31
May
I do apologize sincerely about the long delay in the last time I posted. I intend on releasing 3 more Exams and Answer sets rather soon. Over the next 10 days expect 10 questions or more each day.
An update on myself - I have began my classes for my prerequisites and hopefully in the next 2 years I’ll be accepted into the Pharmacy Program at Auburn University or USA.
5
Jan
I have had the pleasure of being asked to work in a pharmacy (until my position becomes permanent). Boy, is it fun. The hardest part about the pharmacy is the computer (insurance).
Now insurance can’t be that hard, can it? I mean, there is only a few million different plans and coverages. Each coverage has its’ own different abbreviated name (such as Military Insurance being “TRRX” - Who in the world came up with that? Should we fire them now or later 
).
Back to the computer. Its pretty basic, nothing to fear (coming from someone whom is almost computer dependent, that must get on the computer for hours, and runs a computer business). Everything is shown on the screen with your options. Getting use to what buttons to press and what the next page is so you can be ready to press the right button is the key. Entering in the new “patients” is a breeze. Until that is, you have to enter in the Insurance. The good ones have a “BIN #” or something similar to allow the techs to search for the correct provider. From there on out, you have to know what to put for “dependents” (1 = the card holder, 2 = spouse, 3+ = kids).
Great. You added a new “patient”. What is next on the list? Well, they came to you for one thing. I am pretty sure that one thing isn’t to just be your friend or to give you their info. Its to get a drug needed to ale their pain. You have the prescription in front of you. What do you look for first?
First, you get the drug. Is it “BRAND” or is it “GENERIC”? You want to ALWAYS use the BRAND Drug in the system then link it to the Generic (if available). For instance, you get a script that calls for “Lortab 7.5 mg” you would call up “Lortab 7.5 mg” then after selecting that, you’ll be prompted to select the generic drug “Hydrocodone 7.5 mg”. When you match up the generic - DOUBLE CHECK THE NDC NUMBER!!! There is hundreds of drug makers, making the same generic - so MATCH UP THE NDC!
Second, what is the dosage? 30 pills? 150 ml? 1 pak? Look at the screen (or the prescription) and do some match. If Mrs. Jane Doe gets the following sig (but in fancy abbreviations):
Lortab 7.5 mg
as needed for pain
dispense ===30===
How many would you give the patient?
Obviously, 30 pills.
What kind of instructions would be on the label?
Take 1 tablet as needed for pain.
Would you give a refill on this?
No, CII (C2) drugs have 0 refills and must be renewed via the doctor.
Finally, you check the Rx and then process it to fill it.
25
Dec
1 (b) Methylphenidate is a controlled class II drug. It is indicated for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It cannot be refilled under any circumstances.
2 (b) 1050cc. In this type of calculation first find out number of cc required for 1 day.
Morning dose
Drug ml of solution
250 mg present 5 cc of solution
1000 mg ?
1000 x 5cc / 250 = 20 cc of solution.
Evening dose
Drug ml of solution
250 mg present in 5 cc of solution
750 mg ?
750 x 5cc / 250 = 15 cc of solution.
For a 30 day supply of Valproic acid
(20 cc (am) + 15 cc (pm) ) x 30 = 1050cc.
3 (b) Glyburide and Chlorpropamide are oral sulfonylurea agents indicated for treatment of diabetes. Pharmacy technician will notify the pharmacist about duplication of therapy.
4 (d) Aspirin is a blood thinning agent indicated for prevention of heart stroke. It should be carefully prescribed with other blood thinning agents
because of risks of bleeding. Lovenox (Enoxaprine), Coumadin (Warfarin), Heparin, Plavix (Clopidrogel), Ticlid (Ticlopidine), Depakene (Valproic acid), Persantine (Dipyridamole), Mandol (Cefamandole), Cefotan (Cefotetan), Cefobid (Cefoperazone) and Moxam (Moxalactam) are agents that increase bleeding tendency in patients and should be carefully prescribed with other blood thinning agents.
5 (a) The overdose of Coumadin can be treated by administration of Vitamin K1 (Mephyton).
6 (a) Compazine (Prochlorperazine) is indicated for treatment of nausea and vomiting and therefore is classified as an anti-emetic (agent that prevent nausea and vomiting).
7 (b)
8 (b) The cost of 100 tablets of Olanzapine is $420 and therefore the cost of one tablet of Olanzapine would be $420/100 = $ 4.20.
The % mark-up on the prescription is 15%
Cost of prescription mark up on rx
$ 100 $ 15
$ 4.20 ?
15 x 4.20 / 100 = $ 0.63, therefore dispensing cost of each prescription would be
$ 4.20 + $ 0.63 = $ 4.83
The cost of 30 tablets would be $ 4.83 x 30 = $145
9 (b) 33 grams. For calculations of this type the allegation method is very useful. We want to prepare 500 gm of 0.2 % salicylic acid by mixing talc (0 %) powder with 3 % of Salicylic acid powder.
3 % salicy 0.2 (3 % sali)
0.2 %
0 % talc (no salicy) 2.8 (0% sali)
Total 3.0 (0.2 % sali)
We want to find out how many grams of 3 % salicylic acid required
Total parts of 0.2% sali Parts of 3 % sali
3 parts 0.2 parts 500 ?
500 x 0.2 / 3 = 33 grams of 3% salicylic acid required.
10 (b) Plavix (Clopidrogel) is a blood thinning agent. Agents of this class generally act by inhibiting aggregation of platelets which is thought to be the primary mechanism of blood clotting. It is indicated for prevention of heart stroke in patients with CHF.
11 (b) Asthma is characterized by increased responsiveness of trachea and bronchi to various stimuli and narrowing of airways. It is associated with shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing and coughing. The Beta-2 receptors stimulation generally dilates the bronchial smooth muscles and helps in controlling asthma.
Beta-2 receptors blockers generally constrict the smooth muscles of bronchi and may even aggregate asthma.
Metoprolol is a Beta-1 and Beta-2 receptor blockers indicated for treatment of hypertension and should be carefully prescribed in patient with asthma. Other choices such as Accolate and Atrovent are indicated for treatment of asthma.
12 (b) The prescription of CII controlled drugs should be dispensed with specific quantity mentioned on prescription by physician. MS-contin is a controlled II drug and therefore correct dispensing quantity would be 60.
13 (b) Prescription of controlled drugs III, IV and V cannot be refilled more than 5 times. A patient must bring a new prescription after this allowable refill is executed. Prescriptions older than 6 months require a new prescription to fill.
14 (c) Otocort otic solution is intended for ear use only. It should not be applied to eyes and therefore the auxiliary label “ For ear use only” is required.
15 (c) Tamsulosin is the generic name of Flomax. It is indicated for treatment of B.P.H. All of the rest of the choices are colony stimulator agents. They generally help in stimulation of erythrocyte and granulocytes.
16 (d) 150 cc. Lanoxin is available in 0.05 mg/ml. Patient is taking 0.25 mg per day.
Drug ml of solution
0.05 mg 1 ml
0.25 mg ?
0.25 x 1 / 0.05 = 5ml
for 30 days supply = 30 x 5cc = 150cc
17
Dec
Being a CPhT, You’ll get alot more doors opened up. From what I hear, asking and calling around, there are some companies to go work for and also some companies to not work for. Here’s my list (may be different in your area / state).
(RETAIL/FOODSTORES) Certified Pharmacy Technician Jobs
All of these stores pay more based on Experience. Hospitals pay more than retail / food store pharmacy’s. So, if you are into making lots of money; Get a job at the Hospital.
On the (good) personal side, I have ~3 years in at Target and got offered a spot as a “Floating” CPhT between the three local stores until a full-time position at one store opens up.
16
Dec
The PTCE (Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam) is managed by the PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board). The Test is said to have 100 questions on it and the techs to be need to make a 70 or better to become certified. It is said that 60% of the test is based on math, 25% based on day to day functions of being a CPhT, and 15% related to Privacy Laws. Well, heres my take on what “they say”.
MATH. I had about 30 questions of math. Basic math, converting from mg to mcg and lb to kg, etc. This is very important to remember and not just “cram” before a test. SIG’s - REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER!! Doctor’s are known for not writing very clearly. So having a good knowledge of different sig’s and their meaning is very import. “ii po bid” - Whats that mean? Take 2 by mouth, two times a day. Please refer to one of my previous blogs about the sigs and their meanings.
HELPING THE PHARMACIST. I had about 25 questions on this. Held somewhat true to what others have said. Knowing basically what you can and can’t do is important. IE: Can Tech’s recommend an OTC Drug after 10years of being Certified? No. Techs can NEVER recommend an OTC Drug. If a customer has a question about OTC Drugs, or drugs in general, it is best to refer them to the pharmacist on duty.
PRIVACY LAWS. I had quite a few of these questions. I would say about 15 to 20. The majority of this part is to protect the customers of their privacy. Basically, you can’t discuss anything about customer a with customer b. You can’t go home and tell your parents or loved-one about customer a or customer b. Its like that saying “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.” - “What happens in the Pharmacy, Stays in the Pharmacy.” Here is an example of a question: Can Jane Doe view parts of John Smith’s patient profile? Assuming, Jane isn’t a Doctor or Pharmacist. No, Jane can not. John’s information is private to only those allowed.
CURVE-BALLS. I had to say, these questions threw me WAY Off. I had about 30 questions that dealt with absolutely NOTHING what I learned prior to the test. I am talking questions like; Of the following drugs, which drug is a Pain reliever but not an anti-inflamatory? Tylenol (Acetylmenophen). or Which of these drugs would a ______ patient receive. I feel like these questions were so hard but didnt grade or count the majority of them against you.
So, in conclusion, Math, You need it. Helping the pharmacist and privacy laws, Yes, you need that too. But the one thing NONE of the books touch on is what the drugs are used for. Its good to know these or have a good knowledge of drugs in general.
Good Luck with your Test, I hope you pass!!
16
Dec
Yea, So, I have been waiting (not so) patiently for the past ~19 days to get my results back for my PTCE (Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam). I decided to go to the Midnight screening for I Am Legend (Great Movie, Nothing like the book, but it was still good.) When I got home around 2:30am on 12/14 I started to clean my room and prep my bed to goto sleep. My Fiance asked for my information to log into PTCB to check my results. I was determined that I failed miserably. She said “You Passed!” I said, “What? You are kidding right?” she replied, “No, You really Passed”.
I couldn’t beleive what my ears were telling me so I sprung up off of the bed to check for myself. Come to find out, I passed! I can’t beleive I passed. I have NO-Experience in the pharmacy, NO-schooling or training, and SELF-TAUGHT Myself everything from 1 main book. “The Pharmacy Technician”. I highly recommend this book to anyone whom wishes to take the PTCE.
Here’s my Exam Results (so far).
30
Oct
Well, first off, let me introduce myself. My name is Robert Maltby. I have been dealing with computers for over 10 years now and for the past few months, I have been studying to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician. After becoming a CPhT, I will continue on to become a RPh. I currently work at Target where I am Cross-Trained into the Pharmacy and have spent a great deal of time in the Pharmacy.
I have 3 books from which I study out of; The main book is “The Pharmacy Technician” Second Edition by Perspective Press Morton Publishing. You can find this at Books-A-Million or Barnes and Nobles for about $54.95 however, I would highly recommend looking on Amazon first. I purchased one from Amazon for just $19.95 plus $3.95 for Shipping and Handling. This book is by far the best book I have come across. The Pharmacist’s as well as other CPhT’s said it was the best they have seen so far.
My goal is to create multiple blog entries from each book on a daily basis. Hopefully, we can do this and you can learn something good from it all. If you are a CPhT or a Pharmacist whom may want to take part in this blog, please feel free to contact me at RMaltby@BionHosting.com
