Pharmacy Technician Research Paper

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I am going to explain how the role of a Pharmacy Technician has evolved over time and what the future holds for those who are in the pharmacy technician occupation. People think that they know what a Pharmacy Technician does. They may think that all they do is count pills. They would be wrong. We are going to look into how it all started and what exactly a pharmacy technician does. Pharmacy as a profession has been around for as long as anyone can remember. The Greeks were among the first to dabble in this profession. The Greek word “pharmakon” is where we get the word we use today, Pharmacy. 9th century Baghdad is where Pharmacy began to become civilized. There was a slow spread around Europe as alchemy, later it evolved into chemistry.…show more content…
The pharmacy technician career has evolved over time, starting out as an informal position in a small corner pharmacy with the title of pharmacist assistant, into one with specialized training and certifications. The armed forces were the first to introduce formal training for pharmacy technicians in the 1940’s. In 1968 the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) recommended a formal training for then known as “pharmacist aides’. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) introduced training guidelines for pharmacy hospital pharmacy in 1975. The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy introduced a hospital training program for pharmacy technicians. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists created standards of training for the accreditation of pharmacy technician training programs in 1982. In 1995 the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board was established by the following organizations: the American Pharmacists Association; American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; Michigan Pharmacists Association; Illinois…show more content…
The PTCB advocates for a standard of certification for pharmacy technicians that is nationally recognized and supported by people of the profession. The PTCB thinks that making a national standard certification for a pharmacy technician would be more consistent with how other health professions go about getting licensure, much in the same way that the licensure process is for a pharmacist. In 1987, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence created the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The NCCA has over 200 programs that have been accredited for over 100 organizations, those of which include the PTCB. The certification process helps State Boards of Pharmacy to develop, implement and to help enforce a set of high quality standards for public safety. The Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam is given in all the 50 states and in the District of Columbia (DC). Certification is granted by Non-governmental agencies like the PTCB. It is a voluntary process that an individual which as met specified qualifications by an organization. It signifies that someone has attained the level of knowledge and experience in a given area. The certification process

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