Pharmacy Technician Competencies for Practice in an Oncology Pharmacy

Abstract

Objective: To document the additional competencies that a well-trained pharmacy technician, with no previous oncology pharmacy training or experience, needs to practice effectively in an oncology pharmacy; and to develop a form to document the training of oncology pharmacy technicians at our institution. Design: From September 1, 1997, to November 1, 1997, the oncology pharmacist and the oncology pharmacy technicians developed a list of pharmacy technician competencies that were believed to be unique to pharmacy technician practice in an oncology pharmacy. Information from MEDLINE searches, drug manufacturer materials, and reference books was used to support the competencies identified. Setting: This project was conducted at Brooke Army Medical Center, a 450-bed teaching and research institution of the US Army Medical Department. Results: Twenty-five oncology pharmacy technician competencies were documented. This list was made into a form for inclusion in each oncology pharmacy technician's competency-based assessment folder and for use in training of future oncology pharmacy technicians. Conclusions: There are a significant number of additional competencies that a well-trained pharmacy technician needs in order to practice effectively in our institution's oncology pharmacy. The identification of these additional competencies facilitated the development of a form to document the training of oncology pharmacy technicians.