pharmacy technician

[holidaytime]

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Hey guys,
I am a freshman and planning to take the pharmacy technician test. I checked out the book at the library and went to some websites. But there are too many information. Can you guys tell me what to do?

 

[xtsukiyox]

Do you know any pharmacy technicians you could ask for help in person?

Otherwise, do the best you can with the book you checked out and top drug lists online. Remember that the test is national, so they will only be testing on laws / procedures that are standard - no state laws.

 

[diepsteven]

Don't worry about it too much. I guess this is something you shouldn't do, but I literally studied the night before my PTCB examination and passed...it isn't hard at all. (I think its a 70% pass rate?) Aside from that, if you're receiving certification through PTCE, then odds are you would only be able to get a job at a large chain pharmacy, where you will learn what you need to do on the job. Many hospital positions require 1/2 years of experience. So back to what you should focus on: know the math (conversions between metric and household kitchen, i.e. 5 ml = 1 teaspoon, 15 ml = 1tbsp, 30 ml = 1 oz.). A lot of questions on the exam were mathematical questions. Aside from that, know all of the major laws (HIPPA, OBRA, FDA). Also know the differences between scheduled 1-5 vs. OTC meds. (maybe memorize the few CII's). Other than that, don't worry too much about brand vs. generic and their functions. You're going to be a CPhT, you can't counsel, so they don't expect you to know anything about drugs.

 

[xtsukiyox]

You're going to be a CPhT, you can't counsel, so they don't expect you to know anything about drugs.

False - there were questions on my PTCB that a CPhT couldn't have legally answered (drug interactions leap to mind).

I'm nit picking - there were only a few, which would only break your score if you're borderline. Your advice was sound.

 

[dkphx]

you will need to know name brand and generic (i studied the top 100/200)
CPht also need to recognize which medicines are diabetic, HBP, narcotics, etc. for example: all the -statins are used for? the -prolols are beta blockers,etc.

the exam was mostly math for me. so definitely memorize conversions . most of the math are also compounding ones, such as dealing with solutions. i passed my exam with a 95% about 2 months ago. i didn't really study, but i did work in the retail pharmacy for four weeks prior to my exam, and got a lot of help from the techs and my pharmacists they were extremely kind to me.

also you need to know which drugs are control 2, control 3, and control 4. know the laws and regulations (how many times can they be filled and how soon)

get a pharmacy technician book, it should have all the information you need to know in there. just read over as much as you can with the naming, but definitely understand the math portion the most

you only need a 70% to pass the test 🙂

good luck!

 

[dkphx]

False - there were questions on my PTCB that a CPhT couldn't have legally answered (drug interactions leap to mind).

I'm nit picking - there were only a few, which would only break your score if you're borderline. Your advice was sound.

what i think the PTCE question in regards to drug interactions is that the CPht should be able to recognize which drugs are used for hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines and etc. knowing that information, if two drugs are in the same "family" they will interact such as double dosing.

 

[xtsukiyox]

what i think the PTCE question in regards to drug interactions is that the CPht should be able to recognize which drugs are used for hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines and etc. knowing that information, if two drugs are in the same "family" they will interact such as double dosing.

This isn't a pharmacy technician's job, and in fact, as I understand, they can't legally do anything about it, knowing whether drugs are in the same family aside. This is a pharmacist's job.

The question I was thinking of was interaction based on a health condition, which is certainly out of a tech's legal scope.

for example: all the -statins are used for?

Since I'm nitpicking, what about nystatin? 😉

(I can't take credit for that, someone else pointed it out in a different thread.)

 

[owlegrad]

Or somatostatin for that matter.

 

[diepsteven]

Also forgot to mention this, know your SIG codes!!! That will probably be incorporated into your "math" questions. I'm not entirely sure if this was on my PTCE or the mail order exam I had to take for UnitedHealth. Either way, just look at the appendix of your book and they should have a list of some main sig codes. If you want, look some up online for a more extensive approach. 🙂

 

[FadiQ]

I took the PTCE today... And PASSED! My results will be delivered in the mail within 1-3 weeks, but I felt pretty confident throughout the Examination.

STUDY: I studied on my own using [http://www.amazon.com/Delmars-Pharm...sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327208338&sr=1-1] and [http://www.amazon.com/Mosbys-Pharma...sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327208373&sr=1-2]. I also conducted some research online and searched for websites that offered free Examinations. Yesterday (the night before taking the PTCE), I purchased two of the Examinations offered by PTCB.org for $29.00 each. I truly believe that these practice-examinations are as accurate as they get to the actual PTCE. Although they are fairly expensive, they helped boost my confidence and were also very similar to the actual PTCE that I took earlier today.

KNOW: A large percentage of the PTCE that I took consisted of mathematics, conversions, etc. Being able to read prescriptions is also an essential portion of the PTCE that I took as well. Being able to distinguish between drugs via their prefixes and suffixes was enough knowledge for me to do well, although I do not know all of the 200 brand-name to generic-name drugs. I do, however, know a decent amount of them.

I used to read these threads for advice... And I feel the need to express my own. I wish you all the best of luck!! 🙂

 

[mbpuffer]

I took the PTCE today... And PASSED! My results will be delivered in the mail within 1-3 weeks, but I felt pretty confident throughout the Examination.

STUDY: I studied on my own using [http://www.amazon.com/Delmars-Pharm...sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327208338&sr=1-1] and [http://www.amazon.com/Mosbys-Pharma...sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327208373&sr=1-2]. I also conducted some research online and searched for websites that offered free Examinations. Yesterday (the night before taking the PTCE), I purchased two of the Examinations offered by PTCB.org for $29.00 each. I truly believe that these practice-examinations are as accurate as they get to the actual PTCE. Although they are fairly expensive, they helped boost my confidence and were also very similar to the actual PTCE that I took earlier today.

KNOW: A large percentage of the PTCE that I took consisted of mathematics, conversions, etc. Being able to read prescriptions is also an essential portion of the PTCE that I took as well. Being able to distinguish between drugs via their prefixes and suffixes was enough knowledge for me to do well, although I do not know all of the 200 brand-name to generic-name drugs. I do, however, know a decent amount of them.

I used to read these threads for advice... And I feel the need to express my own. I wish you all the best of luck!! 🙂

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