New Online Tool Aims to Prepare Pharmacy Technicians for In-Demand Jobs

The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) is launching a new digital learning resource for pharmacy technicians (PTs).

PharmaSeer™, can be incorporated into PT education or on-the-job training programs, according to the NHA. The digital solution is designed to help build foundational knowledge and skills, while assessing users' areas of strength and areas of needed focus. It also offers constant performance feedback and recommended skill proficiency activities throughout the tool.

According to the NHA, PharmaSeer also builds technicians' confidence and provides pharmacy trainers and employers with clear visibility to their technicians' comprehension of critical concepts that they'll need to apply on the job. The platform can help pharmacies determine how to best utilize team members to improve efficiency and reduce critical errors.

"NHA was a silent observer in the pharmacy market for quite a while," said Lyndsey McDonald, Director of Pharmacy Partnerships at NHA, in a prepared statement. "We listened to our customers, pharmacy technicians and state pharmacy boards, then started developing solutions to meet the needs of the changing market. Employers needed a tool to help them create a consistent training and onboarding process that puts their workforce on a path to success. We developed PharmaSeer to do just that."

Changes in health care are directing more clinical care duties to pharmacies, creating challenges for pharmacists with a heavy technical workload. As a result, pharmacies are becoming increasingly reliant on PTs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows an anticipated 12% increase of PTs by 2026. Despite the growing presence of technicians in the pharmacy, many pharmacists are reluctant to delegate to PTs because their skill sets and formalized training vary widely, according to the NHA. Training designed to increase the technician's knowledge base and to assess competency can bridge the gap in trust, helping pharmacists feel more secure in sharing responsibilities. In turn, more shared responsibilities between pharmacists and PTs can potentially improve pharmacy duties efficiency, increase patient satisfaction and/or reduce risk of medication errors.

PharmaSeer lessons are modular, allowing employers and educators to seamlessly integrate with their existing training and education programs. The 20 modules and 140+ lessons feature extensive didactic content that exceeds all standards for the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) accreditation. It also offers interactive features such as videos, drills and quizzes, to keep the user engaged.

PharmaSeer™ provides analytics via dashboards for continuous feedback on the progress and abilities of each learner while identifying what tasks trainees are ready to take on.

"There is a lot of opportunity out there for pharmacy technicians," said Jeremy Sasser, Pharmacy Content Strategist at NHA, in a prepared statement. "Certification is an important piece of the pharmacy technician's professional development, and to achieve certification, pharmacy technicians need foundational proficiency in knowledge and skills that will put them on their path to success. Their opportunities expand with continued training and education. NHA is there every step of the way."

PharmaSeer is the first step in NHA's solution suite for pharmacy technicians who are just beginning their career journeys. In addition to PharmaSeer, NHA provides the ExCPT (CPhT) certification exam, which is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and recognized by Boards of Pharmacy throughout the United States. NHA also offers a suite of ExCPT preparation materials and continues to develop additional solutions for technician career advancement beyond certification.

Reference

NHA's PharmaSeer™ Prepares Pharmacy Technicians to Fill In-Demand Jobs [news release]. Leawood, KS; April 9, 2019: NHA. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nhas-pharmaseer-prepares-pharmacy-technicians-to-fill-in-demand-jobs-300828207.html. Accessed April 10, 2019.