What’s New and what’s next for Pharmacy Technicians: Empowering Technicians for the Future

William Schimmel

PTCB Associate Executive Director

I, William Schimmel, disclose no vested interest or affiliation with any corporate organization offering financial support or grant monies for this continuing education activity, or an affiliation with an organization whose philosophy could potentially bias my presentation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Describe the range and evolution of regulations in the US pertaining to pharmacy technicians.

• Outline the PTCB certification program changes announced in spring 2013.

• Describe the blueprint for the updated Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) and know when it will be implemented.

• Understand why the PTCE is updated periodically.

• Background and History

• Program Changes

– Certification Program Changes

– Recertification Program Changes

• Exam Blueprint Revision

• Advocate Programs

• Q & A

Agenda

Origins of Pharmacy Technician Certification

• History

• Governing Structure – Five state and national organizations -

APhA, ASHP, NABP, ICHP, and MPA

– Certification Council

• PTCB Professional Impact – 503,620 certifications granted since 1995

– 274,165 actively certified pharmacy technicians

• Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians formed in 2005

Pharmacy Profession Evolution

– Medication Therapy Management

– Affordable Care Act

– Accountable Care Organizations

– Medical Home model

– Collaborative practice

– Provider status

Evolving Roles of Technicians

• Medication procurement

• Compounding

• Order entry

• Medication shortages

• Immunization assistance

• Supply chain management

• Informatics

• Transitions of Care

State Regulations

State Regulations Vary Widely

• 45 states regulate pharmacy technicians

• 18 states require national certification

• 5 states require and accept only the PTCE

• 17 states require a background check

• 18 states require CE

• 5 states have a pharmacy technician serving on the state Board of Pharmacy

• 5 states do not regulate pharmacy technicians

• Many states have pending legislation or regulations

• Improve patient care, outcomes, and access

• Provide resources to further enable the evolution of pharmacy technician roles

• Elevate standards within the profession to meet the demands of the growing healthcare system

PTCB’s Mission and Goals

Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP)

Vision Statement for 2015

Pharmacists will be the health care professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes.

Collaboration Underway

Collaborative Process

Who is involved?

• State pharmacy associations

• State Boards of Pharmacy

• National pharmacy associations

• Hospitals and community pharmacies

• Individual pharmacy technicians and pharmacists

What do they share?

• Desire to move the profession forward

C.R.E.S.T. Initiative

• C.R.E.S.T. Summit

– Consumer Awareness

– Resources

– Education

– State Policy

– Testing

• National Surveys

Background checks will be required for initial certification in, or around, 2014.

– Implementation process

– Synchronization with existing systems

– Individualized reviews

Certification: Background Checks

Certification: Accredited Education

By 2020, successful completion of an ASHP-accredited education program will become a requirement for initial PTCB certification.

– Profession directed

– Program supply

– Quality and necessity of education

Recertification: Tech-specific CE

By 2015, only pharmacy technician-specific CE will be allowed for recertification.

– Requirements

– Availability of CE

– Programs that qualify

• In 2014, one hour of medication safety will be required. One hour of pharmacy law will continue to be a requirement.

• Allowable CE hours through college/university coursework will be decreased from 15 to 10 hours in 2016.

• Allowable CE hours to be earned through in-services will be decreased from 10 to 5 in 2015, and from 5 to 0 in 2018.

Recertification: Additional CE Changes

• Determine implementation of changes

• Publication of Policies and Procedures

Next Steps

PTCE BLUEPRINT UPDATE

PTCB Certification Program Current requirements: • A high school diploma or equivalent • Disclosure of all criminal history and adverse state

Board of Pharmacy actions • A passing score on the PTCE • Recertification every two years

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) is: • Widely recognized and trusted throughout the

profession • Based on the Scope of Pharmacy Practice Project • Psychometrically sound

Job Analysis

• Generally every 5 years

• Required for PTCB’s national accreditation through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)

• Conducted nationwide survey across all practice settings, with over 25,000 responses

• Detailed survey measures what pharmacy technicians do on a daily basis

• Driven by results of job analysis

• Reflects evolution of technician responsibilities

• Increased specificity for knowledge domains

• Revising the PTCE

–Blueprint and item mapping

–Gap analysis and new item development

– Standard Setting

New Test Blueprint

Current PTCE Blueprint

Assisting the Pharmacist in

Serving Patients, 66%

Maintaining Medication and

Inventory Control Systems, 22%

Participating in the Administration and

Management of Pharmacy Practice, 12%

Pharmacology for Technicians, 13.75%

Pharmacy Law and Regulations, 12.5%

Sterile and Non-sterile

Compounding, 8.75%

Medication Safety, 12.5%

Pharmacy Quality Assurance, 7.5%

Medication Order Entry and Fill

Process, 17.5%

Pharmacy Inventory Management, 8.75%

Pharmacy Billing and Reimbursement,

8.75%

Pharmacy Information Systems

Usage and Application, 10%

Updated PTCE Blueprint

Timing for Updated Exam

Current Exam Updated Exam A

PP

LIC

ATIO

N

11

/1/1

3

Updated exam launches November 1, 2013.

EDUCATOR PROGRAM & SPONSORSHIP

Advocate Programs

• By the Numbers

– Launched 2012

– 675 Educators

– 585 Employers

• Resources and benefits

– Newsletter

– Quarterly results reporting for Educators

– Recognition on ptcb.org

– Sponsorship options

Q&A

Thoughts? Please share your comments or questions.

RECAP: PTCB Program Changes

New requirements for initial certification:

• By 2020, candidates will be required to complete an ASHP-accredited education program

• Criminal background checks will be required in or around 2014

New requirements for recertification:

• 1 of the 20 CE hours must be in medication safety, in addition to 1 already required in Pharmacy law

• Will only accept pharmacy-technician-targeted CE

• Number of CE hours allowed from college courses will be reduced and in-services will be reduced, then phased out

Post Test

1. Which factor or factors are changing the profession of pharmacy and the roles of pharmacy technicians?

a) Collaborative Practice Agreements b) Medication Therapy Management c) ASHP Accreditation for technician training programs d) The rapid growth of pharmacy technician training programs

2. True or False: Under the new program changes, completion of an ASHP-accredited education program will be required for certification.

3. True or False: The program changes will phase in 3 CE hours in medication safety for recertification by 2018.

4. 5. After how many years should a certification program update its job

analysis in order to keep current with the profession or job it is assessing?

6. True or False: There is a single standard for pharmacy technician certification in the United States.

References

Opportunities and challenges related to pharmacy technicians in supporting optimal pharmacy practice models in health systems http://www.ajhp.org/content/68/12/1128

Thank you for your participation!

William Schimmel

Associate Executive Director

Pharmacy Technician Certification Board

Email: wschimmel@ptcb.org

Summary