Career advancement insights from certified pharmacy technicians: Enhanced opportunities for the pharmacy technician workforce.

Background: Sustainable career advancement opportunities for pharmacy technicians will be a critical part of patient-centered community pharmacy environments as the role of the pharmacist provider expands.

Objective: (1) To determine the impact of a Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) pharmacy certification on career advancement and professional growth metrics; (2) To assess technicians' role in advanced pharmacy services before and after certification; and (3) To identify changes in pharmacist services when a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT) was added to the provider team.

Methods: A 73-question web-based survey was distributed to all PTCB CPhT in the United States, Washing DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.

Evaluating the impact of a pharmacy technician training program within a college of pharmacy.

Purpose: Ensuring pharmacy technicians are adequately trained and prepared to enter the workforce is an important first step in addressing technician staff shortages. How pharmacy technician learners perceive their experiences after completion of a training program remains unknown. This study evaluated participant outcomes and self-efficacy ratings for common technician competencies after completion of a pharmacy technician training program.

Association Between Prescription Drug Discount Cards and Out-of-Pocket Costs for HFrEF Regimens.

Background: The burden from medication costs for treating heart failure can be financially toxic for uninsured/underinsured patients and their families. Prescription discount cards, which offer cash price reductions, may decrease out-of-pocket costs for patients without prescription benefits, but the degree to which they offer financial relief remains unclear. Our objective was to assess the financial burden for uninsured/underinsured patients prescribed a drug from each of the 4 standard classes of medications for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Improvement in Pharmacy Student Responses to Medication-Related Problems with and without Clinical Decision Support Alerts.

Objective: To assess pharmacy student responses to medication problems with and without clinical decision support (CDS) alerts during simulated order verification.

Methods: Three classes of students completed an order verification simulation. The simulation randomized students to a different series of 10 orders with varying CDS alert frequency.

A Survey of Hiring and Non-hiring Pharmacists' Perceptions of a Primary Care Certificate Training Program.

To survey pharmacists, including those who make or contribute to hiring decisions, regarding certificate training programs and specifically about a primary care certificate for pharmacists. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of pharmacist registrants of the Office of Continuing Professional Development at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy's listserve, including both hiring and non-hiring pharmacists. The 40-question survey probed perceptions of various types of postgraduate training and the design of a primary care certificate training program for pharmacists.

Designing a pharmacist primary care certificate training program based on employer perceptions.

Background: As the pharmacy profession transforms toward practice centered around direct patient care and clinical services, upskilling the existing workforce may be required for pharmacists to take on expanded roles, especially in an increasingly competitive job market.

Objective: To explore pharmacist employer perceptions of a primary care certificate training program including its design, value, and relevance and to develop and implement a pharmacist primary care certificate training program based on study results.

Methods: Focus groups were conducted to a point of saturation in December 2020 via video conference.

Review and assessment of drug disposal state statutes in the United States, 2022.

Background: Ensuring opportunities exist to dispose of unused or unwanted drugs that are appropriate, accessible, and affordable is critical to avoid misuse and lasting harm to the environment.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to identify state statutes promulgated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) facilitating disposal of unused or unwanted drugs in the community setting and assess their characteristics.

Methods: A retrospective review of state statutes in all 50 U.

Accuracy of publicly-listed locator information for buprenorphine waivered practitioners and opioid treatment programs in the US, 2020.

Opioid use disorder affects millions of Americans, but only a fraction receive treatment. This may be due in part to inaccurate information available about buprenorphine waivered practitioners (waivered practitioners) and Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) on public, federally-sponsored locator databases. We aimed to assess the accuracy of publicly-listed locator information for waivered practitioners and OTPs across the US.

The Academy Is Well Positioned to Offer Pharmacy Technician Training Programs.

Schools and colleges of pharmacy are optimally positioned to train the entire pharmacy team, including pharmacists and pharmacy support personnel, because they can provide comprehensive workforce development, utilize established faculty expertise, harness existing infrastructure, afford opportunities for intraprofessional education, and support institutional growth and reputability. As the emphasis of training shifts towards team-based approaches and expanded responsibilities, ensuring the existing and future pharmacy workforce is equipped to serve their communities becomes increasingly important. Thus, schools and colleges of pharmacy should consider offering a pharmacy technician training program to meet the needs of their community and the profession.

Assessing pharmacy students drug information skills and perceptions using the critically appraised topic approach.

Background And Purpose: Competence in drug information (DI) skills fosters the application of evidence-based medicine (EBM) principles. However, concern exists about whether there is adequate DI preparation in curricula. This report describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a team project utilizing the critically appraised topic (CAT) approach in a DI course.

Exploring employer perceptions of pharmacy technician certification in the community pharmacy setting.

Background: With the evolving roles of pharmacy technicians in the United States, the profession has attempted to define a national standard. Community pharmacy employers to-date have preferred on-the-job training to formal, accredited training programs or credentialing, however, limited evidence exists on the perceived needs of pharmacy technicians in the United States compared to those of community pharmacy employers.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to explore: 1) community pharmacy employer perceptions of associated benefits and perceived value of pharmacy technician certification and 2) needs of employers related to pharmacy technician attitudes and knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs).

Targeting adaptability to improve Medication Therapy Management (MTM) implementation in community pharmacy.

Objectives: (1) To develop an adaptation framework for MTM delivery for pharmacists (the MTM Adaptability Framework), (2) to examine the impact of an educational intervention informed by the MTM Adaptability Framework on MTM completion rates over a 2-year period, and (3) to explore pharmacists' perceptions regarding knowledge and beliefs about MTM and MTM implementation self-efficacy pre- and post-intervention.

Methods: This study is a prospective, mixed-methods research study including a quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest quantitative study with a sequential explanatory qualitative study arm featuring semi-structured key informant interviews. US supermarket pharmacy chain setting included 93 community pharmacy sites located in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama.

Advancing pharmacy technician training and practice models in the United States: Historical perspectives, workforce development needs, and future opportunities.

The United States healthcare system faces immense challenges related to cost, quality, and access. As the pharmacy profession addresses these challenges by shifting toward a practice model centered around direct patient care clinical services, a competent and capable technician workforce is needed to support the roles of pharmacists. Until recently, little focus has been paid to pharmacy technicians or their role as they relate to practice model change.

Assessing pharmacy technician certification: A national survey comparing certified and noncertified pharmacy technicians.

Objectives: To compare viewpoints of nationally certified and noncertified technicians and explore the perceived value of technician certification in the job performance domains of medication safety, skills and abilities, experience, engagement and satisfaction, and productivity.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of pharmacy technicians, from 6 states representing 4 regions of the United States, was conducted. Technician mailing lists were purchased from Boards of Pharmacy, and randomly selected technicians were sent survey invitations.

Implementation and assessment of a pulmonary diseases elective course for third-year pharmacy students.

Background: Given the significant public health burden of pulmonary diseases and the vital role pharmacists play in management across the continuum of care (and within transitions in care), an elective course for pharmacy students focused on pulmonary diseases was developed.

Educational Activity: A month-long elective course for third-year pharmacy students consisting of 12 class sessions delivered in two-hour periods three times per week, was implemented. The course was delivered using the team-based learning (TBL) format in addition to hands-on skills and simulation sessions.

Assessing self-assessment practices: A survey of U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Objective: This study quantifies and describes student self-assessment approaches in colleges of pharmacy across the United States.

Methods: Faculty members identified as assessment directors from college websites at U.S.

Exploring employer job requirements: An analysis of pharmacy job announcements.

Objectives: Postgraduate training, dual degrees, and board certifications are credentials viewed by academic pharmacy communities and professional organizations as positive assets for those seeking pharmacist jobs; however, a key question merits further investigation: do these views match employer expectations? The primary objective of this study was to identify the most common qualifications employers require as stated in job advertisements.

Methods: Pharmacist job postings from the aggregate jobs website Indeed.com were evaluated for the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.

Medication Errors and Trainees: Advice for Learners and Organizations.

Limited information exists regarding medication errors and trainees (students or residents). Yet during the experiential education component of their training, learners are expected to assume significant responsibilities in the medication use process. This commentary addresses both trainees and organization leaders on medication safety practices and the incorporation of learners into the organization's medication safety culture.

Impact of Combination Antibiogram and Related Education on Inpatient Fluoroquinolone Prescribing Patterns for Patients With Health Care-Associated Pneumonia.

Background: Previous studies have shown that development of a unit-specific combination antibiogram improves optimal selection of empiric therapy for Gram-negative infections, yet no published data exist regarding the role of the combination antibiogram as an antimicrobial stewardship program tool for disease-specific prescribing.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of a combination antibiogram to guide antibiotic prescribing for patients with health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP).

Methods: This was a retrospective preprovider and postprovider education intervention study aimed to evaluate fluoroquinolone (FQ) use in patients with HCAP.