|
| |
Home
Consulting
Career Training
PTCB Certification
Compounding
Courses
Phlash™
Cards
Tess Perle™
Rx Success™
National Certification Exam Preparation Program
Course Content
National Exam Information and Resource Listings
- This section provides general information about the National Exam's format and question categories. You will also
find a list of technician resources that you may find helpful as you pursue your
career as a pharmacy technician.
Pharmacy Terminology
- This Module is full of information that you should commit to memory. This
Module includes information on dosage forms, abbreviations, prefixes and
suffixes that will help you to figure out the meanings of words you may not have
seen before, and lastly, information on physician sig codes. Become very
familiar with this Module because you will need to constantly refer back to it
to help you with homework questions. Objectives: Upon completion of this module,
student will:
a) Be able to identify different dosage forms and benefits of each.
b) Learn and recognize commonly used pharmacy abbreviations.
c) Learn the meanings of commonly used medical prefixes and suffixes.
d) Be able to read and translate common pharmacy "sig codes".
Hospital Pharmacy
- For those of you who have never worked in a hospital pharmacy, this Module
will help you to understand the differences between hospital and retail
settings. Read carefully, as there is a lot of information regarding topics
which may be unfamiliar to those who have worked exclusively in a retail
environment. Objectives: Upon completion of this module, student will:
a) Be able to explain how medication orders are processed within a hospital.
b) Be able to explain what a hospital formulary is and what purpose it serves.
c) Be able to discuss the purpose of compounding IV products inside laminar flow
hoods.
d) Describe in detail a HEPA filter and its function.
e) Become familiar with the use of aseptic technique to maintain product
sterility.
f) Know the difference between horizontal and vertical laminar flow hoods.
g) Know the key aspects of hospital compounding technique.
h) Be able to identify the major types of IV compounds made in a hospital
setting.
Extemporaneous Compounding
- This chapter describes and discusses in great detail the tools and
techniques involved with extemporaneous compounding. You will also find
descriptions of commonly compounded dosage forms. Objectives: Upon completion of
this module, student will:
a) Be able to list common types of extemporaneous compounds.
b) Study techniques and tools used to compound different dosage forms.
c) Learn the differences between commonly compounded dosage forms.
d) Be able to recognize common drug vehicles used in extemporaneous compounding.
e) Become familiar with all stated pharmacy medication repackaging information.
Pharmacy Law
- This Module will provide you with information on the types of duties which
pharmacy technicians are legally allowed and not allowed to perform. You will
also find a basic history of the major legislation that has affected pharmacy
and shaped its laws today. Lastly, there is a small section on controlled
substances. Make sure you know the difference between all of the schedules
(Schedules I, II, III, IV and V) and an example or two from each. Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, student will:
a) Be able to identify those duties that technicians can legally perform.
b) Identify those duties that technicians cannot legally perform.
c) Know the difference between legend and non-legend drugs.
d) Understand the specific differences between Schedule I, II, III, IV, V and
non-controlled classifications.
e) Know the legal requirements and limitations surrounding refills for Scheduled
and Non-Scheduled medication.
f) Be able to list and understand the five patient "rights".
Pharmacology
- This Pharmacology Overview is designed to give you a basic education in
pharmacology. Read these pages as you would read a textbook. You may wish to
mark important information on flash cards so that you can review it at any time
in the future. Objectives: Upon completion of this module, student will:
a) Become familiar with the major classifications of drugs and their indicated
uses.
b) Learn the basic principles of pharmacology of the major classes of
medications.
c) Using the Quickview guides, memorize the brand, generic, indications and
classifications of the most popular medications.
Pharmacy Math
- This Module covers a lot of material! Pharmacy math is a big topic with a lot of
components that you might be surprised to find. In this section information will
be provided on: Roman Numerals; Metric System Conversions:
Fraction/Decimal/Ratio/Percents; Cross Multiplication;
Apothecary/Metric/Household Conversion; Body Weight Conversions; Insulin
Calculations; IV Solutions (Standard); Percent Solutions, IV Drip Rate
Calculations; Allegations; Standard and Military Time; and Pharmacoeconomics.
Many students believe they will have the most trouble with this Module. Keep
your outlook positive! There are lots of people available and willing to help
you! Begin slowly and read all of the instructions very carefully. Some of the
initial problems may be remedial, but I encourage you to do them anyway. This
will get your "math wheels" turning. Try and do a little each day. Print the
homework as necessary and write out your solutions on a piece of paper. Do it
over and over again until you are confident. Become comfortable using a
calculator and bring one to the exam. Nothing fancy, a checkbook calculator is
fine. Objectives: Upon completion of this module, student will:
a) Be able to perform standard metric conversions.
b) Convert back and forth between fractions, decimals, percents and ratios.
c) Be able to convert from apothecary to household to metric units.
d) Become familiar with commonly used IV stock solutions.
e) Determine amounts needed of different strength solutions to make a
non-standard dose.
f) Convert back and forth between military and standard time.
g) Convert back and forth between kg and lb.
h) Calculate patient doses based on body weight.
i) Find the rate an IV solution is to run at, based on a physician's order.
j) Calculate insulin doses in mLs.
k) Know basic principles of and calculations for pharmacoeconomics.
Miscellaneous Pharmacy Topics
- The topics included in this Module fall under a miscellaneous category in
pharmacy education. There is not a great deal of material in this Module,
however it is very important that you read and understand this
information. Included in this Module you will find information on Pregnancy
Restrictions, Poisons and Antidotes, NDC Numbers, and a DEA Number Verification
Technique. Objectives: Upon completion of this module, student will:
a) Study the different pregnancy classifications and the
degree of potential harms for each class.
b) Memorize commonly used drugs that can be potentially lethal, and their
antidotes.
c) Learn what all three fields in an NDC (National Drug Cod
e) number signify.
d) Be able to verify the validity of a prescriber's DEA number using a quick
calculation.
e) Be able to determine the best pharmacy resource to use based on the
information needed.
f) Study various storage requirements and cautions for different types of
medications.
g) Become familiar with FDA recall policy and know the three classes of FDA
recalls.
Skills Assessment Exams with Answer Keys
- After completing all of the course material, take these sample exams to
test your knowledge. Please note that in each of the
practice exams you will find some questions related to inventory control,
business issues, and other unique pharmacy topics. There is little discussion of
this material in this course, as it is the purpose of this course to focus on
the topics most commonly found in the actual exam. Use these questions
themselves as a "mini study guide" for your final exam preparation. For those of
you who prefer an automated exam format, as opposed to the traditional paper
exams that are offered in this section, please go to the Automated Skills
Assessment Exams portion of this course.
Go To
Top
Practice Problems
We offer numerous practice problems to help you master the
course content material that is described above. You will find skill
assessment material pertaining to each of the following subjects:
-
Pharmacy Terminology Homework
- Hospital Pharmacy Homework
- Extemporaneous Compounding
- Pharmacy Law Homework
- Pharmacology Homework
- Pharmacy Math Homework
- Pharmacy Topics, Misc. Homework
- Answer Keys Are Provided for All Practice Problems
Purchase PTCB Review Course
Go To
Top
|
