ASHP/ACPE Accredited Pharmacy Technician Programs: Leveraging Available Technician Resources

Transcription

1 ASHP/ACPE Accredited Pharmacy Technician Programs: Leveraging Available Technician Resources PRESENTED BY LIANNE C. BROWN, PHTR AT THE TEXAS SOCIETY OF HEALTH SYSTEM PHARMACISTS ANNUAL SEMINAR APRIL 24, 2015 Learning Objectives Pharmacists Explain ACPE s involvement in the accreditation of pharmacy education and the benefits of the ASHP/ACPE alliance in increasing the quality of pharmacy technician education Examine key components of the new Accreditation standard and how these learning goals better support an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to both current and future pharmacy education and the collaborative pharmacy team Appreciate the need for state-mandated pharmacy technician education as a m eans to elevate the skills of pharmacy technicians, provide better support to pharmacists as part of a multidisciplinary caregiver team, and advance a strong patient-care focus across the profession of pharmacy Learning Objectives Pharmacy Technicians Consider how ACPE s involvement in pharmacy technician education may elevate the quality of pharmacy technician training programs as well as to set higher quality standards for entry level pharmacy technicians Examine key components of the new Accreditation standard that will allow pharmacy technicians to better support pharmacists in their roles through collaborative learning activities that will reinforce both team and patient-care focus in the pharmacy workforce Recognize the need for requiring pharmacy technician education as a means to create a better educated and skilled technician workforce, encourage effective interaction between members of a diverse healthcare team, and improve patient care delivery by both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians S peaker has no financial disclosures 1

2 Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission FAQs Both ASHP and ACPE Boards of Dir ectors will act on the accreditation recommendations from PTAC PTAC will use the Standards for Pharmacy Technician Education and Training Programs (recent revisions effective January 1, 2014) ASHP will continue to schedule accreditation surveys and handle adm inistrative processes, but PAC will eventually create all changes to the standards and policies/regulations, with approval from the ASHP and ACPE Boards ( Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission FAQs Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission FAQs 2

3 Pharmacy Technician Accreditation Commission FAQs Speaking from my experiences over the last eight years as a Pharmacy Technician Program director and six years as a guest surveyor for ASHP (and not on behalf of the PTAC ) PTAC Lead and Guest Surveyors serve agents of continuous quality improvement for Pharmacy Technician Education Prov ide expert advice and guidance on what new programs seeking accreditation need in terms of scope and structure in order to meet or exceed the standard Share ideas and resources used across a broad network of pharmacy technician educators (through PTEC and other sources) to help programs gain the resources they need in order to provide quality programming to students Share experiences from other surveys to help reinforce the rationale for technician program accreditation 3

4 Programs seeking initial or affirmation of current accreditation must submit a self-study that allows them to submit documentation to PTAC to qualify their compliance with each of the 45 Standards These standards have been developed to: protect the public, serve as a guide for pharmacy technician education and training program development, provide criteria for the evaluation of new and established programs, and, promote continuous improvement of established programs. ( ASHP developed a guidance document to assist program directors with navigating the accreditation process! with five primary standards related to their programs : 1. Administration Organizational accreditations (hospital or institution of higher education) Strategic plan Program director authority & responsibility Activity of the Advisory Committee Record keeping (student records, curriculum, evaluation of training sites, student pass rates, etc.) with five primary standards related to their programs : 2. Competence, Credentialing and Experience of Program Faculty Program Director Faculty/Instructors Experiential Site Coordinator 4

5 with five primary standards related to their programs : 3. Scope of Education and Training Program Prov ide students to perform duties in a variety of pharmacy practice settings Pr ogram currency must be consistent with market trends and needs Program length and composition (at least 600 clock hours delivered over a period of 15 weeks or longer) Mu st have a clearly delineated sequence of instruction Observation Simulation ex periential learning Distance education must meet qualifying criteria with five primary standards related to their programs : 3. Scope of Education and Training Program Curriculum must encompass each of the 45 education and training goals Training Goals divided into 9 Learning Domains: Personal/Interpersonal Knowledge and Skills Foundational Professional Knowledge and Skills Processing and Handling of Medications and Medication Orders Sterile and Non-sterile Compounding with five primary standards related to their programs : 3. Scope of Education and Training Program Training Goals divided into 9 Learning Domains: Procurement, Billing, Reimbursement and Inventory Management Patient-and Medication-Safety Technology and Informatics Regulatory Issues Quality Assurance 5

6 with five primary standards related to their programs Students: 4. What Employers Want: recruitment of qu ality, v iable candidates who possess the foundation aptitude (college-readiness) to be successful in an accredited program, who are aware that illicit drug use, criminal background checks, and immunization status may prevent future employment as a pharmacy technician ( What Prospective Students Want: Transparency with Program length and depth Total cost Form s of financial aid available with five primary standards related to their programs Students: English Language Proficiency (reading, writing, listening and speaking) increasingly evaluated Mathematics Proficiency Assessed PTAC Commissioners Encourage Interdisciplinary Educational Partnerships with area Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy Colleges and schools of pharmacy have noted a growing trend that an increasing number of new enrollees are currently practicing pharmacy technicians Pharm acy students m ay interact with pharmacy technician students during their IPPE laboratory skills course work Pharmacy students may engage APPE teaching rotations at local pharmacy technician training programs and serve as adjunct or team-teach instructors Pharm acy students and pharmacy technician students m ay engage serv ice learning projects concurrently, related to com m unity outreach and volunteerism 6

7 Looking Beneath the Surface For those familiar with the previous standard, here s a closer look at a few things that have changed A Closer Look at What s New in the Standard Goal 9: Demonstrate understanding of wellness promotion and disease prevention concepts, such as use of health screenings; health practices and environmental factors that impact health; and adverse effects of alcohol, tobacco, and legal and illegal drugs.` Goal 16: Identify and describe emerging therapies. Goal 17: Assist pharmacists in collecting, organizing, and recording demographic and clinical information for direct patient care and medication-use review. Goal 23: Assist pharmacists in preparing, storing, and distributing medication products requiring special handling and documentation [(e.g., controlled substances, immunizations, chemotherapy, investigational drugs, drugs with mandated Risk Ev aluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS)]. Goal 36: Verify measurements, preparation, and/or packaging of medications produced by other healthcare professionals (e.g., tech-check-tech) (may vary by state guidelines) A Closer Look at What s New in the Standard Goal 37: Explain pharmacists r oles when they a re r esponding to emergency situations an d h ow pharmacy technicians can assist pharmacists by being certified as a Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider. Goal 38: Demonstrate skills required for effective emergency preparedness Goal 39: Assist pharmacists in medication reconciliation. Goal 40: A ssist pharmacists in medication therapy management. Goal 41: Describe the use of current technology in the healthcare environment to ensure the safety and accuracy of medication dispensing Goal 44: A pply qu ality assurance practices to pharmaceuticals, durable and non-durable medical equipment, devices, and supplies. 7

8 In Summary PTAC Lead and Guest Surveyors serve as CQI agents in the support of those who provide Pharmacy Technician Education In Summary The Commission brings ACPE s pharmacy education expertise and the strength of ASHP s technician training accreditation processes together to create a win-win collaboration that serves Patient care: better educated technician staff produce more quality results and fewer errors Empl oy ers: seek a more quality pool of entry level workforce candidates Ph armacy Tech nician education: raising the bar on quality and empowering training programs with resources that will increase their success through quality programming Ph armacy Tech nician Career Path: fostering a more widespread [national] acceptance and demand for accredited education and training, which may elevate Technician professional credibility and opportunities for advancement Creates opportuni ties for col l aboration between pharmacy students and pharmacy technician students through interdisciplinary educational experiences Final Note to Pharmacy Employers Partnering with area pharmacy technician training programs provides employers with a pipeline for quality entry level technicians that will require far less training than the on-the-job walk in applicant. Partnering with area pharmacy technician training programs takes the burden of responsibility for training on basic skills OUT of y our HANDS so y ou can focus on what is most important: Patient care. Serv e on an Advisory Committee Make supply /equipment donations to programs in your area Considering making scholarship donations to deserving pharmacy technician students for which tuition and expenses may be cost prohibitive 8

9 Post-Test Questions 1. ACPE s role in pharmacy technician education will be to: A. Begin accrediting pharmacy technician training programs B. Select PTAC members C. Approve recommendations may by PTAC concerning program accreditation D. Create new standards for ASHP-accredited programs Post-Test Questions 2. ACPE s involvement in pharmacy technician training program accreditation may help to: A. Bring wider acceptance and demand for accredited training B. Create a new standard for pharmacy technician practice C. Close down low-quality training programs D. Require pharmacy technician training program only at colleges and universities Post-Test Questions 3. PTAC Surveyors: A. Use self study materials to determine whether a program is compliant with the accreditation standard B. Use self-study materials during site visit to determine whether a program is demonstrating conformance with the accreditation standard C. Verify program admissions practices and the level of expertise of faculty and experiential training coordinators D. Both B & C 9

10 Conclusion Questions/Comments? Thank you for your time and participation! 10