Advanced Practice Pharmacy Technician

[MrBonita]

Hello everyone. The shortage of pharmacists has caused many state board of pharmacies to begin looking at adding a advanced practice pharmacy technician. Basically it is a technician that can do everything a pharmacist can but needs to have a 4 year degree and also be supervised by a pharmacist. This will help reduce cost of a pharmacist and at the same time reduce the shortage. Imagine if your technician can do a pharmacist job. I have linked a presentation below of the proposal. You can find many of these proposals online. As of now the board of pharmacy in my state is on the verge of passing this. I think I might milk pharmacy until pharmacists are phased out.

http://www.nhpharmacists.org/resour...nced Practice Pharmacy TechniciansPP.9.17.pdf

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[abdc]

You lost me a shortage of pharmacist.

 

[DrVader]

Hello everyone. The shortage of pharmacists has caused many state board of pharmacies to begin looking at adding a advanced practice pharmacy technician. Basically it is a technician that can do everything a pharmacist can but needs to have a 4 year degree and also be supervised by a pharmacist. This will help reduce cost of a pharmacist and at the same time reduce the shortage. Imagine if your technician can do a pharmacist job. I have linked a presentation below of the proposal. You can find many of these proposals online. As of now the board of pharmacy in my state is on the verge of passing this. I think I might milk pharmacy until pharmacists are phased out.

http://www.nhpharmacists.org/resources/CE Presentations/Labelle 2017/Advanced Practice Pharmacy TechniciansPP.9.17.pdf

Only a idiot would go to school for 4 years to become a pharmacy tech and not just put in an extra 2 for the pharmd

 

[BenJammin]

HAHAHAHA! Advanced practice pharmacy technician = a technician with more responsibilities and the same pay.

 

[Lnsean]

this is getting ******ed

 

[Rouelle]

A “4 year degree” in what? Just any old bachelor’s degree? AFAIK, there are no 4 year degrees in Pharmacy Tech studies. Does a 4 year degree in Political Science qualify one to counsel a patient on lamotrigine?

 

[Amicable Angora]

Get ready for the new exciting, Magnus Doctor of Pharmacy “MDP” degree mandatory by ACPE by 2030!

 

[VA77]

Sounds like more fees and dues for ASHP and the BOPs that for some reason dont believe there are metrics in retail but this ppt has it broken down to seconds. Cant have it both ways but they will try. Maybe Lucinda Maine can start some of these 4 year programs and add to her bonus.

 

[BenJammin]

I used to believe that chain pharmacists were the biggest threat to the profession but it looks like the trade associations are trying to strip that title from them.

 

[gwarm01]

What a joke. They are actively trying to dismantle our profession.

 

[txpharmguy]

I have no problem with TCT regarding PRODUCT verification. It doesn't take a Pharm. D. to match pictures and/or NDCs. This would probably only work in higher volume pharmacies. If you have just one tech and one RPH on, kind of defeats purpose of added role.

 

[Lexington2012]

A “4 year degree” in what? Just any old bachelor’s degree? AFAIK, there are no 4 year degrees in Pharmacy Tech studies. Does a 4 year degree in Political Science qualify one to counsel a patient on lamotrigine?

I would be in favor of this if they reintroduced the Pharmacy Bachelor's degree and made that a requirement for the advance practice tech.

 

[DrVader]

I would be in favor of this if they reintroduced the Pharmacy Bachelor's degree and made that a requirement for the advance practice tech.

It would be a great deal for those who get a BS in pharmacy, even if they make something like 75k. But it would doom anyone with a PharmD. As the chains would probably exclusively hire those with BS in pharmacy.

 

[gwarm01]

How about they bring back the BSPharm and keep it as the entry level pharmacist degree, then restructure the PharmD to be more about clinical pharmacy practice and position it as the degree for hospital pharmacists?

 

[BidingMyTime]

Hello everyone. The shortage of pharmacists has caused many state board of pharmacies to begin looking at adding a advanced practice pharmacy technician.

I see 3 possibilities

1) you have been caught in a time warp and suddenly transferred from 2005 to the present day (which is 2017, by the way.)

2) You are just saying what the boards of pharmacies are saying, to justify diminishing the need for pharmacists, not that you actually believe there is a shortage of pharmacists.

3) Um, I guess there are only 2 possibilities.

 

[Saiyo]

We should be more protective of our profession. Things like tech-check-tech might make processes more efficient, but implementing like processes is a slippery slope to working ourselves out of our jobs. Reducing costs is great and all, but when we're the cost they are trying to reduce I'm gonna have to pass, especially when everyone else in the world is already trying to nickel and dime the working class to death.

 

[PAtoPharm]

Just randomly curious here, but why do the APhA and other pharmacy lobby groups have such a strong interest in promoting developments that will result in fewer pharmacists being needed in the pharmacy setting? Is it simply the case that CVS and Walgreens expect them to pursue these initiatives in return for the money they donate to the APhA?

 

[BidingMyTime]

Just randomly curious here, but why do the APhA and other pharmacy lobby groups have such a strong interest in promoting developments that will result in fewer pharmacists being needed in the pharmacy setting? Is it simply the case that CVS and Walgreens expect them to pursue these initiatives in return for the money they donate to the APhA?

That is the millions dollar question. It's clear that APHA and other pharmacy lobby groups do not care one whit about individual pharmacists or the pharmacy profession as a whole. It's also clear they do not care about "public safety." So, it's fair to ask, are they acting solely on behalf on the boards? I don't know, but I suspect not, honestly I think it's individuals in the leadership solely looking out for their own gain and fame, not caring about pharmacists, or chains, or the public or anything else (although they will pander to all 3, in order to get money to carry out their quest for the fame.)

I wish I was wrong about this. I'd love it if someone could point out the errors of my thinking here.....but I really don't think I am.