Pharmacy Technician Certification Board To Implement Changes In Continuing Education Requirements In 2015

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beginning in 2015, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) will implement two changes in recertification requirements for Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhTs). First, any continuing education (CE) hours earned by a CPhT will need to be pharmacy technician-specific ('T-specific') to qualify for recertification. Second, PTCB will reduce the number of allowable 'in-service' CE hours from 10 to 5. In-service CE refers to certain projects or training earned at a CPhT's workplace under a pharmacist's supervision.

PTCB's new requirements are part of the Certification Program changes PTCB announced in early 2013 to advance pharmacy technician qualifications by elevating PTCB's standards for certification and recertification. The revised CE requirements are meant to ensure that CPhTs are continually educated through programs specific to the knowledge required in today's pharmacy settings.

As the nation's healthcare system evolves, pharmacy technician roles are expanding to better support pharmacists. "It is important for pharmacy technicians to be educated through programs designed to address technician-specific responsibilities and knowledge requirements in the pharmacy," said PTCB Executive Director and CEO Everett B. McAllister, MPA, RPh. "PTCB's T-specific CE requirement and the phased reduction in allowable in-service CE hours are both consistent with this goal."

Many CE providers currently offer T-specific CE, and others are expanding their T-specific programs. PTCB will accept any T-specific program provided by an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), as indicated by a 'T' as the last digit of the course accreditation number. However, PTCB does not require CPhTs to earn their CE hours only from ACPE-accredited providers. To qualify as T-specific, a CE course's objectives must assess or sustain competencies critical to pharmacy technician practice. These competencies are stated in the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE) Blueprint, a detailed outline of exam content.

PTCB will implement additional Certification Program changes in the future. Changes in recertification requirements will include: decreasing allowable CE hours earned from college courses from 15 to 10 by 2016; and completely phasing out allowable in-service CE hours by 2018. By 2020, PTCB will require new candidates seeking initial certification to successfully complete an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)/ACPE-accredited education program.

PTCB's Certification Program changes support and advance improved patient care and safety throughout pharmacy practice. The changes are the result of a PTCB initiative which began with a 2011 summit on future directions for pharmacy technicians. Summit findings, combined with results from two profession-wide surveys, called for decisive changes.

About PTCB
The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) advocates a single national standard for pharmacy technician certification that is recognized and supported by the pharmacy profession. The goal of PTCB's national Certification Program, which services the more than 280,000 currently active certified pharmacy technicians (CPhTs) nationwide, is to enable pharmacy technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer safe and effective patient care and service. PTCB was established in 1995 and is governed by five pharmacy organizations—the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, the Michigan Pharmacists Association, and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Pharmacy technicians may apply for certification and recertification online at www.ptcb.org.

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SOURCE Pharmacy Technician Certification Board