P R E S E N T ED B Y L I A NN E C . B RO WN , P H T R A T T H E
T E X A S S O C I E T Y O F H E A L T H S Y S T EM P H A R M A CI S T S A N NU A L S E M I N A R
A P R I L 2 4 , 2 0 1 5
ASHP/ACPE Accredited Pharmacy
Technician Programs: Leveraging
Available Technician Resources
Learning Objectives
Pharmacists
Explain ACPE’s involvement in the accreditation of pharmacy education
and the benefits of the ASHP/ACPE alliance in increasing the quality of
pharmacy technician education
Examine key components of the new Accreditation standard and how these
learning goals better support an interdisciplinary and collaborative
approach to both current and future pharmacy education and the
collaborative pharmacy team
Appreciate the need for state-mandated pharmacy technician education as
a m eans to elevate the skills of pharmacy technicians, provide better
support to pharmacists as part of a multidisciplinary caregiver team, and
advance a strong patient-care focus across the profession of pharmacy
Learning Objectives
Ph armacy Tech niciansConsider h ow A CPE’s invol vement in ph arm acy technician education may elevate th e qu al ity of ph arm acy technician training program s as wel l as to set h igher qu ality standards for entry level pharmacy technicians
Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission
FAQs
Both ASHP and ACPE Boards of Directors will act on the accreditation
recommendations from PTAC
PTAC will use the ASHP Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy
Technician Education and Training Programs (recent revisions effective
January 1, 2014)
ASHP will continue to schedule accreditation surveys and handle
adm inistrative processes, but PAC will eventually “create all changes to the
standards and policies/regulations, with approval from the ASHP and
ACPE Boards” (www.ashp.org)
Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission
FAQs
Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission
FAQs
Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission
FAQs
Speaking from my experiences over the last eight
years as a Pharmacy Technician Program director
and six years as a guest surveyor for ASHP (and not
on behalf of the PTAC…)
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
PTAC Lead and Guest Surveyors serve agents of
continuous quality improvement for Pharmacy
Technician Education
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs seeking initial or affirmation of current
accreditation must submit a self-study that allows them
to submit documentation to PTAC to qualify their
compliance with each of the 45 ASHP Accreditation
Standards
“These standards have been developed to: protect the public, serve
as a guide for pharmacy technician education and training
program development, provide criteria for the evaluation of new
and established programs, and, promote continuous improvement
of established programs”. (www.ASHP.org)
ASHP developed a guidance document to assist program
directors with navigating the accreditation process!
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance
with five primary standards related to their programs’:
1. Administration
Organizational accreditations (hospital or institution of higher
education)
Strategic plan
Program director authority & responsibility
Activity of the Advisory Com mittee
Record keeping (student records, curriculum, evaluation of
training sites, student pass rates, etc.)
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance
with five primary standards related to their programs’:
2. Competence, Credentialing and Experience of Program
Faculty
Program Director
Faculty/Instructors
Experiential Site Coordinator
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance
with five primary standards related to their programs’
:
3. Scope of Education and Training Program
Pr ov ide students to perform duties in a variety of pharmacy practice settings
Pr ogram currency must be consistent with market trends and needs
Pr ogram length and composition (at least 600 clock hours delivered ov er a period of 15 weeks or longer)
Mu st have a clearly delineated sequence of instruction
Observation Simulation ex periential learning
Distance education must m eet qualifying criteria
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance
with five primary standards related to their programs’
:
3. Scope of Education and Training Program
Curriculum m ust encom pass each of the 45 education and training
goals
Training Goals divided into 9 Learning Dom ains:
Personal/Interpersonal Knowledge and Skills
Foundational Professional Knowledge and Skills
Processing and Handling of Medications and Medication Orders
Sterile and Non-sterile Com pounding
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance
with five primary standards related to their programs’
:
3. Scope of Education and Training Program
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance with
five primary standards related to their programs’ Students
:
4.
What Employers Want
:
recruitment of qu ality, viable candidates who possess the foundation aptitude (col l ege-readiness) to be successful in an accredited program, who are aware that “il licit drug use, criminal background checks, and immunization status may prevent fu ture employment as a pharmacy technician” (www.ashp.org)
What Prospective Students Want: Transparency with
Program length and depth
Total cost
Form s of financial aid available
How PTAC Commissioners Evaluate Programs Seeking
ASHP Accreditation
Programs are evaluated based upon their conformance
with five primary standards related to their programs’
Students
:
English Language Proficiency (reading, writing, listening
and speaking) increasingly evaluated
Mathematics Proficiency Assessed
PTAC Commissioners Encourage Interdisciplinary Educational
Partnerships with area Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy
Colleges and schools of pharmacy have noted a growing
trend that an increasing number of new enrollees are
currently practicing pharmacy technicians
Pharm acy students m ay interact with pharmacy technician students
during their IPPE laboratory skills course work
Pharm acy students m ay engage APPE teaching rotations at local
pharmacy technician training programs and serve as adjunct or
team -teach instructors
Pharm acy students and pharmacy technician students m ay engage
serv ice learning projects concurrently, related to com m unity
outreach and volunteerism
Looking Beneath the Surface
For those familiar with the previous standard, here’s
a closer look at a few things that have changed…
A Closer Look at What’s New in the Standard
Goal 9: Dem onstrate understanding of wellness promotion and disease preventionconcepts, such as use of health screenings; health practices and environmental factors th at impact health; and adverse effects of alcohol , tobacco, and legal and illegal drugs.`
Goal 16: Identify and describe emerging therapies.
Goal 17: Assist pharmacists in collecting, organizing, and recording demographic and cl inical information for direct patient care and medication-use review.
Goal 23: Assist pharmacists in preparing, storing, and distributing medication products requ iring special handling and documentation [(e.g., controlled substances, im munizations, chemotherapy, investigational drugs, drugs with mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS)].
Goal 36: Verify measurements, preparation, and/or packaging of medications produced by oth er healthcare professionals (e.g., tech-check-tech) (may vary by state guidelines)
A Closer Look at What’s New in the Standard
Goal 37: Explain pharmacists’ roles when they are responding to emergency situationsand h ow pharmacy technicians can assist pharmacists by being certified as a Basic Life Su pport (BLS) Healthcare Provider.
In Summary…
PTAC Lead and Guest Surveyors serve as CQI agents in the
support of those who provide Pharmacy Technician
Education
In Summary…
The Commission brings ACPE’s pharmacy education expertise and
the strength of ASHP’s technician training accreditation processes
together to create a win-win collaboration that serves
Pati ent care: better edu cated technician staff produ ce m ore qu ality results and fewer errors
Empl oy ers: seek a m ore qu ality pool of entry level workforce candidates
Ph armacy Tech nician education: raising the bar on qu ality and em powering training programs with resources that will increase their success throu gh qu ality program ming
Ph armacy Tech nician Career Path: fostering a m ore widespread [national] acceptance and dem and for accredited edu cation and training, which m ay el evate Tech nician professional credibility and opportu nities for advancement Creates opportu ni ties for col l aboration between pharmacy students and
ph arm acy technician students throu gh interdisciplinary educational experiences
Final Note to Pharmacy Employers…
Partnering with area pharmacy technician training programs
provides employers with a pipeline for quality entry level
technicians that will require far less training than the on-the-job
walk in applicant.
Partnering with area pharmacy technician training programs
takes the burden of responsibility for training on basic skills OUT
of your HANDS so you can focus on what is most important:
Patient care.
Serv e on an Advisory Com mittee
Make supply /equipment donations to programs in your area
Considering making scholarship donations to deserving pharmacy
technician students for which tuition and expenses m ay be cost
prohibitive
Post-Test Questions
1. ACPE’s role in pharmacy technician education will
be to:
A .
Begin accrediting pharmacy technician training
programs
B.
Select PTAC members
C.
Approve recommendations may by PTAC concerning
program accreditation
D.
Create new standards for ASHP-accredited programs
Post-Test Questions
2. ACPE’s involvement in pharmacy technician
training program accreditation may help to:
A .
Bring wider acceptance and demand for accredited
training
B.
Create a new standard for pharmacy technician practice
C.Close down low-quality training programs
D.
Require pharmacy technician training program only at
colleges and universities
Post-Test Questions
3. PTAC Surveyors:
A .
