MSPT Tech Connect - July 2023

October 2023

From the President

MSPT Priorities and Happenings

By Erith Welch, MSPT president

In years past, the Michigan Society of Pharmacy Technician (MSPT) practice section has held several priorities to provide direction and focus to activities, events and membership outreach. Some of those activities included sending postcards to newly-licensed pharmacy technicians or emails to new licensees about joining MPA.

In the last year, MSPT has narrowed its many priorities to only two: collaboration with local pharmacy associations and increasing membership. With these two priorities as the new focus, the board has been working on developing year-round events that facilitate networking, fun and continuing education (CE). As life is busy for everyone, the board has been brainstorming ways to make its events as accessible as possible to working technicians with lives just as busy outside of the pharmacy as they are inside the pharmacy.

One of the events the board is working on is a quarterly virtual trivia night that would be accredited for one live CE credit. The goal of the event would be to offer a fun live CE event without the need for participants to travel. The most important part of this event is that it will be free for members and first-time non-members. There will be other free trivia event incentives for those who join MPA through the trivia event. In addition to being a live trivia event, we will track which local association has the most attendance. At the end of the year, whichever association has the most active participation will win the Live Trivia Trophy that will be awarded annually.

This event satisfies both priorities through the local association competition and its incentives to promote membership. The board is working to accredit, organize and kick-off the first trivia event at this year’s Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE)! There is still quite a bit of work and details to iron out between now and ACE. If there is anyone interested in being part of the trivia planning, prizes and promotional efforts, please feel free to reach out to any MSPT board member to get involved.

Another event the board is working to put together is a Fall CE and Wine Tour in Traverse City. This event would focus heavily on connecting membership from all practices by bringing them together in beautiful northern Michigan. The timeline would include an evening meet and greet for those participating on a Friday night, followed by a one-hour CE program prior to a wine tour that will take place on a Saturday morning into the early afternoon. The rest of the weekend will have events and activities for membership to participate in.

This event also has a work group that is working on the details, including coordinating affordable lodging options. If there is anyone interested in being a part of activity planning or has ideas you would like to see included, please feel free to reach out to any MSPT board member to get involved!

MSPT board has a lot of renewed energy and ideas to shake things up and establish new events. MSPT has quarterly board meetings and would welcome anyone to join and listen in to all the fun and exciting events the MSPT board is cooking up for the coming months.

Tech Connect Spotlight

Sara Murphy, CPhT, Munson Medical Center

How did you get into pharmacy technician practice?

My husband is in the Coast Guard, which means we move every couple of years. Prior to moving to Michigan we were living in Virginia and I was working at Trader Joe's. We were in the midst of COVID and with the move, I knew I wanted a job that was less directly people facing, and that would be able to move with me. I started looking for jobs, and I saw the pharmacy technician job at Munson Medical Center. I talked to a friend who was a hospital pharmacy technician in California about her experience, and I decided to apply. I got the job and started in January 2021.

Did you work in a different industry or practice before becoming a pharmacy technician? If so, what prompted you to change career paths?

Prior to being a pharmacy technician I worked in a variety of different industries. I’ve been a food service manager at a youth camp, a barista at a café, a cook at a grocery store, a sales associate at a clothing store, and a team member at a grocery store. I even went to school and became a licensed esthetician. I decided to look for other options because I wanted a job that could really turn into a career and give me more educational options.

What is your educational background? Have you or do you plan to complete the process to become a Certified Pharmacy Technician? If yes to either, why did you choose to strive for this certification?

After high school I did get some college credits, but never finished a degree. Later I attended a trade school to get my Esthetician License. I hope to go back to school in the future to get my bachelor’s degree. Earlier this year I tested and became a Certified Pharmacy Technician. I am currently studying to take the test to be a Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician with the goal of getting my CPhT Advanced certification.

Munson Medical Center is the first hospital I’ve ever worked at. I am a pharmacy technician here, but I am trained in and get the opportunity to work in a variety of areas. I am trained as a sterile iv lab technician, med history technician, home infusion technician, Pyxis super user, carousel super user, and all of our core dispensing areas. I love that I get to have variety and develop new skills. Working in all the different areas also helps me understand the big picture and the “why” of how we can work together as a team to give patients the best care possible.

What do you enjoy most about your current position and practice?

I enjoy the challenge of learning new areas and skills. I think each time I learn a new skill, that I become a better technician because I have a better understanding of all that we do to provide care for our patients. It also helps me to be adaptable and be able to step in to help solve problems when needed.

How did you get involved in MPA and MSPT? Why do you think it’s important for technicians to be involved in the association?

I am close friends with the current MSPT president, Erith Welch. She is actually the person who hired me at Munson Medical Center even though I didn’t have any experience as a pharmacy technician or working at a hospital. She was extremely encouraging to me about my career while she was my manager, and has continued to encourage me even as she has moved away from the hospital setting. I also work with the current MPA president, Hope Broxterman. I’ve gotten the opportunity to talk to both of them about MPA and what it offers, and decided to get involved. I think it is important for technicians to get involved in the association because the more technicians there are, the larger our combined voice is to advocate for our needs, and pharmacy as a whole.

What activities have you been engaged in outside of pharmacy, including any professional appointments, advocacy involvement and volunteer activities?

Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to participate in the Frontline Leadership Program held by Munson Medical Center. In the program we had group education and mentorship sessions with a variety of our hospital leadership team members, and worked on a project for our department and presented it to hospital leadership and staff.

Please include any personal information that you feel comfortable sharing. This includes where you have lived, your family life, and your personal interests.

I live in Traverse City with my husband, Morgan, and my two cats Ginny and Charlie. Morgan and I are both from California originally but have also lived in Massachusetts, Virginia, and now Michigan. We are both very passionate about board games and have a decent sized collection. We attend a weekly game night and have recently started attending trivia nights in town as well. I love to sew, and am currently learning how to bind books. I love going to concerts and live shows whenever I can.

To liven things up:

Problems you would pay $100 to solve: I would pay $100 to always know where my glasses, wallet and keys are or for them to be found when I need them.
Things you could start a podcast about: Board games! It’s one of my biggest passions and so much fun. Playing a game is a great way to spend time with friends and family. There are so many different types of games and I truly believe there is something out there for everyone if they give some games a chance.

Legislative and Regulatory

New Pharmacy Technician Rules Now in Effect

By Eric Roath, Pharm.D., MPA director of government affairs

On Oct. 2, 2023, the proposed revisions to the Pharmacy Technician Ruleset were filed with the Michigan Secretary of State and went into effect. Significant changes to these rules include:

Clarification Around Licensure Requirements

Applicants will be required to submit proof of having graduated from an accredited high school (or comparable institution) or having passed the graduate equivalency examination. Additionally, they will have to provide proof of passing either:

A national examination given by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) or National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
Another nationally recognized examination that has been approved by the Board of Pharmacy
An employer-based training program examination approved by the Board of Pharmacy

As with other licensees, new applicants must provide proof of having completed the one-time training required in identifying victims of human trafficking. If the applicant holds any other license in another state, the U.S. military, the federal government or another country, shall only be required to disclose each license, registration or certification that they currently hold on their application form. Additionally, they must show that they have no pending disciplinary actions against them in another jurisdiction and disclose any sanctions that have been applied to their licenses in another jurisdiction.

Applicants who have held a pharmacy technician license in another state may apply for licensure by endorsement is now “presumed to meet the requirements… of the code, any other rule promulgated under the code…, as well as all of the [requirements listed above].”

While the implementation of this clause and the degree to which an applicant by endorsement will be provided to prove compliance with the licensure requirements, it appears that the change in verbiage is aimed to make it easier for pharmacy technicians to reciprocate their license/registration from another state.

Expiration of Examination Approval and Examination Grading Procedure

Under the new rules, any board-approved examination (except for PTCB and NHA) that was recognized by the Board prior to July 1, 2022 must submit a new application for approval by Dec. 31, 2023 or they will no longer be listed as a board-approved program.

Going forward (as stated in the previous version of the rules) the approval of an examination by the Board is valid for five years. By Oct. 2, 2023, “a board-approved program must include a proficiency examination grading procedure with the proficiency examination application, which will be reviewed by the board with the examination.”

Approved Pharmacy Technician Training Programs

Pharmacy technician training programs conducted by community colleges are now eligible for board approval. The new rules also clarified that a student in an approved program “who is at least 16 years of age … may participate in practical hands-on training in the pharmacy.” This is to allow for licensure candidates who participate in these programs to be eligible for examination and licensure at age 18 following the two years they are authorized under the rules to participate in an approved program.

A program approved prior to July 1, 2022 shall meet the requirements listed under R 338.3655 and reapply by Oct. 2, 2023. Similar to the examination requirements, board approval of a training program lasts five years.

The new rules add two additional clauses pertaining to program deficiencies and withdrawal of board approval:

“If the department determines that a board-approved program is not meeting the standards of the code or these rules, the department may send written notice to the program stating which areas in the program are deficient. The program has 30 days to fix any deficiency and report back to the department. If the department determines that the deficiencies are not resolved, the board will evaluate the deficiencies and may withdraw approval.”
“Withdrawal of board approval of a program for stated deficiencies that were not remediated does not make any bona fide student enrolled in the program, at the time of withdrawal of approval, ineligible to sit for an approved licensure examination.”

Clarification of Pharmacy Technician CE Requirements

Upon renewal, pharmacy technicians must complete 20 hours of continuing education (CE) for the entire two-year period preceding the end of the license cycle. These shall include:

One hour in pharmacy ethics and jurisprudence (which may be completed in one or more courses)
One hour in pain and symptom management which includes, but is not limited to: behavior management; psychology of pain; pharmacology; behavior modification; stress management; and clinical applications as they relate to professional practice
One hour in patient safety

At least five of the 20 hours must be live. The licensee is still required to have a one-time training in the identification of victims of human trafficking, and one hour of training each year in implicit bias. Though these courses do not have to be accredited for CE, they may count toward the 20-hour requirement if they have been appropriately accredited.

Technology Assisted Verification

The scope of activities and functions performed under delegation (R338.3665) have been modified related to technology assisted final product verification. The rule now reads:

A licensed pharmacy technician may, under the delegation and supervision of a licensed pharmacist provide technology-assisted final product verification, which includes all the following:

(i) A properly trained pharmacy technician performing final product verification with the use of bar coding or another error prevention technology.

(ii) The licensed pharmacy technician providing final product verification is subject to all of the following requirements:

(A) The licensed pharmacy technician holds a current full or limited pharmacy technician license in this state.
(B) Before performing final product verification, the full or limited licensed pharmacy technician meets one of the following:

Has accrued not less than 1,000 hours of pharmacy technician work experience in the same type of pharmacy practice site where the technology-assisted final product verification will be performed while the pharmacy technician holds a current full pharmacy technician license, a temporary license, a limited license or is in training in this state.
Has completed a final product verification training program that includes at least all of the following: (i) the role of a pharmacy technician in the product verification process; (ii) the legal requirements and liabilities of a final verification technician; (iii); the use of technology assisted verification systems; (iv) the primary causes of medication errors and misfills; and (v) the identification and resolution of dispensing errors.

(C) The practice setting where a licensed pharmacy technician performs final product verification has in place policies and procedures including a quality assurance plan governing pharmacy technician technology-assisted final product verification.
(D) The technology enabled verification system must document and electronically record each step of the prescription process including which individuals complete each step.
(E) A licensed pharmacy technician shall not perform technology-assisted final product verification for sterile or nonsterile compounding.
(F) Technology-assisted final product verification by a licensed pharmacy technician is not limited to a practice setting.
(G) A pharmacist using professional judgment may choose to delegate technology-assisted final product verification after ensuring licensed pharmacy technicians have completed and documented relevant training or work experience.

Further, related to the rules go on to state, regarding remote access to electronic databases, that:

Access the electronic database of a pharmacy from inside or outside of the pharmacy to perform the delegated tasks in paragraph (iii) of this subdivision related to prescription processing functions outside of the personal charge of a pharmacist.

(i) A pharmacy technician remotely performing the tasks in paragraph (iii) of this subdivision must be supervised by a licensed pharmacist.

(ii) The remote supervision in paragraph (i) of this subdivision means that a pharmacist directs and controls the actions of the remote technician using technology to ensure the supervising pharmacist does both of the following:

(A) Is readily and continuously available to answer questions, review the practice of the supervised pharmacy technician, provide consultation, review records, and educate the pharmacy technician in the performance of functions.
(B) Has established predetermined procedures and drug protocol governing any activity performed remotely including protection of patient confidentiality.

(iii) Delegated tasks relating to prescription processing functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

(A) Verification of a patient’s medication history.
(B) Data entry regarding processing prescription data and patient data.
(C) Claims adjudication.
(D) Handling phone calls regarding processing prescription data and patient data.
(E) Processing refill requests.
(F) Technology-assisted final product verification.
(G) Transferring prescriptions for non-controlled substances.

Events and Announcements

Vote in MPA Elections

Voting is now open for MPA's 2023 elections. MPA members have until Tuesday, Oct. 31 to vote.

Look in your inbox for your ballot and remember to vote!

Upcoming CE Programs

It's time to start planning for ACE 2024! Registration opened Oct. 10, so reserve your spot now.

The signature event of Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA), the Annual Convention & Exposition (ACE), will take place Feb. 23-25, 2024, at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. This will be MPA's last ACE in the Motor City for a while as we hit the road for Traverse City in 2025 and Lansing in 2026, 2027 and 2028, so don't miss out!

ACE is the premier continuing education event for pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmacy technicians in Michigan. There will be something for everyone at ACE.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!