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Pharmacy Technicians Essay example

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Pharmacy Technicians

Despite popular belief, pharmacy technicians are more than laborers; they are specially trained individuals. Imagine a family member is admitted to the University of South Alabama Hospital with an acute case of pneumonia, which will require oral and intravenous medications.

These medications must be precisely prepared and properly delivered. The common perception is that pharmacists prepare medications and technicians simply deliver them. This view of their job is both accurate and inaccurate.

Pharmacy technicians are most often seen as the pharmacy’s “delivery-boy”.
Technicians are responsible for timely delivery of medications. However, delivery of medications is more than the act of getting drugs to a…show more content…
The aseptic technique requires the sterile manipulation of syringes, vials, and medication in the confines of a vertical and horizontal laminar flow hood. Both of these skills can be taught. Most pharmacy technicians receive on the job training. The on-the-job training usually last for no more than six weeks, which is approximately two percent of the time a pharmacist must dedicate to their training. Ethical consciousness cannot be taught; only those who consider the implications of their daily tasks acquire it. Technicians lacking professional ethics will endanger patient’s lives.

Many ethical technicians make the choice to seek certification. Technicians are not required to become certified by the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, but thousands of technicians become certified each year. Certification, however, does not test the abilities of the technician. It simply tests the knowledge required to complete various tasks. A technician being certified brings up additional implications involving questions of liability between the pharmacist and technician..

A pharmacist must check any medication that is administered to a patient. This is the focus of their job. Nevertheless, if an error occurs they are not the only responsible party. Most laws involving medical liability state that liability lies with the company and the competent medical professionals involved with error. Once a technician
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