Advancing the profession

TechLectures is having a holiday contest. They ask a single question.  How do we professionalize our vocation?  Follow the link for more details.  While I will not be entering the contest (as to avoid any notion of a conflict of interest, with a link being placed on my site.) I will give you my short essay.

First of all, Show your Pharmacist that we are essential in the practice.   Good Pharmacists who advocate for us are key. There is no doubt we would loose the battle without them.

Moving on, A National Exam and Certification/CE should be required to work in this role in all 50 states.  That exam only being taken at the completion of an accredited education program.  And abolish those shady diploma mills and programs that charge inflated prices and make promises of unrealistic salaries and job growth.

The Pharmacy Technician has the potential to grow into a tried and true Paraprofession.  We lack the recognition as a trained and educated staff member. This will never happen without legislation on state and national levels that regulate their education a training.

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians have both State and National bodies that oversee their education, training, and licensee.  And while I know little about that profession, it seems that these boards have struck an nice balance to maintain the minimum National standards of the NHTSA and the states still have individual freedom to regulate farther how they see fit.  The Boards of Pharmacy, resisting all lobbies from large corporations, should enact a similar method with stronger minimums. The training programs designed by the large chain pharmacies do nothing more than train their employees just enough to pass muster and are simplistic enough that a tech who relies solely on their training could never advance any farther on that alone. These should not be recognized by the boards as an adequate training model. An organization such as the PTCB needs to be in charge of a uniform testing model, and be enacted in all states.

Speaking of salaries, as much as it pains me to say this, we need to stop using how much we should make as a talking point.  Nobody in this profession is in it because of the money, and we will never become rich doing it.  That’s just reality. The only thing we should be pushing for at this point is a living wage. too many of us hover around or below the poverty line. While it’s unrealistic to imagine a world where every tech who puts on a lab coat will make more than half of what the Pharmacist makes, for the work that we do, we deserve the compensation that will allow us to live. Minimum wage is not a living wage.  Above that we need to move on to our other focus, and not appear greedy to those we are trying to convince.

Activism is the way to obtain it, and apathy will only hurt us.  If you are satisfied punching in and punching out and nothing more, we will never prevail. Join grassroots organizations. Write your congressmen. Attend board meetings and learn how the system works. And GET INVOLVED.

Pharmacy Technician Day 2009

October 27th 2009 is National Pharmacy Technician Day.   Celebrated in October, part of American Pharmacist’s month, this day is made to take a look at what Pharmacy Technicians do in the workplace. The vital role they play in the safe and efficient delivery of medications in the health care to millions of patients.

So, for all the Pharmacy Technicians that see this site, we say Thank You.  Tell us how you celebrated today.  Post in the comments, or the forums. Share pictures if you can.  Take pride in your career. Read more

Why I became a Pharmacy Technician and a story of my life.

Departing from the normal news items posted here, I am writing a personal Blog entry. A short story on why I am here today.  A second read, I think is seems a bit egotistical and narcissistic. Though I don’t really want to come across that way. I’m just reflecting. Hope you enjoy.

Just around 8 years and 9 months ago, I was faced with having to carefully craft a plan for the rest of my life. Sometimes it does not go as planned.

I was soon graduating from college, and was told by my girlfriend that she was pregnant.  And after a day of sheer panic, I had to start thinking.  3 months down the line I would be a graduate. 7 months later I would be a father. It was time to start job hunting.

After doing my final internship, I got my diploma in Multimedia and Web Design.  I had a number of promising offers and job leads in some metropolitan areas, but after talking with my partner, Read more

NPTA Offers Online Training Program To Become A Pharmacy Tech

(Press Release, NPTA) The National Pharmacy Technician Association announced today the launch of the Official NPTA Pharmacy Technician Certificate Program™, a comprehensive online training program. The new program is designed to meet the growing demand for qualified, educated pharmacy technicians as well as the flexibility and affordability required by prospective students. Read more

NABP Moves to Next Phase of Technician Recognition and Regulation

(PTCB Press Release) The PTCB is proud to announce a new recommendation issued by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Task Force on Standardized Pharmacy Technician Education and Training which encourages state boards of pharmacy to require certification by the PTCB. Read more

Prevacid given OTC approval

Earlier this month, Novartis announced that Prevacid has been approved by the FDA as the first over-the-counter PPI for the treatment of frequent heartburn since 2003 (Prilosec OTC) and the first PPI ever to be granted OTC status without any alterations to it’s original formula.

The prescription drug was one of the top 5 prescribed brand names in the country with annual sales of $3.37 billion in 2008.

Prevacid 24HR is expected to be available over-the-counter later this year.

India’s Cipla says ready to supply flu drug copy

(AFP/Yahoo!) Indian drug manufacturer Cipla Tuesday said it could supply 1.5 million doses of a copy of the Tamiflu antiviral medication to fight the international swine flu outbreak.

“We have already received proposals from people on behalf of countries in Latin America, Mexico and Israel,” the Mumbai-based company’s chief executive Read more

Plan B available at the Pharmacy to women 17 and older

(wowOwow.com, fda.gov) A judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to allow Plan B to be sold without prescriptions to girls as young as 17. A press release by the FDA states that the morning-after pill, Plan B, will be available for over-the-counter purchase within the next 30 days. The statement released reads: Read more

NPTA launches new website

The National Pharmacy Technician Association launched their new website earlier this month.

The new design includes easier navigation to current news, and new ways to interact with the organization and even directly with Mike Johnston CPhT (CEO) on various social networking websites.

Click over to www.pharmacytechnician.org and check it out.

One Pill Might Prevent Heart Disease

(Health Day) Create a single pill that contains a statin, three blood pressure drugs and aspirin, and you have an inexpensive medication that can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

Or so researchers hope. Read more

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