PTCB Syllabus
The goal of PTCB's certification program is to enable pharmacy technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer greater patient care and service. PTCB is responsible for the development and implementation of policies related to national certification for pharmacy technicians.
There are two main parts to the exam:
- PTCB Practice Calculations
and
- PTCB Practice Medication Usage and Administration Exam
The exam itself consists of 80 MCQ's plus an additional 10 questions which are not counted in your overall score. The PTCB syllabus is a little overbearing so we have summarized most of it below:
I. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients (66% of exam)
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A.
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Receive and process prescriptions, specifically:
- patient's name and address
- accuracy
- authenticity
- legality
- reimbursement eligibility
- appropriate product(s) for dispensing
- quantity and days supply of finished dosage forms for dispensing
- enteral products, radiopharmaceuticals, chemotherapeutic medications
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| B.
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Understand the applications of federal rules and regulations in acquiring information, updating patient medical records such as:
- diagnosis or desired therapeutic outcome
- disease state
- medication history (including over-the-counter [OTC] medications and dietary supplements)
- allergies
- adverse reactions
- medical history
- physical disability
- payor information (including both self-pay and third party reimbursement)
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| C.
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Communication of patient-specific data:
- blood pressure
- glucose
- cholesterol levels
- therapeutic drug levels
- immunizations
- pharmacist referrals
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D.
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Record keeping in relation to:
- prescription medication
- controlled and restriced substances
- investigational drugs
- restricted drugs (for example, isotretinoin, clozapine, thalidomide)
- distribution of prescription/medication to patient's home
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| E.
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Drug distribution programs:
- thalidomide
- isotretinoin
- clozapine
- investigational drugs
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| F.
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Assist the patients with payment assistance plan if multiple plans are available to patient.
- understand the relevance to third-party payers.
- resolve problems with rejected claims
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II. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems (22% of exam)
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| A.
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Identify pharmaceuticals, place routine orders, place emergency orders, receive pharmaceuticals, non–patient-specific preparation, remove from inventory expired/discontinued/slow moving/overstocked/recalled pharmaceuticals, destruction of pharmaceuticals, deter theft and drug diversion.
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III. Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice (12% of exam)
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| A.
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General pharmacy management in specific:
- update and maintain patient information
- collect productivity information
- quality assurance activities including reports
- have an understand of: Materials Safety Data Sheet [MSDS], Occupational Safety Health Administration [OSHA], Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO], United States Pharmacopeia [USP])
- implement and monitor policies in relation to federal law on handling, disposal, and destruction of pharmaceuticals and supplies
- sanitation, maintenance, and calibration of equipment
- use manual or electronic information systems
- billing and accounting functions verify coverage for products and services
- employee evaluations and competency assessments
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