PowerPoint Presentation

[Audio] "Welcome to Chapter One. In this chapter, we are going to begin our introduction to the pharmacy profession. We will look at how pharmacy developed over time and how the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have changed as healthcare has evolved.".

[Audio] "By the end of this chapter, you should understand how pharmacists and pharmacy technicians contribute to the healthcare team. We will examine the cultural origins and history of pharmacy and compare different pharmacy workplace environments. We will also discuss the responsibilities of pharmacists and technicians and introduce Medication Therapy Management, or MTM, and Collaborative Practice Agreements, also known as CPAs.".

[Audio] "We will also explore how pharmacy practice continues to evolve through initiatives such as PPMI and PAI. Another important part of this chapter is understanding the difference between licensure, certification, and registration. We will discuss requirements for pharmacy technician practice and look at the different career opportunities that may become available to a Certified Pharmacy Technician.".

[Audio] "We are going to begin by looking at the origins of pharmacy. Understanding the history of the profession helps us understand why pharmacy is practiced the way it is today. Many of the standards, responsibilities, and professional expectations we now take for granted developed gradually over hundreds of years.".

[Audio] "Modern healthcare depends heavily on teamwork. No single healthcare professional is responsible for every aspect of a patient's care. Physicians, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals work together to diagnose conditions, monitor patients, and provide treatment. Communication between these professionals is essential for providing safe and effective care.".

[Audio] "Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work closely together, but their responsibilities are different. Pharmacists educate patients about medications and supplements and oversee the work performed by pharmacy technicians. Technicians assist with filling prescriptions, gathering patient information, and completing many of the daily tasks required to keep the pharmacy operating efficiently. The technician supports the pharmacist, while the pharmacist provides professional oversight.".

[Audio] "The pharmacy profession has roots in many different cultures. Early knowledge about medicines came from Greek, Roman, Arab Muslim, Arab Jewish, and Christian physicians and scholars. As different cultures studied diseases and treatments, their knowledge contributed to the development of medicine and pharmacy. Pharmacy as we know it today developed from this shared history.".

[Audio] "Evidence of early medicine has been discovered in ancient Mesopotamia. Early pharmacopeias contained information about preparing medicines from plants, animals, and minerals. You can think of these as early collections of medication recipes. Today, we use the term formulary for a list of medications that are approved or available within a particular healthcare system or plan.".

[Audio] "Hippocrates was an important figure in the development of medicine. One of his major contributions was the idea that illness could have a physical or natural explanation rather than being caused by evil spirits or punishment from the gods. This helped move medicine toward observation and a more scientific understanding of disease.".

[Audio] "Another important historical figure was Claudius Galen, a Greek physician who lived approximately from 130 to 216 CE. Galen studied anatomy through the dissection of animals and contributed greatly to early medicine. The term galenical pharmacy comes from his name and is associated with the preparation of medicines from natural substances.".

[Audio] "As medical knowledge and recipes spread around the world, one major problem was the lack of standardization. The same medicine could vary in quality depending on who prepared it. In 1820, eleven physicians met in Washington, D.C., to develop standardized compounding recipes for the United States. Their work resulted in the U.S. Pharmacopeia. The USP became an important source of quality standards for prescription medications, over-the-counter products, and supplements.".

[Audio] "Pharmacy gradually developed into a more formally educated and regulated profession. In 1822, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy became the first school in the United States to offer courses in pharmaceutical sciences. Before this, pharmacists primarily learned through apprenticeships. In 1852, the American Pharmacists Association, or APhA, was created to help establish professional standards and encourage formal requirements for pharmacists.".

[Audio] "The world wars created a greater need for skilled pharmacists in hospitals. During World War II, the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists, or ASHP, was formed to provide standards and professional support for hospital pharmacy practice. Formal pharmacy technician training also began developing, with the United States Department of Defense playing an important role in establishing early technician training programs.".

[Audio] "After World War II, the way medications were produced changed significantly. Instead of pharmacists routinely compounding medications in individual pharmacies, large pharmaceutical manufacturers increasingly produced ready-made medications. At the same time, pharmacology—the study of drugs, their uses, effects, and mechanisms of action—continued to advance. Pharmacists therefore needed more formal education to understand increasingly complex medications and therapies.".

[Audio] "As pharmacy became more complex, trained pharmacy support personnel became increasingly important. ASHP and the U.S. Department of Health and Welfare encouraged technician training in hospitals and junior colleges. In 1968, the first formal hospital training programs began, and ASHP helped develop national guidelines. This was an important step toward establishing pharmacy technician training as a formal educational pathway.".

[Audio] "Pharmacy technician education continued to become more organized. In 1989, the first conference specifically for pharmacy technician educators was held, followed by the formation of the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council, or PTEC. PTEC provided educators with opportunities to network and to develop and share curricula, educational resources, and instructional materials.".

[Audio] "As people began living longer and taking more medications, pharmacy practice needed to place greater emphasis on medication safety and ongoing patient care. Pharmacists increasingly became counselors and medication managers rather than simply dispensers of medications. Medication Therapy Management, or MTM, involves helping patients choose, use, and monitor their medications appropriately. The goal is to improve medication use and patient outcomes.".

[Audio] "Pharmacists also began developing more formal working relationships with prescribers. One example is a Collaborative Practice Agreement, or CPA. Under this type of agreement, a healthcare provider supervises patient care and refers patients to a pharmacist. These agreements allow pharmacists to become more directly involved in managing medication therapy as part of the patient's healthcare team.".

[Audio] "As pharmacy practice expanded, ASHP developed the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative, or PPMI, to support expanded patient-care services. One important part of this initiative was emphasizing education and certification for pharmacy technicians. ASHP later expanded these efforts through the Practice Advancement Initiative, or PAI. These initiatives reflect how pharmacy continues to evolve toward greater patient care, professional development, and appropriate use of trained pharmacy technicians.".

[Audio] "Pharmacy professionals can work in many different environments. The chapter groups these primarily into community and institutional settings. Community pharmacy can include independent pharmacies, chain pharmacies, HMOs, and mail-order operations. Institutional pharmacy includes settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, home healthcare pharmacies, and specialty compounding pharmacies. The specific duties of pharmacists and technicians may change depending on the practice setting.".

[Audio] "Pharmacists have significant responsibilities related to medication safety and patient care. They assess a patient's medical history, medication history, and allergy information before medications are dispensed. Pharmacists also check whether medication doses are appropriate for the patient's age and counsel patients about possible side effects. These responsibilities require pharmacists to use their clinical knowledge to protect patients.".

[Audio] "The pharmacist's role extends beyond checking prescriptions. Pharmacists may participate in screening patients for chronic diseases and monitoring whether medication therapy is producing positive outcomes. They also evaluate computer-generated alerts and determine whether an alert represents a clinically significant concern. Technology can identify potential problems, but professional judgment is still necessary.".

[Audio] "Pharmacy technicians perform many of the technical duties involved in processing prescriptions. They may enter prescription information into the computer system, prepare medications for dispensing, and, in some settings, deliver medications to patients. Accuracy is extremely important because the technician's work becomes part of the medication-use process and is performed under pharmacist oversight.".

[Audio] "Pharmacy technicians also have important communication and customer-service responsibilities. They interact with patients and customers, contact physicians' offices when appropriate, and may operate the cash register in a community pharmacy. Because technicians frequently communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals, professionalism, confidentiality, accuracy, and clear communication are essential skills.".

[Audio] "This concludes our introduction to the profession of pharmacy. As we have seen, pharmacy has evolved from preparing medicines from natural substances to becoming an important part of modern patient-centered healthcare. As you continue through this course, remember that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have different responsibilities, but both contribute to a common goal: supporting the safe, accurate, and effective use of medications.".