Review for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination

2. MOSBY’S REVIEW for the
Pharmacy
Technician
Certification
Examination

3. MOSBY’S REVIEW for the
Pharmacy
Technician
Certification
Examination
JAMES J. MIZNER, Jr., MBA, BS, RPh
Panacea Solutions Consulting
Reston, Virginia
Third Edition

4. 3251 Riverport Lane
St. Louis, Missouri 63043
MOSBY’S REVIEW FOR THE PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION, THIRD EDITION ISBN: 978-0-323-11337-3
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mizner, James J., Jr., author.
Mosby’s review for the pharmacy technician certification examination / James J. Mizner, Jr. —
Third edition.
p. ; cm.
Review for the pharmacy technician certification examination
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-323-11337-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
I. Title. II. Title: Review for the pharmacy technician certification examination.
[DNLM: 1. Pharmacy—Examination Questions. 2. Pharmacists’ Aides—Examination Questions.
QV 18.2]
RS122.95
615.1076—dc23
2013021245
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Executive Content Strategist: Jennifer Janson
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Printed in the United States of America
Last digit is the print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

5. v
Margaret Bush, PhD, RPh
Pharmacy Technician Instructor
Durham Technical Community College
Durham, North Carolina
Anthony Guerra, PharmD, RPh
Chair, Pharmacy Technician Program
Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, Iowa
Joshua J. Neumiller, PharmD, CDE,
CGP, FASCP
Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy
Washington State University
Spokane, Washington
Carrie Wamer, CPhT
Pharmacy Technician Instructor
Choffin Career and Tech Center
Youngstown, Ohio
Reviewers

6. vii
Preface
Pharmacy technicians have become a major asset for
both pharmacies and pharmacists in the world today.
With an increasing population, longer life spans,
patients taking multiple medications, and managed
care playing a major role, pharmacies are seeing a
major increase in processed prescriptions. A phar­
macy cannot be successful in providing medications
without knowledgeable pharmacy technicians assist­
ing the pharmacists.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the growth
of pharmacy technicians to be very strong, with a
growth of 32% between now and 2020. State Boards
of pharmacy realize the importance of pharmacy
technicians in the drug delivery process and are com­
mitted to ensuring that pharmacy technicians pos­
sess the necessary skills to work in a pharmacy. By
2020, all new pharmacy technicians entering the
workforce will be required to have obtained a phar­
macy technician education from an approved ASHP
program.
Presently there are two organizations that certify
pharmacy technicians, the Pharmacy Technician Cer­
tification Board (PTCB) and the National Health­
Career Association (NHA). Both organizations are
accredited by the National Commission for Certify­
ing Agencies (NCCA). The PTCB has certified over
480,000 pharmacy technicians, and its examination is
approved by 45 state boards of pharmacy. The NHA
is recognized by 32 state boards of pharmacy.
In 2012, the Pharmacy Technician Certification
Board conducted a Job Analysis Study that involved
over 25,000 pharmacy technicians. As a result of this
study, it was announced that in second half of 2013
the arrangement of the material would change. How­
ever, the length of the test (90 questions to be com­
pleted in 1 hour and 50 minutes) and the multiple-
choice format would not change.
The new blueprint organizes content into nine
knowledge domains, called “knowledge areas” in the
table below, each with a number of sub-domains.
This organization gives the new blueprint a knowl­
edge focus, and conveys more information about the
type and relative amount of content in the exam.
The vast majority of knowledge statements in the
current blueprint are covered by one or more of the
knowledge areas in the new blueprint. By extension,
this means that the new PTCE content will be very
similar to what is covered in the current exam.
As a result of these changes, Mosby’s Review for the
Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination, third
edition, is arranged to review the content based upon
the nine domains. Each chapter is focused on one
of the domains covered on the examination followed
by questions. The pretest and the seven practice tests
attempt to mirror the actual certification examination
by adhering to the percentage of questions for each
domain. The questions have been scrambled to make
the test realistic. Many of the questions may cover
material from multiple domains. As in the previous
two editions, rationales are provided with the an­
swers. Domains are also included with the rationales.
Mosby’s Review for the Pharmacy Technician Certifica-
tion Examination has been written to assist a phar­
macy technician preparing for the PTCB or the NHA
NEW PTCE BLUEPRINT DOMAINS
KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS DOMAIN DESCRIPTION % OF PTCE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AREAS
1 Pharmacology for Technicians 13.75 6
2 Pharmacy Law and Regulations 12.50 15
3 Sterile and Non-sterile Compounding 8.75 7
4 Medication Safety 12.50 6
5 Pharmacy Quality Assurance 7.50 5
6 Medication Order Entry and Fill Process 17.50 7
7 Pharmacy Inventory Management 8.75 5
8 Pharmacy Billing and Reimbursement 8.75 5
9 Pharmacy Information Systems Usage and Application 10.00 2

7. viii Preface
examination. Mosby’s Review for the Pharmacy Techni-
cian Certification Examination is to be used to augment
either a formalized pharmacy technician training
program or on-the-job training, not replace it. This
review text has been designed to review the compe­
tencies covered on the PTCB exam and material on
the NHA exam.
Enhancements to the third edition of Mosby’s
Review for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exami-
nation include:
• The inclusion of new drug entities that have been
approved by the FDA since the second edition
• An update on laws affecting the practice of
pharmacy
• An in-depth discussion on USP ,797.
• Seven multiple-choice paper-based practice tests
• Ten multiple-choice computer-based tests
• Flashcards that focus on the content of the
domains
• Instructor aids, such as lesson plans, test banks,
and PowerPoint slides, to assist in the pharmacy
technician’s review for the examination
The pharmacy technician should use Mosby’s
Review for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exami-
nation as a guide to determine which topics he or she
may need additional assistance in studying for either
the PTCB or ExCPT examination. Good luck on the
test and in your new career.
James J. Mizner, Jr., MBA, BS, RPh

8. Mosby’s Review for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination is dedicated
to my wife, Mary, and son, Andrew. They have been very supportive of me
through my life and are my source of inspiration.
A special thanks to Jennifer Janson and Jennifer Bertucci, who provided both
advice and direction to me during this revision. Finally, thanks to Drs. Margaret
Bush, Anthony Guerra, Joshua Neumiller, and Carrie Wamer, who were instru-
mental during the review phase of the book.

9. xi
Contents
PRETEST 1
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION
EXAMINATION TEST-TAKING SKILLS 9
1 Pharmacology for Technicians 11
2 Pharmacy Law and Regulations 79
3 Sterile and Nonsterile Compounding 113
4 Medication Safety 149
5 Pharmacy Quality Assurance 163
6 Medication Order Entry and Fill Process 177
7 Pharmacy Inventory Management 189
8 Pharmacy Billing and Reimbursement 201
9 Information System Usage and Application 209
10 Practice Examinations 219
APPENDIXES
A Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination Information 271
B Drug Nomenclature: Stems Used by the U.S. Adopted Names Council 277
C Top 200 Prescription Drugs 283
D Vitamins 287
E Common Over-the-Counter Products 289
F Institute for Safe Medication Practices List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations 291
G Pharmaceutical Abbreviations 295
ANSWERS 299
INDEX 363