Why do I need to know Trade/generics? Re: someone please help!

[Guest guest]

Dear ALL,

The following is in the FAQ section of this site!

I wrote it a long time ago as an answer to EVERY time someone asked the

corresponding question. Since it was asked so often I decided to make an FAQ

file for this site.

Not sure if the following link will work but make sure you copy and past ALL of

it into your browser WHEN you are logged in to the site.

http://f1.grp.fs.com/v1/8KMsTqXnwd1v1wdXWI7LfPiYBbZC_PQ49F6LtO08CDa1q7DQN5X\

naJscrX-rPZgxpODcQxU5xSRzJ8ki0PFE/5-%20Tutorial-1%20%26%20Study%20Information/S%\

20-%200%20FAQ%27s/Why%20do%20I%20have%20to%20know%20Trade-generics%20and%20Pharm\

acology%20.doc

Why do I have to know Trade-generics and Pharmacology?

AKA: How important is it to know trade and generics for the PTCB or ExCPT exams?

AKA: How important is it to know Pharmacology?

1. Knowing the Trade and generics, Pharmacology, as well as

pharmacy math; are the BACKBONE of being a pharmacy technician.

a. You can not assist the pharmacist well if you can not calculate the dosages,

costs, compounding amounts nor select the right drug off of the shelf to

dispense.

b. You can not assist the pharmacist in prevention of medication

errors if you do not know basic pharmacology.

2. A technician's job is to assist the pharmacist in filling

prescriptions and that includes medication error prevention as well as personal

and patient safety. KNOWING the following will help, but it ALL begins with

knowing the trade and generic names:

a. Drug - drug interactions

b. Drug - herb interactions

c. Drug - food interactions

d. Drug - disease state interactions

e. Allergy Contraindications

f. Contraindications

g. Math Calculations

h. Drug Availability and Appearance and Dosage forms

i. Drug Storage

a. Temperature

b. Location

j. Drug Handling

a. Protective gear or not

b. Laws regarding disposal

k. Drug Pharmacodynamics:

a. Mechanism of Action

b. Site of Action

l. Drug Pharmacokinetics:

a. Absorption

b. Metabolism

c. Excretion

m. Precautions and Warnings to apply the correct Auxiliary labels

3. IF you are studying the very minimum to pass the exam

the very minimum maybe just maybe this is NOT the field for you! Doing your

very best to protect the public is the basis for pharmacy and medicine. This

began with HIPPOCRATES.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath

http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/hippooath.html

Truth of " First do no harm " - Hippocrates said it but not in the Oath, rather

did so in his Epidemics, Bk. I, Sect. XI. One translation reads: " Declare the

past, diagnose the present, foretell the future; practice these acts. As to

diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least to do no harm. "

http://www.geocities.com/everwild7/noharm.html

4. IF you are going to be serious about becoming a pharmacy

technician with people's lives in your hands, then you might as well take the

time to STUDY and memorize all you can about every drug that you can. NOT for

any written TEST!~ BUT for the TEST of LIFE! For having someone's life in your

hands!!! IF you do not believe that pharmacy technicians DO have the ability to

hurt some one then read the following articles and IF you still think that

studying only a minimum or just passing by a minimum amount is all that is

necessary then again maybe you should reconsider this career path.

Watch these videos to see how YOU will affect the lives of others working at a

Wallgreen's or CVS or any hospital pharmacy:

ABC Ross Investigates for 20/20 and Good Morning America 4-3-07 Many

people behind counters are not pharmacists

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3003662

ABC Ross for World

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3003654

Beth Hiply Lakeland, Florida

Girkey Chicago Illinoise

ABC Undercover naming names 4-28-07

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3003647

5. Because the PTCB is being accepted NOW in most states

WITHOUT requiring education or training to take the exam the exam is set up to

ask questions regarding straightforward trade/generic equivalents as well as

pharmacology questions related to the trade and generics. In addition, there are

questions that only an experienced tech would be able to answer regarding

specific drugs; such as: storage and handling (unless you studied such in a

pharmacy tech class or learned it on an externship).

6. In order to know what a drug interaction is, you would have to

know the names of drugs. So tell me why one would hire you if you do not know

Trade and generics? I teach a pharm tech program in California. My students must

pass the 100 trade and generic list by 95%. BUT they know in advance which drugs

will be on the senior final exam AND they have 5.5 to 8.5 months to study them.

in addition they are taught approximately 800 drugs in the whole course. The

Trade/generic senior final only has about 100 of them and the Pharmacology Sr

Final has about another 300 along with the classification and pharmacology of

the drugs. Some students just memorize the list right before and when they go to

extern this is a problem as they can not work fast enough to be efficient and

they make more mistakes pulling drugs off of the shelves. These number only a

few students and the exceptions. But it is the case of a few, sadly. Ultimately

the pharmacists who are training the extern will comment on the slowness of the

tech and will usually pass on hiring this person. They sometimes hire the NEXT

intern who does much better.

copyrighted by Jeanetta Mastron CPHT BS Chemistry

February 1, 2009

Posted 12-29-09

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Founder/Owner

>

> I am so confused too all this!! I'm studying too take the exam soon but I have

no idea where too get a good starting point, I don't even know what to start

with! Is it a big importance too learn the top 200 drugs and there generics?

What's all this about learning drug classifications? And also the math? Where

should I start with that? Any help with this would be very much appreciated!!

>