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• The Journey to Earning the CPhT-Adv Certification from PTCB

  By Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Staff   Earning the Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician Certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board is a great way to boost your professional skills and career opportunities. CPhTs-Adv are recognized for their expertise and experience, and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to advancing medication safety. Here’s what you need to know and do to achieve the CPhT-Adv Certification. What is the CPhT-Adv Certification? CPhT-Adv builds on the basic Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) Certification, requiring you to meet higher standards in specialized areas. This certification highlights your expertise and dedication, setting you apart in the pharmacy world. Prerequisites and Eligibility Before you can start working towards the CPhT-Adv Certification, you need to meet a few requirements: Active CPhT Certification You need to already have an active CPhT Certification from PTCB. This ensures you have the basic knowledge and skills for pharmacy practice. Work Experience You need at least three years of recent, relevant work experience as a pharmacy technician. This shows your ongoing commitment to the field. Specialized Knowledge You need to earn at least four of PTCB’s Assessment Based Certificates or three PTCB Assessment Based Certificates plus the Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician Certification. Steps to Earning the CPhT-Adv Certification Review the Certification Requirements Start by checking out the certification requirements from PTCB. Get familiar with the eligibility criteria, needed documentation, and specific advanced credentials you need to complete. This helps you understand what’s expected and plan your steps. Gain Work Experience Gather the required work experience in various pharmacy settings. Take on roles that let you apply your skills in different practice areas, boosting your knowledge and proficiency. This experience is crucial as you work on earning the advanced specialty certificates. Earn Advanced Specialty Credentials Apply and earn the necessary advanced specialty credentials. These credentials are designed to deepen your expertise in specific areas of pharmacy practice.  Submit Your Application Once you’ve met all the requirements, submit your application to PTCB. Make sure all your documentation is complete and accurate, including proof of work experience.. Pay the necessary fees and follow any other instructions from PTCB. Maintain Your Certification After earning the CPhT-Adv Certification, keep it current through continuous professional development. PTCB requires recertification every two years, which involves completing continuing education (CE) hours and meeting other renewal criteria. Staying updated with the latest in pharmacy practice ensures you maintain your advanced certification. The Benefits of Earning the CPhT-Adv Certification Earning the CPhT-Adv Certification comes with plenty of benefits: Career Advancement: It opens up advanced roles and responsibilities in the pharmacy sector. Recognition: It marks you as an expert in your field, earning respect and recognition from colleagues and employers. Professional Growth: It encourages ongoing learning and professional development, keeping you at the cutting edge of pharmacy practice. Increased Earning Potential: Advanced certification often leads to higher salary prospects and better job opportunities. Earning the CPhT-Adv Certification from PTCB is a challenging yet rewarding journey. It shows your commitment to excellence in pharmacy practice and positions you as a leader in your field. By meeting the high standards and demonstrating advanced knowledge, you not only enhance your career prospects but also significantly contribute to the quality of patient care. Embrace this journey with dedication and enthusiasm, and enjoy the benefits of being an Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician. Learn more at ptcb.org. →

• Technicians: Professional Development through Mentorship

  By Rachel Simmons, CPhT, CSPT General Manager, Stanley Specialty Pharmacy, Charlotte, N.C. Mentors play a crucial role in career advancement by offering guidance, encouragement, advocacy, and networking potential. Identifying the right mentor within your industry is essential. Your mentor must be someone you feel comfortable with and who has navigated a similar career path. Establishing a relationship with a mentor ensures you have a reliable source of support and advice throughout your professional journey. All emerging professionals should seek a mentorship relationship. A mentor offers personalized advice and guidance, helping you to identify and pursue career-advancing opportunities. Whether you aim to find a mentor or become one, understanding the benefits of this relationship is invaluable. A mentor serves as an advisor/coach to less experienced professionals, offering expertise and insight from a more seasoned perspective. A mentor provides advice, support, and answers to questions while safeguarding the mentee's interests. Mentees gain valuable learning opportunities, while mentors benefit from their role as a trusted advisor. Mentors offer multifaceted support to their mentees. They can provide tangible benefits, such as acting as a reference or forwarding a mentee’s resume to a prospective employer. Additionally, mentors provide valuable professional advice on career advancement, resume enhancement, and interview preparation.  There are various types of mentors: Peer mentors, who are professional colleagues offering advice.  Career mentors, who tend to be in a higher position than their mentees and serve as career advocates and guides.  Life mentors, who are typically in the senior stages of their career and may work within or outside of the mentee's current company. Life mentors can offer advice during difficult career decisions, such as helping mentees decide to leave a job or change careers to find a new position. They are also a valuable source of confidential and unbiased information and perspective. Having started my career as a pharmacy technician and progressed into various leadership positions, I serve as both a mentor and mentee. I began my journey as a young professional mentee, gradually acquiring knowledge and experience over the years, enabling me to transition into a mentor role for others. Over the course of my career, my objective has remained constant: to continuously acquire knowledge and insights for personal development, always with the intention of sharing this wealth of experience with others. Through the establishment of a mentorship relationship, individuals can access new opportunities, navigate and conquer challenges, and ultimately attain lasting success. If I have achieved this, you can too! →

• FDA reconsiders on tirzepatide, big questions remain

  After a court order, the FDA agreed to reconsider taking tirzepatide off the shortage list. read more →

• Reporter briefing: Patient impacts of tirzepatide shortage resolution

  APC's media briefing shared compounders' first-hand stories with more than 30 reporters from across the country. read more →

• Be sure your marketing follows these best practices

  APC's new guide will help you stay on the right side of laws and regs. read more →

• A fake survey from a pharma-funded organization

  What the Partnership for Safe Medicines released "Ain't a legitimate survey." read more →

• Lots of letters

  On the compounding front, the FDA’s inbox is getting quite a workout lately. read more →

• Slick new dosing pen for compounders

  Love Lifesciences’ UniPen injector pen is not only a Very Big Deal, it's available at a discount for APC PFM members. read more →

More News

Upcoming Events

October 17-19: ISTX24: PCCA International Seminar, Houston

October 22: APC webinar with Pharmacists Mutual: Coverage, Claims, and Compounding: What You Need to Know About Your Liability Insurance

October 29: PCAC meeting on adding several bulk drug substances to the 503A Bulks List (1 of 2)

November 7: APC webinar: Preservatives in Pharmacy Compounding

November 15-17: Personalized Medicine Certification Course 1: Endocrinology in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

December 4:  PCAC meeting on adding several bulk drug substances to the 503A Bulks List (2 of 2)

December 13: APC Board of Directors Meeting, Las Vegas

December 13-15: A4M Longevity Fest, Las Vegas

The Latest Resources for Compounders

• Best Practices for Compounding Shortage Drugs
• NEW! Best Practices for Marketing Compounded Medications
• Best Practices for Compounding Ketamine
• Best Practices for Clinic Direct Billing (Office Pay)
• Statement on Peptide Compounding
• Statement on Constructive Transfer

Click here for more resources for compounding professionals

APC In the News

Tirzepatide fallout in The Hill:

The Hill writes one of the first stories on the fallout from the FDA's tirzepatide decision.

Echoing our position:

Specialty Pharmacy Continuum has a great piece on the importance of a longer "tail" for 503As.

Wired story isn’t perfect, but…:

This time Wired missed the mark on pharmacy compounding, but it at least quoted Scott and focused on the important issues.

Wired focuses on GLP-1 patient fallout:

Wired looks at how some patients are being hit hard by tirzepatide coming off shortage.

Quartz mentions APC:

Not a big deal, but it shows we're getting media coverage across the spectrum.

San Diego news radio focuses on GLP-1 price:

It could have chosen any angle, and it went with the high price of commercial versions. 👍🏻

CNN gets it spot on:

The article, which of course quotes APC, focuses on the impact on patients of tirzepatide coming out of shortage.

Medscape focuses on compounders:

Medscape is the latest news outlet to cover tirzepatide, and it focuses on APC's perspective.

Commenting on the tirzepatide announcement:

Since the FDA announced that tirzepatide is (for now) out of shortage, APC's Scott Brunner has been all over the news offering our perspective.

Talking about those legal threats:

Baseless but time-consuming lawsuit threats make compounders shy.

APC does its best in a Hill article:

The piece spends a lot of time considering misconceptions about compounded GLP-1s, but it least it included a little straight info from Scott.

Weighing in on Lilly’s tirzepatide vials:

Scott tells Medscape that actually helping patients with vial-based tirzepatide is a welcome change for Lilly.

Click here for more examples of APC in the news

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