CVS Pharmacy Technician Duties 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer says they are a nurse and asks a pharmacy technician for information about a patient's prescription history. What should the technician do?
- Provide the information since the requestor is a healthcare professional
- Ask the customer to show their nursing license before releasing any information
- Decline to share patient information without proper authorization and refer to the pharmacist (Correct answer)
- Only share the medication names, not the dosages or prescribers
Correct answer: Decline to share patient information without proper authorization and refer to the pharmacist
Verbal claims of professional identity are not sufficient to override HIPAA protections; the pharmacist must evaluate any legitimate need for patient records.
Question 2: What does the 'sig' on a prescription refer to?
- The prescriber's signature and DEA number
- The dispensing instructions for the patient (e.g., take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily) (Correct answer)
- The drug's National Drug Code (NDC) number
- The insurance billing code for the medication
Correct answer: The dispensing instructions for the patient (e.g., take 1 tablet by mouth twice daily)
The sig (from Latin 'signa') contains the directions for use that are printed on the medication label for the patient.
Question 3: A pharmacy technician accidentally drops and breaks a vial of chemotherapy medication. What is the most important immediate action?
- Clean it up quickly with a paper towel and discard it in the regular trash
- Alert staff, clear the area, and follow the pharmacy's hazardous spill protocol (Correct answer)
- Ventilate the area by opening windows and continue working
- Notify the patient that their medication needs to be reordered
Correct answer: Alert staff, clear the area, and follow the pharmacy's hazardous spill protocol
Chemotherapy agents are hazardous drugs; a spill requires immediate implementation of the pharmacy's hazardous material spill protocol to protect staff and patients.
Question 4: When typing a prescription label, the technician enters '1 tab po qid.' What does 'qid' mean?
- Every other day
- Four times a day (Correct answer)
- Twice a day
- At bedtime
Correct answer: Four times a day
QID is the Latin abbreviation for 'quater in die,' meaning four times a day.
Question 5: A patient arrives to pick up their prescription and requests that it be put in a non-childproof (easy-open) container. What should the technician do?
- Refuse the request — childproof caps are always required by law
- Honor the patient's request, as adult patients have the right to request non-childproof packaging (Correct answer)
- Require the patient to sign a waiver before dispensing in any non-childproof container
- Only accommodate the request for patients over 65
Correct answer: Honor the patient's request, as adult patients have the right to request non-childproof packaging
Under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, patients (or their agents) may request non-childproof packaging, and their preference should be honored and noted.
Question 6: What is the purpose of the 'NDC' number printed on a medication package?
- It identifies the prescribing physician's license number
- It is a unique 10- or 11-digit identifier for the drug product, manufacturer, and package size used for billing and inventory (Correct answer)
- It represents the patient's insurance group number
- It is the lot number used to track recall information only
Correct answer: It is a unique 10- or 11-digit identifier for the drug product, manufacturer, and package size used for billing and inventory
The National Drug Code (NDC) uniquely identifies every drug product and is used for insurance billing, dispensing records, and inventory management.
Question 7: A pharmacy technician notices that a returned medication in the returns bin is still sealed and unexpired. Can it be returned to active stock?
- Yes, if it is sealed and unexpired it can immediately go back on the shelf
- Only with the patient's written consent to re-dispense their medication
- No — returned medications cannot be restocked; they must be set aside for pharmacist evaluation and disposal per policy (Correct answer)
- Yes, but only for OTC medications, never for prescription drugs
Correct answer: No — returned medications cannot be restocked; they must be set aside for pharmacist evaluation and disposal per policy
Once a medication leaves the pharmacy, its storage conditions cannot be verified, so returned drugs cannot be restocked regardless of apparent condition.
CVS Pharmacy Technician Duties 5
A customer says they are a nurse and asks a pharmacy technician for information about a patient's prescription history.
What should the technician do?