compliance with legal, regulatory, formulary, budgetary, and contractual requirements C. Place emergency orders for pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) in compliance with legal, regulatory, formulary, budgetary, and contractual requirements D. Receive pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) and verify against specifications on original purchase orders E. Place pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) in inventory under proper storage conditions while incorporating error prevention strategies F. Perform non–patient-specific preparation, distribution, and maintenance of pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) while incorporating error prevention strategies (for example, crash carts, clinic and nursing floor stock, automated dispensing systems) G. Remove from inventory expired/discontinued/slow moving/overstocked pharmaceuticals, durable and nondurable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) H. Remove from inventory recalled pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) I. Dispose of or destroy pharmaceuticals or supplies (for example, hazardous substances, investigational products, controlled substances, non-dispensable products) J. Communicate changes in product availability (for example, formulary changes, recalls, shortages) to pharmacy staff, patient/patient's representative, physicians, and other healthcare professionals K. Implement and monitor policies and procedures to deter theft and/or drug diversion L. Maintain a record of controlled substances ordered, received, and removed from inventory M. Maintain a record of investigational products ordered, received, and removed from inventory N. Perform required inventories and maintain associated records O. Maintain record-keeping systems for repackaging, non-patient specific compounding, recalls, and returns of pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) P. Compound non-patient specific medications in anticipation of prescription/medication orders Q. Perform quality assurance tests on compounded medications (for example, end product testing and validation) R. Repackage finished dosage forms for dispensing (for example, unit dose, blister pack, oral syringes) Participate in quality assurance programs related to pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies (including hazardous substances and investigational products) III. Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice Leads you to: http://www.ptcb.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Exam_Preparation & Template=/CM/Conten\ tDisplay.cfm & ContentID=2019 III. P articipating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice (12% of exam) A. Coordinate written, electronic, and oral communications throughout the practice setting (for example, route phone calls, faxes, verbal and written refill authorizations; disseminate policy and procedure changes) B. Update and maintain patient information (for example, insurance information, demographics, provider information) in accordance with federal regulations and professional standards (for example, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA]) C. Collect productivity information (for example, the number of prescriptions filled, fill times, payments collected, rejected claim status) D. Participate in quality assurance activities (for example, medication error prevention, customer satisfaction surveys, and internal audits of processes) E. Generate quality assurance reports (for example, compile or summarize data collected for evaluation or action plan development, root cause analysis) F. Implement and monitor the practice setting for compliance with federal regulations and professional standards (for example, Materials Safety Data Sheet [MSDS], Occupational Safety Health Administration [OSHA], Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO], United States Pharmacopeia [uSP]) G. Implement and monitor policies and procedures for infection control H. Implement and monitor policies and procedures for the handling, disposal, and destruction of pharmaceuticals and supplies (for example, hazardous substances, investigational products, controlled substances, non-dispensable products, radiopharmaceuticals) I. Perform and record routine sanitation, maintenance, and calibration of equipment (for example, automated dispensing equipment, balances, TPN compounders, and refrigerator/freezer temperatures) J. Update, maintain, and use manual or electronic information systems (for example, patient profiles, prescription records, inventory logs, reference materials) in order to perform job related activities K. Use and maintain automated and point-of-care dispensing technology L. Perform billing and accounting functions for products and services (for example, self-pay, third-party adjudication, pharmaceutical discount cards, medication reimbursement) M. Communicate with third-party payors to determine or verify coverage for products and services N. Coordinate and/or participate in staff training and continuing education O. Perform and/or contribute to employee evaluations and competency assessments P. Participate in the establishment, implementation, and monitoring of the practice setting's policies and procedures Hope this helps! Now read EACH section and cross off what you know or have studied adn feel comfortable about. What ever is left over check the chapters your study book(s), then use my site to see if there are any tutorials in Files Folder #5 on the topic(s). If not then google it or look for another book and post it here. Somethings are just plain " experiential " questions. Others may be left out of the books or not enough questions on the test to worry about or donate time and space to in a study guide as deemed by the author of the study guide. Please post anything that you did not get exposed to in your online course but thinkyou should have and especially if it is on the PTCB study list. I will give you my best assessment of that topic and the testing. Also Test banks continually have new batches of test questions added and some removed. So what was asked 3 yrs ago may be out today and something else in its place. Any feed back on my advice would be appreciated to let me know if I am on target. Thank you for your question, Respectfully, Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS Founder/Owner > > Hi Jeanetta, > I've recently finished an online course in Pharmacy Tech but don't really feel as if I've learned what I need to pass the Certification Exam and was wondering if there were any high points that I need to be looking at. Thanks In Advance For Your Help > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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