Concise
Review for the PTCB Exam Foreword
Raymond
W. Hammond, Pharm.D., BCPS, FCCP
With the entry of the baby boomer
generation into retirement age, there has been a vast increase
in the need for pharmacies and pharmacy services. At the same
time pharmacy education has increased to a minimum of a 6-year
curriculum, resulting in the awarding of a doctorate degree and
the profession has moved from a primarily dispensing profession
to one that is more patient-oriented. Pharmacists of the 21st
Century are assuming more responsibility in assuring that the
patient’s drug therapy is working, but not causing adverse
effects. All of these factors have contributed to a shortage of
pharmacists and an increased demand for pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians. Societal, professional, and legal expectations make
it necessary for the pharmacist to spend more time in direct patient
care – medication therapy management, counseling patients
on the proper way to take their medication and answering patient
questions, monitoring the patient’s response to therapy,
and providing drug information and consulting services to physicians
and other healthcare providers. For pharmacists to fulfill their
patient care responsibilities, they must relinquish the major
portion of their dispensing role to pharmacy technicians.
As pharmacy technicians assume
a greater role in providing prescriptions to patients, state boards
of pharmacy – in keeping with their role of protecting the
public – are increasingly requiring that pharmacy technicians
become certified. In many states, certification requires passing
the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Exam (PTCB).
Most technicians prepare for this exam by completing a 2-year
curriculum in a technical school, but such training is not currently
a requirement for taking the PTCB Exam. Those
without the resources and time to attend a technical school, or
those looking for a "fast track" to certification, will find Concise
Review for the PTCB Exam to be a useful tool in preparing
for the exam.
Dr. Tuschl and Mr. Ardoin have
prepared an excellent self-learning text that provides the essential
information, practice problems, and self-assessment components
to provide dedicated individuals with the knowledge and skills
necessary to successfully pass the PTCB exam
and attain pharmacy technician certification.
