Pharmacy Technician Duties Flashcards

Which federal agency is responsible for regulating controlled substances that pharmacy technicians handle?

Answer: DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)

The DEA enforces the Controlled Substances Act and regulates the dispensing, storage, and record-keeping of all scheduled substances.

A customer presents two prescription bottles and says a second pharmacy already filled one of them. How should the technician handle the potential duplicate fill?

Answer: Verify in the system whether the prescription was recently filled and notify the pharmacist

Checking fill history and notifying the pharmacist prevents duplicate dispensing, which poses safety and fraud risks.

What is the primary purpose of a pharmacy technician performing a 'pill count' at the end of their shift?

Answer: To reconcile controlled substance counts against dispensing records as required by law

End-of-shift controlled substance counts are required to detect any discrepancies between dispensed quantities and physical inventory.

A pharmacy technician incorrectly enters a patient's date of birth when creating a new profile. Why is this data entry error particularly dangerous?

Answer: It can result in the wrong patient receiving medications if records are matched incorrectly

Incorrect patient demographics can lead to wrong-patient dispensing events, which are serious medication errors.

When preparing a prescription for a pediatric patient, a technician notices the prescribed dose seems unusually high for the child's weight. What should the technician do?

Answer: Flag the prescription for the pharmacist to perform a dose verification

Technicians should flag potential dosing concerns for pharmacist review; the pharmacist is responsible for clinical verification before dispensing.

Which of the following tasks is within the scope of a pharmacy technician's duties?

Answer: Processing insurance prior authorization requests independently

Technicians may handle the administrative steps of prior authorization requests, though clinical judgment still requires pharmacist involvement.

A pharmacy receives a prescription written by a doctor whose DEA number needs verification for a controlled substance. What resource should the technician use?

Answer: Check the prescriber's DEA number using the DEA registration database or built-in system tools

The DEA registration database (or the system's built-in verification tool) is the authoritative source for confirming a prescriber's DEA registration.