The existence of a pharmacy technician is worth when they hold a certification. In order to be an expert certified professional individuals have to get through the pharmacy technician exam. The candidates who clear the exam are likely to be the best assistance for the pharmacists, as they can efficiently handle the patients and act according to their quest.
However, with your first job as a pharmacy technician the salary would be average, but as you gain relevant experience and a good examination score you are likely to earn big bucks. If you are also making plans to sit for the pharmacy technician exam then you can find here some good tips to prepare for the test. You should start exploring the online and offline resource to study for the test. Nowadays, online methods are the best way to make preparations; the examination consists of three parts, which are as follows-
• Serving patients and assisting the pharmacists, this section contributes about 66 percent in the test.
• Inventory and mediation control system, this section hold weightage of 22 percent in the test.
• Taking part in administration and management of pharmacy practice covers about 12 percent in the exam.
As the examination involved 125 multiple choice questions and the time limit is only three hours the candidate has to be sharp and accurate. Contrary to this there are more 15 pre-test questions. However, the score of these is not included in the final score.
The minimum qualification to attain a pharmacy technician certification is a high school diploma. Comparing to the past years role of pharmacy technician has evolved, previously the clerical and technical staff used to perform the task of the pharmacists. But the training and certification of pharmacy technician has expanded their role in the profession which allows them to spend more time in delivering the pharmaceutical care services. According to studies pharmacy technicians are involved in wide areas of pharmacy practices. In hospitals, the role of pharmacy technician can vary; they have to assists the nurses, assemble prescription and administer charts. Pharmacy technician is also required to dispense pills and liquids and hence creating labels for the medication, they organize records, charts, tables and data on the computer systems to make sure things are updated and upto mark.
Hence it is clear the job is indeed a respectable one and also acquaints a good salary. Also for making your preparation stronger to clear the exam you can get along with Pharmacy technician certification exam simulation software. ‘Atipharmtech’, offers a unique simulation program that contains 3,020 PTECH (pharmacy technician certification exam) questions. Therefore, the software lets you to clear the test in first attempt, just stay focused and get you dream job here.
Chronic diseases are common among the older population, the rate of drug related problems and inappropriate medication use in the elderly is disturbing. The heavy use of medications in this population has increased. The rate of drug interactions decreased the quality of life, and the financial consequences of the problem are enormous. Information about polypharmacy and pattern of drug use by community dwelling elderly is scant.
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of polypharmacy and factors affecting it among home-dwelling elderly Palestinians in the Northern West Bank districts, aged 65 years or over by using a cross-sectional study (n=317). Elderly were defined for the purpose of this study as those who are aged e 65, Polypharmacy was defined as the concomitant use of 5 or more medications.
Results found that the percent prevalence of polypharmacy among the study population of the three districts (Nablus, Tulkarm, and Jenin) is 41%. Mean number of medications used by each elder of the study population was 4.48 (SD 2.249). The commonest disease affecting elderly is hypertension, followed by joint diseases, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. The study’s findings showed that polypharmacy is affected significantly by gender (p = 0.015), no statistically significant relationship between polypharmacy and other factors (Age, place of residence, marital status, level of education, and income). The study also showed that elderly patients are unaware of consequences of polypharmacy; (non-adherence, medication errors, adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions, increased risk of hospitalization, and increased cost of treatment).
The study results showed that medication counseling is mainly done by physicians, whith minimal role for pharmacists or nurses. Prescribers need to be aware of increasing polypharmacy. Regular assessment of indications is needed to avoid overuse of drugs. Geriatric knowledge is needed to support health centers and specialized units in this demanding task. Community pharmacists’ role in reducing this phenomenon needs to be enhanced. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and all health providers who have a direct contact with the elders should be aware of polypharmacy, they should work as a team to educate community elderly about consequences of polypharmacy. Polypharmacy is a complex and worrying phenomenon that merits more research.
Thousands of Americans may not realize that some of their prescription medicines have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency charged with ensuring the safety of the nation’s drug supply. While the dangers of imported drugs have received much attention, increasingly more medicine is being manufactured domestically by pharmacists without FDA oversight.
For decades, pharmacists have customized prescription medicines to meet the specific medical needs of individual patients. For example, small children or elderly patients may require medicine as liquids rather than as tablets, or doctors may prescribe medicine that is not commercially available. Tailoring medicine this way, known as “pharmacy compounding,” provides needed medicine that pharmaceutical manufacturers can’t supply. This type of compounding is legal.
Recently, however, public health officials, patient advocacy groups and doctors have been increasingly alarmed that some compounding pharmacists mass manufacture drugs without FDA oversight and the normal checks on quality and safety required for regular drug manufacturers. Such pharmacies are typically small independent pharmacies or those owned by home health care companies.
Patients who use these drugs of unknown quality, purity, sterility and potency are not protected by the safety net the FDA has built to safeguard the nation’s drug supply. Patients and doctors may not even be aware that the pharmacy has dispensed a compounded drug instead of the prescribed, FDA-approved one. “Right now, consumers have more information about their breakfast cereals than they do about their drugs,” says Nancy Sander, President of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA).
Compounding pharmacists have a strong financial incentive to manufacture large quantities of copies of FDA-approved drugs. For example, producing nebulized drugs for asthma, emphysema, COPD and other respiratory diseases-some of the most frequently compounded-can be very lucrative. “Compounding allows pharmacies to realize profit margins of almost 75 percent from compounded drugs, because insurance companies and Medicare pay reimbursements that are significantly higher than the pharmacies’ costs for making the drug,” says Sarah Sellers, an independent FDA consultant on the pharmacy compounding industry.
While the FDA oversees pharmaceutical manufacturers, individual states regulate pharmacies. In most states, pharmacies are not required to check their compounded drugs for potency or sterility. Compounded drugs may be made in unsanitary conditions, and rarely include proper instructions or warnings. Independent testing of compounded drugs by the FDA has found bacterial contamination and significant variation in potency, both of which can be very dangerous for patients. In some cases, they have been deadly. Uncovering safety issues is difficult because most states do not require compounding pharmacies to report problems.
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Pharmacologists are desperately needed to serve the growinghealth care industry. According to Sarlary.Com the majority of pharmacists earn between $98,000-$109,000. The top paid positions are in the Western United States.
More than 41% of pharmaceutical jobs are held by professionals with a JD, MD, or PhD.. More than 25% of the companies have less than 25 employees and nearly 16% of the companies have more than 15,000 employees.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Handbook 2008-2009 there is an anticipated increase of pharmacy technicians needed by 32%. This is a much faster than average increase for all occupations.
The number one reason purported is an aging population that uses more prescription drugs and scientific advancements, which are developing more drugs to help cure diseases. Pharmacologists required to do research and prepare the orders.
Continuing education for pharmacists is not an option. It is becoming increasingly important that both pharmacists an pharmacy technicians stay abreast of the new prescription drugs. They must possess extensive knowledge when it comes to the names, class, side effects and possible interactions with other medications.
As the health insurance industry tries to find ways ways to cut costs, pharmaceutical technicians will be utilized to do more of the typical and administrative responsibilities that were done by the pharmacist.
Almost all States have laws stating the maximum number of technicians who can safely work under a pharmacist at single time. Changes in these regulations could impact employment
The job opportunities in this field vary significantly. There are community druggists who compounds and dispenses prescribed drugs. They are also required to transfer prescriptions, tracking information and handling customer concerns.
Your career begins with the college of pharmacy and leads you as far as you are willing to go. The opportunities are limitless.
