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  • Learn the Essentials with freeCE's Medication History Specialty Certificate!
    Easily complete all PTCB-required training in our convenient & on-demand format


    freeCE offers pharmacy technicians the flexibility to complete this medication history essentials training at their own pace. This 6-credit program is broken into 6 on-demand modules. Once learners pass the final exam, and if they're a PTCB-certified pharmacy technician (CPhT), they'll have the option to apply for PTCB's Medication History Exam.


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    Background

    All patients have a history of drug therapy and many often transition between various providers and health care settings adding or discontinuing medication throughout their care. Accurate medication histories are important in preventing medication errors and lay a path to better care. Pharmacy technicians sit in a unique position, where they play a vital role in obtaining and maintaining accurate medication histories in a variety of health care settings.

    Program Description

    This 6-credit PTCB-Recognized training program has been built into a six-module certificate, designed to teach pharmacy technicians the medication history process, terminology, and how to identify best quality assurance practices to support quality patient care. This specialty certificate was developed on the blueprint for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s Medication History Certificate, and pharmacy technicians who complete this certificate training program will be prepared to sit for that assessment.

    All patients have a medication history that can contain anything from childhood vaccinations to routine prescription drugs and everything in between. The medication history process involves vocabulary worth defining to help understand the vital role a technician can play in it. Here in module 1, an introduction to medication history and its importance is explored.

    Connecting medication names to conditions they treat helps pharmacy technicians decode medication histories. Medication knowledge is foundational to the pharmacy profession. When a technician demonstrates an adequate understanding of medical terminology and pharmacology, they can apply that knowledge to everyday practices that contribute to the pharmacy team and support positive patient care. In this module, the technician’s knowledge of pharmacology and medical terminology is built upon to find relationships in treating common diseases.

    What does an accurate and inaccurate medication history look like? Module 3 helps technicians distinguish patterns in medication histories that may alert them to a potential problem. This may clue a healthcare professional to seek out additional information or bring it to the attention of the pharmacist and/or healthcare team.

    Inaccurate medication histories play an elemental part in medication errors and adverse drug effects. Recognizing strategies in medication error prevention is key to patient safety and improved care. In module four, pharmacy technicians build upon their foundational knowledge in prescription processing, dispensing, and medication error prevention and apply it by using strategies and asking appropriate questions prompted by medication history data.

    Professional healthcare workers, including pharmacy technicians, hold ethical standards that support and uphold quality patient care. In module five, the rights patients have to privacy and care are important to identify and respect for safety and quality assurance practices.

    This final module links together the Medication History Essentials program by reviewing all program objectives, such as recognizing the medication history process and why it is important, defining terms and abbreviations, and identifying medication error prevention and best quality assurance practices in support of quality patient care.

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    Faculty:

    Stephanie O'Brine CPhT, M.Ed

    Stephanie O’Brine, CPhT, M.Ed., is passionate about empowering others through education. She has been an allied health instructor at Yakima Valley College since 2008 teaching both online and on campus in the classroom. Her enthusiasm for teaching and learning brought her to the Teacher’s College at Western Governors University where she graduated with a Master of Education, Instructional Design degree.

    Stephanie has been a licensed pharmacy technician since 2001 and has experience in a variety of healthcare settings. Her heart is in teaching advanced pharmacy technician practice as her most valuable and rewarding jobs before higher education work was in a Washington oncology center and a remote clinic in Alaska where she practiced Medication Reconciliation before it was known by that name.

    Stephanie is a proud member of the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) and the National Pharmacy Technician Association (NPTA).

    Some important notes to remember regarding the Pharmacy Technician Enhanced Training: Medication History Essentials (PTETMHE) Certificate:

    • Registration costs $79 for members, $179 for non-members.
    • Once you have completed the specialty certificate, you are eligible to claim a sharable digital badge. Learn more about badges here.
    • This program's final exam consists of 50 unique multiple-choice questions.
    • You have only three (3) attempts to pass the final exam.
    • You may not leave the final exam in the middle and return at a later time.
    • The final exam has no time limit; however, we recommend that you write the answers down in case you lose your Internet connection or get interrupted while taking the exam.
    • You will earn continuing education credit as you complete each activity, totaling 6 credits upon final completion.
    • You will have 12 months to complete the specialty certificate before it expires from your account.
    • This specialty certificate is NOT accredited for pharmacists or nurses.
     

    Requirements

    Pharmacy Technician Enhanced Training: Medication History Essentials