November 15, 2007
Pharmacists and technicians have vital role in patient care
YKHC's Pharmacists were in the spotlight last month during National Hospital and Health System Pharmacy Week, October 22-26, illuminating the many new and vital roles they play in patient care.
The evolution has been especially dramatic in recent years as pharmacists have gone from primarily compounding and dispensing medications to becoming vital members of patient-care teams.
"Many consumers are not aware that pharmacists play a critical role in preventing medication errors, advising prescribers on the best drug choices, and working directly with patients to ensure they understand how to use their medications safely and effectively," said Melanie Gibson, Pharmacy Director. "Pharmacy Week is a great way to educate the public about how pharmacists can help them get the most benefit from their medicine."
Pharmacy technicians were also recognized along with the licensed pharmacists during Pharmacy week.
Pharmacy technicians play a major role in day-to-day operations. Without their support the pharmacy would not run efficiently. Today, pharmacy technicians are more involved in activities that were exclusively performed by pharmacists in the past. At the same time, pharmacists are moving into clinically oriented services that focus on drug therapy outcome. As this role continues to expand, it will allow pharmacists to fulfill their role as providers of pharmaceutical care.
Under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, a pharmacy technician accepts written prescriptions, checks them for pertinent information such as allergies and age, determines benefit plan allowances, creates and retrieves patient profiles, enters prescription information on patient profiles, and manually fills prescriptions.
Technicians do other traditional activities as well, including preparing the prescription label, labeling the container, compounding the medications, and preparing billing information. Technicians are also involved in inventory control.
Most pharmacy technicians learn their skills on the job from an experienced pharmacy technician. However, some pharmacy technicians complete formal training programs that last one or two years. Many pharmacy technicians also obtain their national certification and become Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT).
If you would like to learn more about how to become a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician, please contact the YKHC Pharmacy at (800)478-3321 ext. 6382.