gh cancer is not a new problem diagnosed in patients worldwide, the medications that are emerging for improving the quality of life and pain management for people with this problem are constantly being developed. Even though cancers have not been completely cured by these medications in most patients, they are able to live their lives normally for a period of time without this dampening disease. Some patients will risk cancer re-growth within a short period from their treatments that work against these cancers, because the treatments were not strong enough to completely destroy the cells, which are affected by it. Luckily, extensive research is poured into finding a cure for every type of cancer that is known today. Breast cancer is of major concern to both females and males in today’s world. Many females are taking part in clinical trials of new and emerging medications to try slowing or halting breast cancers so that they may be operated upon for removal. Even males are learning that they are at risk for deadly breast cancers and much research is being made into how this can be prevented in males. In all cases involving males, breast cancer proved to be one hundred percent fatal and is difficult to manage. With time, we may be able to simply take some medications to destroy all cancerous cells in the body. Testicular and prostate cancers have become more common with older and younger males alike. These cancers wreak havoc on the sexual organs and cause discomfort in urination and other bodily functions. The only treatment that was known was to simply extract all cancerous parts of the testicle and prostate, usually leaving the male with lower organ control and feelings of inadequacy. New treatments are being developed that may help to heal the damage in the organs as well as destroy cancerous cells in males. The pain could even be subdued with current medication treatments that are available. Many women are starting to realize that they can get tumors and cancerous growths in their uterus as well as the ovaries as well. This can make it impossible to have a child as well as become deadly if not treated promptly after the cancer has been found in these organs. The little options that women have are very limited and may leave them unable to produce children in the future. One of the only things that can be done at this moment is saving eggs for future use in a surrogate mother, but in time, these cancers will be preventable and even curable to allow women to be worry free when they wish to have a baby. This ensures that they will have healthy organs that can provide everything they need to have a baby on their own. Even through tumors are not necessarily a sign of cancer; there is a small chance that any tumor can become cancerous if given enough time to develop far enough. The finding of tumors may prompt the use of chemotherapy that releases large amounts of toxic substances into the body. This may do more harm than good in people with weakened immune systems. Hopefully, the medical world will find ways to screen and treat patients, which are at risk of getting tumors, cancers and all of the illness that ensues. For more information on cancer, visit http://cancermicroblog.com and http://medicinemicroblog.com

In the not so distant past when you walked into a pharmacy needing to get a prescription filled you would have, in most instances, found that your prescription was actually filled by the on duty pharmacists. However, over the past few years a change has occurred in the pharmacist arena and that change is, “a pharmacist probably no longer filling your prescriptions”. Although pharmacists are on duty wherever medications are dispensed; today in most instances, a pharmacy technician or pharmacy assistant are the ones filling prescriptions.

Pharmacy Technicians and assistants have existed for some time but their roles have evolved for a variety of reasons.

A big reason is that they help to reduce health care costs because they get paid much less than a certified pharmacist. Another important reason is that it simply makes sense. Pharmacy technicians and assistants are trained to handle routine work (fill prescriptions and customer service), which frees up the pharmacists to focus more of their time on supervisory duties, as well as patient care.

Melissa Murer, Executive Director of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, put it this way, “Pharmacists are becoming more focused on patient care, so pharmacy technicians are needed to perform more of the distributive functions.”

In this brief (but hopefully informative article) I attempt to demonstrate what pharmacy technician and assistants do and where they do it.

In general, they assist licensed pharmacists in providing medication and health care to patients by preparing and filling prescriptions and performing clerical tasks. Duties are similar but pharmacy technicians generally have more responsibilities. In addition, technicians and assistants are required to be closely supervised by a licensened pharmacist, although the laws defining what “being supervised” entails, varies by state.

In addition to having all of their prescriptions checked by a pharmacist, technicians and assistants must also direct all patient questions regarding drug information, health matters or prescriptions to the pharmacist.

Pharmacy Technicians

Technicians follow specific procedures when filling prescriptions. After receiving an initial prescription or refill request, they must verify that the prescription information is accurate and then count, pour, retrieve, weigh, measure and if necessary, mix the required medication for the prescription. The next step is to prepare and affix the labels to the proper container. After filling the prescription the technician will then price and file it. Another important aspect of a technician’s job is to prepare patient insurance forms and establish and maintain patient profiles.

In retail pharmacies, technicians will also stock and take inventory of medications (both prescription and over-the-counter) maintain equipment and help manage the till.

In many hospitals, technicians have the responsibility to read the doctors orders from a patients’ chart, prepare and then deliver the medication after it’s been checked by a pharmacist. They may also enter information about patients’ medical records (regarding their medications) or put together a supply (normally 24 hours) of medicine for patients, including the labeling and packaging of each dose. But just like technicians working in a retail pharmacy, each package is checked by the supervising pharmacist before being given to a patient and they also maintain inventories of medicine and other supplies.

Pharmacy Assistants

Duties are similar to pharmacy technicians and while hospitals and pharmacies employ pharmacy assistants, the number of available positions is generally less than technicians. In retail pharmacies they work as clerks or cashiers, answer phones, handle money and perform clerical duties. In hospitals they also deliver medications and assist in stocking shelves.

Pharmacy technicians and assistants work in clean well-organized areas but are required to spend most of their workday on their feet. And because more and more pharmacies are open 24-hours a day work hours can vary with technicians and assistants are often required to work odds hours (nights, evenings and weekends). Therefore, there are many opportunities to work part-time in 24-hour pharmacies. In addition, a percentage of both technicians and assistants work part time because they are studying to become pharmacists.

States have traditionally required a one-to-one ratio of pharmacist to technician but that is also expected to change. Mark Boesen, Director of Government and Student Affairs for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, has stated that: “Many of the major employers of technicians are expanding the number of their facilities and boards of pharmacy in some States are allowing the legal ratio of technicians to pharmacists to expand. This is a very promising field to work in.”

An increasing demand for technicians with greater responsibility has prompted some States to revise their one-to-one ratio of pharmacist to technician to two or three technicians per pharmacist.

As pharmacy technicians take on more and more tasks previously performed by pharmacists, they must also learn and master new technology. A good example is the increased use (by many pharmacies) of robotic machines to dispense medicines. Technicians will be required to oversee the machine, stock bins and label containers.

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The medical field is quickly growing to offer a variety of occupations to those who may not want to invest the many years required to become a medical doctor, dentist and other advanced degree occupations. Pharmacy technician is one of those fields. A pharmacy tech assists licensed pharmacists. They aid the pharmacist in providing medication, health care and advice to patients. A pharmacy tech education will provide to the student the skills necessary to enter into this worthwhile and quickly growing vocation. A pharmacy technician program gives students the expansive knowledge related to the practice of pharmacy as well as the methods of ordering, stocking, packaging and preparing medications for patients under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. The certified pharmacy tech is able to work in many environments including hospitals, home health care, nursing homes, clinics and retail pharmacies. While they are required by law to act only under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, they are able to do many duties that the registered pharmacist does.

Until recently, there was no formal pharmacy technician program available. In the past, most pharmacy tech education was gained through on the job training. As employers needs have shifted and it has become more expensive to provide on the job training, a certified pharmacy technician has become more desirable than one who has not undergone the formal training and certification process. Originally offered in the armed forces, formal pharmacy tech education has grown to the degree that other environments are not offering the training. Hospitals, proprietary schools and other industries have constructed an educational setting that they can offer to their employees, students and other interested parties. A typical pharmacy tech class may offer curriculum regarding pharmaceutical terminology, techniques, law, record keeping and ethics. Students also learn the names of medications, dosage information, side effects, uses and actions of the medication. Another pharmacy tech class may include a pharmacy externship where the student has the opportunity to work in an actual pharmaceutical setting with a certified pharmacist. Pharmacy technicians are certified through the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).

Although the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination, offered by the PTCB, is strictly voluntary, most employers prefer to hire a technician who is educated in a formal setting and has become certified. As major drug store chains such as Walgreens and CVS pharmacy have begun to recognize and support pharmacy technician certification, pharmacy tech education has grown in popularity. Employees are offered training programs to help them prepare for the exam and they receive pay raises once they achieve their certification. It is quickly becoming the standard for employment in a pharmacy setting. A pharmacy technician program such as the one offered by Unitek College prepares the student for the National Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination. Students attending a pharmacy tech class will learn the skills necessary to become a competent assistant to a licensed pharmacist. This can prove to be a lucrative and rewarding career. Students who invest in a pharmacy tech education are making an investment in their future.