Rasmussen College Pharmacy Technician Capstone

fyi: my state is Florida

Module 01 Discussion – Controlled Substance Abuse

1. Do you think the current laws and regulations surrounding
   controlled substance prescriptions are adequate? Why do you feel the way
   you do?
2. Are the laws helping to prevent controlled substance abuse, or
   merely making it harder for patients to get the medications they need?
   Explain your rationale and support your opinion. Provide examples or
   cite your research if appropriate.

Module 01 Assignment – Analysis of PTCB and Board of Pharmacy

1) List the web address for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. What is the cost, where is the test administered, and within how many days following application approval must the exam be scheduled?

2) How many times total is a student allowed to take the exam if they do not pass? What are PTCB’s restrictions regarding how often you can retake the exam?

3) How many questions are on the exam and how much time are you allowed to take it? Are the questions short answer, true/false, multiple choice or a combination? What is considered a passing score?

4) How often must you renew your PTCB certification and what are the requirements in terms of both cost and CE?

5) Does the PTCB require any specific type of CE to be obtained and if so, what?

6) Take a look at your state Board of Pharmacy’s requirements for technicians. List your state’s Board of Pharmacy web address. Does your state require technicians to be registered with the Board of Pharmacy? If so, what is the process for becoming registered? Is there a fee? How often is technician registration required to be renewed? Are there CE requirements and if so, how many CE credits are needed and how often does CE need to be reported?

7) In what state will you be working, and does your state Board of Pharmacy require technicians to be certified through the PTCB?

8) Does your state have specific rules regarding how many technicians a pharmacist can supervise at one time? If so, list the pharmacist:technician ratio.

9) Take a look at the breakdown of information under each specific knowledge area of the PTCE blueprint. List a minimum of 4 areas that are either unfamiliar to you or are areas where you feel your knowledge on the subject could be improved. Reflect on what you have learned in the program up to this point. What areas do you feel you will need to study the hardest for the exam?

10) List the areas of the exam that involve calculations.

11) List the sources you used to obtain the answers to the above questions.

Module 02 Discussion – The Technician’s Need for Pharmacology Knowledge

1. Research your state laws regarding technician counseling of
   patients. Are technicians allowed to do any type of counseling in your
   state? If so what are the regulations governing technician counseling?
2. Since many states do not permit Pharmacy Technicians to counsel
   patients, why do you feel there is such emphasis placed on pharmacology
   knowledge? Describe a scenario in which you would use your pharmacology
   knowledge in the pharmacy workplace.

Module 02 Course Project – State Law Requirements

As a Pharmacy Manager, you must be able to explain state law
requirements to your staff. While pharmacists are generally familiar
with the state laws, the Pharmacy Technicians may not be clear on
certain topics. Consequently, you will need to add content to your
policy/procedure explaining key laws that Pharmacy Technicians will need
to know and apply on a daily basis. The transferable skills that you
will demonstrate with this assignment are information literacy, ethics,
and professional responsibility.

In preparation for this:

1. Research and summarize your state laws regarding the duties of a Pharmacy Technician.
2. Explain how the state laws align with the ethical conduct required
   by pharmacy employers. Why are they important for demonstrating
   professional ethical practices? Discuss the consequences to the employer
   and customer of demonstrating unethical practices.

Write your findings in an APA formatted paper that is a minimum of
2-pages in length. Be sure to include an APA formatted reference page
containing a minimum of 3 credible sources, with 2 being academic (such
as an academic journal). Use a minimum of 3 in-text citations with
proper formatting.

Module 03 Discussion – Generic Substitution Laws and Cost-Saving Measures

Research your state’s generic substitution laws. Do you think your
state’s laws make it easier or harder for patients to obtain less
expensive generic alternatives? Provide the rationale for your opinion,
referencing your state’s law if applicable. Aside from generic
medications, what are some other ways pharmacies can help patients save
on costs?

Module 03 Assignment – Program Reflection and Industry Trends and Challenges

Throughout your training, you have been exposed to many concepts and a
diverse selection of topics related to the field of pharmacy. For this
paper, you will assimilate all of the information you’ve learned and
provide your thoughts on the industry. Take some time to reflect on the
knowledge you have learned about pharmacy during your time in the
Pharmacy Technician program. Consider what you have discussed in
previous courses about the pharmacy industry as a whole.

Write a 1-2 page paper in APA format that addresses the following:

1. Discuss what you see as emerging trends in the profession of
   pharmacy. How is the profession evolving, and what does the future hold?
   Where does the technician fit into the future of pharmacy? List
   specific examples, if applicable.
2. What challenges does the pharmacy industry currently face? What
   challenges lie ahead, and how will the industry overcome those
   challenges?

Module 03 Course Project – Pharmacy Software and Customer Service

The Rasmen Pharmacy will be new to the area but it is centrally
located by the busiest critical care center in your state. Due to the
extensive advertising and promotional campaign, the pharmacy is
expecting to average 400 scripts per 12-hour day. Those numbers are
expected to rise quickly, since the only competing pharmacy is only open
8-hours per day and is several miles away.

You will need to make sure your Pharmacy Technicians are prepared to
take in new prescriptions, exemplify good customer service skills, and
manage their time effectively while completing tasks.

Many retail pharmacies utilize a variety of software programs in
their day-to-day operations. You will need to make sure your Pharmacy
Technicians are capable of quickly assisting customers by having a clear
understanding of this software. You will apply the transferable skill
of digital fluency for this assignment.

The contract for the software currently used by Rasmen Pharmacy is
expiring soon and they have asked you to investigate potential
replacements. They plan on selecting one of the following:

• PDX Pharmacy System
• ScriptPro Pharmacy Software
• PioneerRX
• HBS Pharmacy Software
• Epicor Eagle Pharmacy Retail Software
• Cerner Etreby
• QS/1 Pharmacy Management Software

Select a minimum of 3 software packages from the list above, then
locate and explore the manufacturers’ website for each. Write a 2-3 page
paper in APA format that addresses the following:

For each of the software packages you selected, provide:

1. Name of the software
2. Brief description of the software
3. Explanation of at least 1 benefit and 1 drawback of that software package
4. Discuss which internal, company website pages you used to assist with your software analysis.

[Post First Discussion] Module 04 Discussion – The Technician’s Role in Assisting the Pharmacist

Choose one role that technicians are not currently allowed to do but that you feel should be (or could be) allowed.
Explain your rationale for why you feel it should be (or could be) a
technician’s job. Think about a Pharmacy Technician’s current training
and expertise. Would the role you chose require any additional training
and if so, in what areas?

Module 04 Assignment: Sterile and Non-Sterile Compounding Review Essay
Questions

Carefully read each question and type your responses in the
spaces provided. Your answers should be written in complete sentences.
1.
What does USP stand for and what is its purpose?
How do USP guidelines affect pharmacy practice?
2.
Consider this scenario: You receive a
prescription for tramadol 5 mg/ml suspension. The compounding formula states
the needed ingredients are: tramadol 50 mg tablets, ora-sweet syrup and
ora-plus suspension. You need to make 140 ml of suspension. Answer the
following:
a.
List the compounding equipment you would need to
prepare this product, and list what you would use each item for:
b.
Your choices for bottles to dispense the
suspension in are 2 oz, 4 oz and 6 oz. Which size will you choose?
c.
What information needs to be included in your
dispensing log (aka compounding log) for this prescription?
3.
Compare and contrast compounding in the
community vs hospital pharmacy environment. Include examples of the types of
medications that are, in general, compounded in each setting.
4.
In correct order, describe the steps to cleaning
a horizontal laminar flow hood.
5.
What is the difference between a horizontal
laminar flow hood and a vertical flow hood? What medications are prepared in
each type?

Module 04 Course Project – Inventory Management

Inventory control has important effects on a pharmacy’s Return on
Investment (ROI). Proper inventory control minimizes total inventory
investment and offers the correct amounts of needed products to satisfy
patient.
As a Pharmacy Manager, you will not be available all time. Your
expectation is that the Pharmacy Technicians will be knowledgeable in
managing the inventory in the pharmacy, as well as assuring that
medication is stocked appropriately. You will apply the transferrable
skills of ethics and professional responsibility for this assignment.
In a minimum of 2 pages, written in APA format:

Provide at least 2 reasons why inventory errors occur. Explain how your Pharmacy Technicians should manage these errors.

Discuss the importance of taking responsibility for managing the
inventory and accomplishing other work goals within the accepted time
frame.

[Post First Discussion] Module 05 Discussion – Telepharmacy

An innovative practice that is gaining popularity, especially in rural settings, is telepharmacy. For this discussion:

Research telepharmacy and write a brief overview of what it is.

In your opinion, what would be the pros and cons to working in a telepharmacy operation?

Do you think that this is a role you would feel comfortable doing? Why or why not?

Module 05 Short Essay Questions – Pharmacy Practice

For this assignment, you will need to write a response to 5
questions. Your answers do not have to be long (a paragraph should be
sufficient) but they should be written in complete sentences. The
questions are shown below for convenience but you can download the
questions here in a Word document<Link to
PT285fw-Module_05-ShortEssayAssignment.docx>.

1. A patient comes to the pharmacy to pick up her prescription. You do
   not recognize the patient but she states her name is Kim Johnson and
   that she has 3 prescriptions to pick up. You go to the will-call bin and
   pull out a bag with her name on it. You see these are all new
   prescriptions. Discuss the ways you could prevent a medication error
   from occurring at this point.
2. Are there any situations where a Pharmacy Technician could perform a
   drug utilization review? Why or why not? Describe at least three types
   of drug utilization review that are commonly seen in pharmacy practice.
3. Think about the steps it takes to fill a prescription. Analyze the
   places errors can occur in the filling process, and discuss the types of
   errors that can occur.
4. What are the strengths and limitations of pharmacy automated systems?
5. This question has two parts:
   1. How do drug shortages impact pharmacies and patients?
   2. Using the FDA website, list three current drug shortages. For each
      of the three, list the name of the drug, the estimated shortage
      duration (if given) and the reason for shortage (if given).