Pharmacy Technician Web Resources
Professional Organizations
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
The ASHP "represents pharmacists who practice in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, home care, and other components of health care systems." This site provides drug information, continuing education opportunities, develops professional policies and practice standards, handles accreditations, and publishes the American Journal of Health System Pharmacy as well as clinical and management references, textbooks, video training programs and online products.
National Pharmacy Technician Association
This subscription site offers current news and information on CE programs and certificate opportunities. An online career center connects users to the www.careerbuilder.com search site. Members may participate in advocacy groups and view information on certification, state regulations, drug information and other related topics.
American Association of Pharmacy Technicians (AAPT)
The AAPT, a not-for-profit-organization, serves its members through its national office and local chapters. Additional resource and organizational links are listed as well as membership contacts and notices of upcoming seminars and workshops.
American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
The APhA provides current information on education and certificate training programs, pharmacy practice, patient care and safety, medication therapy management (MTM), drug news and government affairs. Members can access issues of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Student Pharmacist Magazine and the APhA Drug Info Line.
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
This is a broad site that includes information plus news and bulletins for the pharmacy student, faculty member or dean in a number of specialized areas. Information is also posted about continuing education, pharmacy schools, links to other organizational sites and additional topical resources.
American College of Clinical Pharmacology
The ACCP is dedicated to exploring the “entire area of the interaction between drugs and humans. These areas include, but are not limited to, pharmaceutical chemistry, biochemistry, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical pharmacology practice in the outpatient and inpatient settings, human toxicology, drug interactions and clinical drug trials.” Additionally, the site includes information, position and policy papers, resource links, and a list of current employment opportunities.
[Top]
Certification
Nevada State Board of Pharmacy
Serving both pharmacy professionals as well as the general public, this site allows downloadable applications for prospective licensees as well as a pharmaceutical technician, information on regulations being considered by the Board, online viewing of current and past newsletters, patient and consumer resources, and other supplementary links.
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)
The PTCB administers the certification and recertification exams for pharmacy technicians. The site offers news and information on state regulations, national statistics, and offers online issues of the agency’s newsletter the CPhT Connection. Exam test preparation tips are included online as well as practice exams, exam FAQ’s, and prep materials available for purchase.
[Top]
Career Resources
In addition to the web sites below, most professional organizations maintain an employment/career posting area on their respective web sites.
CSN's Health Science Program List
Find details about the program, course requirements and degrees offered.
U.S. Department of Labor/ Pharmacy Technicians
Through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, the government provides a wealth of information on the nature of the job, working conditions, qualifications and training needed, earning potential, and job outlook, among other topics.
Medical Workers.com: Pharmacy
Jobs are listed nationwide, but the search can be narrowed by state. The site lists job title, description, requirements, and contact information.
Rx Career Center
A site search can be performed by job title, state, or job category. The site lists job title, description, requirements and contact information. Members can post their resume and apply directly online.
Top USA Jobs.com: Pharmacy Technician Jobs
The site is searchable by job title or job detail keywords in addition to city and state. Recently posted jobs are listed with a descriptive summary.
[Top]
Government Web Sites
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
“The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.” For drug safety information, regulatory guidance, clinical trials, health alerts, reports and publications and more, visit the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at www.fda.gov/cder/.
Drugs@FDA: FDA Approved Drug Products
Sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, this site allows users to search the database by drug name, active ingredients, or application number, browse by drug name, or view drug approval reports by month. A FAQ’s link is included as well as search instructions and an online glossary.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Find current news and information on a number of topics including: aging, disasters and emergencies, diseases and conditions, drugs and food, families and children, safety and wellness, and on specific population segments. The site also provides links to other related sites and helpful resources.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): Pharmacist Center
Under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this site provides comprehensive information on Medicaid and Medicare and other insurance programs. Users can search for information on: billing and coding, coverage and enrollment, education, and manuals and transmittals. Users can also browse a number of special topics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Current news and events about U. S. and global health topics in addition to: diseases and conditions, emergency preparedness and response, environmental health, life stages and the population, healthy living, injury violence and safety, traveler’s health, and workplace safety and health. Additional resources on data and statistics, publications, and other related topics are also available.
National Guideline Clearinghouse
This broad site is sponsored by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is “a public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.” The site is keyword searchable or users can browse by disease/condition, treatment/intervention, measures/tools, organization, or guidelines. A long list of additional resource links is also provided.
National Library of Medicine
Billed as the “world’s largest medical library,” the NLM provides current, topical information for researchers, the public, health care professionals, publishers and librarians. Find breaking news and press releases, information on genome and biomedical research, environmental health and toxicology, public health, and health information. Additional links direct the user to further NLM resources including: PubMed, Medline Plus, NIH Senior Health, and NLM Gateway, (the portal to searching 20 NLM databases).
[Top]
General Web Sites
Pharmacy Choice
This site offers current news of the industry as well as related postings on drugs, hospitals, Medicare and other healthcare topics. Information is provided on continuing education, training, review and certification courses, and pharmacy newsletters. Links are also provided to a number of product sites.
Drug Data Base
Provided by the Jinno Laboratory, School of Materials Science, Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan, this site offers users an alphabetical drug search list. The resulting search provides a UV spectrum of the drug, apparatus and analysis conditions, physical properties, oral administration and drug activity classification as well as the reference citation.
Virtual Library Pharmacy
This keyword searchable site provides numerous links to multiple pharmaceutical pages, associations, schools, companies, databases, news groups, and listservs. An employment link is provided with the capability of emailing specific job information directly to you.
Drugs Approved by the FDA
Users can search the list by year of approval as well as under several topical areas. The drug name is provided as well as the condition for which it is prescribed. General information is provided on the drug as well as clinical results, side effects, mechanism of action, and literature references.
Drug InfoNet
Drug Infonet offers helpful information and news about drugs and diseases. Written for both the professional and the consumer, users can access information on pharmaceuticals “by brand name, generic name or manufacturer and therapeutic class.” Additional resource links are provided to other health organizations, medical references, and government sites.
MediLexicon: Medical Abbreviations, Medical Dictionary
Users can access a “medical dictionary, ICD-9 codes, pharmaceutical companies, medical abbreviations, hospitals and associations, plus medical news and other searches for the medical, pharmaceutical or healthcare professional.” Current news is included as well as numerous resource links accessed by disease name or condition.
RX Med: Drugs and Prescription Information
This site offers specific, detailed information on over 3000 different medications. “While this information is mainly presented for doctors, patients will find it valuable as well. These listings cover general pharmacology, indications, warnings, dosage and adverse effects information for each pharmaceutical monograph.”
Internet Drug News.com
Basic drug information is provided in an easy-to-use format in addition to current, up-to-date news and developments in the pharmaceutical industry. Documentation includes patient information, warning and precautions, side effects and interactions, prescribing information and more.
Drugs.com
Searchable by drug name or from the A-Z drug list, this site provides basic information on drugs and medications, diseases and conditions, pharmaceutical news and reports, a pill identifier, a drug interactions checker, and a medical encyclopedia and dictionary. Other resource links connect users to new drug approvals, FDA drug alerts, and clinical trial results.
Doctor's Guide Global Edition: Recently Approved Drugs/Indications
A list of recently approved drugs is offered with the most recent listed first, followed by approved listings older than seven days. The link connects users to the news release concerning the drug containing information on the condition it is prescribed for, current availability, and clinical test results.
All Refer.com
All Refer is “a medical and health information resource” database. This broad site provides a wealth of information on specific subject areas as well as information on: medical encyclopedias, pictures, diseases, symptoms, tests and exams, surgery and procedures, news, diet and nutrition, injuries and wounds, and poisons and overdoses. The site is also keyword searchable.
[Top]
Pharmacy Technician Educators
Pharmacy Education Resource Network
Sponsored by the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, this site is intended specifically for pharmacy educators. It offers an idea exchange from other pharmacy faculty in several specific course areas. Additionally, a syllabus repository, course web pages, assessment ideas, and other resources are listed. A recommended book list is also provided for browsing articles on active learning.
RxPTEC: Pharmacy Technician Educators Council
Dedicated to assisting pharmacy educators this subscription site allows professional networking for members, opportunities to participate on the Council and attend annual meetings, and receive both The Journal of Pharmacy Technology and the quarterly newsletter.
[Top]
