Articles for RxPO 2008

RSVP Online - Here NPTA will be hosting our 2nd Annual Evening for ...

The Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians is proud to announce the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians, ExCPT®, has been granted accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA, the accrediting arm of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), grants accreditation to a select group of organizations that demonstrate compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The ...

(Tallahassee, FL) Florida's Governor Crist has signed SB 1360 into law - a significant piece of legislation for pharmacy technicians. The legislation requires technicians to register with the Florida Board of Pharmacy by 2010. Beginning in 2011, technicians must complete one of the following: a board-approved training program, 1,500 hours of work as a technician under a Florida licensed pharmacist or certification by a program accredited by the National Commission for Certifying ...

(Columbus, OH) Senate Bill 203 has been approved with a unanimous vote by the Ohio State Senate. The opposition to SB 203, which was introduced by Senator Grendell, was silenced by congressional testimony provided on May 28, 2008 by Kelly Jerry, Cathy Horton, and NPTA's Executive Director, Mike Johnston, among others. Johnston spent the majority of the day (May 28) working with Senator Grendell and "industry representatives" to negotiate approval of the bill. After numerous meetings, a ...

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In the state of Ohio, Senate Bill 203 is currently undergoing committee reviews. The general provisions of SB 203, known as Emily's Law, are similar to that of Florida's SB 1360. Ohio appears to be a much tougher battleground as Senator Grendell (proponet) and Seantor Coughlin (opponent) debate the issue. Emily's Law has also been introduced federally (HR 5491) by Congressman LaTourette, who is working closely with Ohio State Senator Grendell and the Jerry family. Click here to ...

Senate Bill 1360 is currently en route to the desk of Florida's Governor for review. The provisions of SB 1360 include registration for pharmacy technicians required by 2010, ACPE-accredited continuing education requirements and beginning in 2011 technicians would be required to have completed a Board-approved pharmacy technician training program, worked 1500 hours under the supervision of a pharmacist or be nationally certified. This bill was unopposed by the Florida State Senate and ...

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Beginning on January 1, 2010, within 2 years after being employed as a registered technician, a pharmacy technician must become certified by successfully passing the PTCB examination or another Board-approved pharmacy technician examination in order to continue to perform pharmacy technician's duties. This requirement does not apply to pharmacy technicians hired prior to January 1, 2008.

Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, speak to 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft on the topic of medical errors and give a detailed account of the medical mistakes that nearly killed their twins. Quaid twins Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace were given a massive drug overdose of heparin last November at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and nearly died. "They happen in every hospital in every state in this country and…I've come to find out, there's 100,000 people a year ...

U.S. Reps. Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) and Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA) have introduced sweeping federal legislation that will mandate training, education, registration and certification requirements for pharmacy technicians nationwide. The Pharmacy Technician Training and Registration Act of 2008, or Emily’s Act, is named after 2-year-old Emily Jerry of Concord Township, OH, who died on March 1, 2006, after a pharmacy technician incorrectly prepared her chemotherapy dose. The bill, HR. ...

This week USA TODAY published a series of articles, entitled Rx for Errors, which focuses primarily on the connection between pharmacy technicians and medication errors occuring in chain drug stores, such as CVS and Walgreens. Since 1999, the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) has advocated for increased regulatory standards to become mandatory across the U.S. In essence, NPTA believes that in order to practice, pharmacy technicians should be required to: complete a ...

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The Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education, ACPE, has adopted new standards for differentiating continuing pharmacy education (CPE) programs for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Effective January 1, 2008, all new ACPE-accredited CPE programs will include a designator of either "P" for pharmacists or "T" for technicians as part of the program's Universal Program Number (UPN). Programs that are accredited for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will have two separate UPNs, ...

Take NPTA's Salary Survey Now - here NPTA is conducting an in-depth, ...

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Please read about this urgent, time-sensitive issue! On Tuesday, July 17, 2007, the Wyoming State Board of Pharmacy will be ...

Urgent News Please Read This Entire E-Mail. As many of you know, pharmacy - in particular, pharmacy technicians - took a hit last month after ABC ...

Houston, Texas, April 20, 2007 – The National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) announced today that they hired Edelman, the World's largest independent PR firm, to manage a new public relations and professional advocacy campaign regarding mandatory, standardized training and education for pharmacy technicians. NPTA has taken a strong position that individuals should be required to complete a standardized education/training program, pass a validated competency-based exam and be ...

The National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA) contributed to a healthcare employment feature published in the Sunday Edition (April 15, 2007) of the Chicago Tribune. Pharmacy Technician: Good First Job or Long-Term Career - an excerpt - With drug stores on every corner and a shortage of pharmacists, the need for pharmacy technicians has never been greater. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks pharmacy technicians as one of the highest growth careers through 2014.  ...

The following is a copy of NPTA's Open Letter to ABC News. Good Morning America, 20/20, and WorldNews ABC News 7 West 66th Street New York, NY 10023 April 2, 2007 RE: "What Your Pharmacist Doesn't Tell You" Aired on 3/30/07 – Good Morning America "Pharmacy Errors: Unreported Epidemic" Aired on 3/30/07 – 20/20 "Deadly Pharmacy Errors" Aired on 3/30/07 - WorldNews To Whom It May Concern: The medication errors ...