ASHP Partners with 17 States to Standardize Technician Requirements
12/19/2008
Seventeen state affiliates have joined ASHP’s push for state laws that require, as a prerequisite for state board registration, completion of an ASHP-accredited pharmacy technician training and Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certification.
The Pharmacy Technician Initiative will give individual states access to ASHP resources to help in the affiliate’s efforts to advocate for laws and regulations to ensure that a well-trained pharmacy technician workforce exists, which will free up pharmacists to expand their patient care roles. Thirteen states formalized their involvement in the Initiative by signing memorandums of understanding during the ASHP Summer Meeting in Seattle and the Midyear Clinical Meeting last week in Orlando. The 17 participating states are: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Wyoming. Initial planning calls have been held with each partner affiliate to lay the groundwork for the state’s outreach. The Initiative is structured to be customized to the unique environment of each state, including existing legislation and regulations, the political climate, as well as the workplace environment for pharmacy technicians. ASHP will provide participating states with needed resources, including offering training and model legislative and regulatory language. A core measure of success will include establishing legal and regulatory requirements for standardized education and training of technicians, but other state efforts including requirement of pharmacy technician certification, registration and overall expansion of technician roles will be seen as a positive step forward. For updates on the Initiative’s progress, go to www.ashp.org/Tech-Initiative.
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