Re: How many Drugs?

[Guest guest]

Hello,

This is not the first time I/we have had this question. I am sure it won't be

the last.

There are people posting all over the net about their most recent experiences

withing the last 6 months to a year. They will all give you varying opinions and

stories about how many drugs were on the exasm.

Knowing the trade and generic only is not going to happen more than about 5 to

10 questions if that. BUT you WiLL need to know the drug mentioned by generic or

trade and its:

1. purpose/indication/use/disease state it treats/classification

2. side effects/toxic effects

3. drug interactions, drug drug/ drug-food/ drug

-herb/vitamin/supplement/mineral etc

4. duplication of therapy

5. auxiliary labels that are commonly associated with it

6. any unusual antedotes for over dose

7. UAD and Max Daily Dose

8. Storage and handling

etc etc.

The main problem is you do not have a clue WHICH drugs they will test you on.

HOWEVER, we do know that they usually come from commonly prescribed meds.

Usually from the TOP 200. And questions about the above are pharmacology not

straight Trade/generic questions.

Do not think that you do not need to know the above you DO~! Others will tell

you that you don't! Ask them how long they have been a tech, ask them if they

see people being hired or not all over the coutnry and know what is going on,

have a pulse on what is going on as I do. Ask them if they read and know behind

the scenes from countless personal emails about their experiences. I do know

solicite these emails, but I do get them. If you are going to accept being

certified a as a technician, the pharmacist is going to believe that you are

aware of at least those TOP 200 and probably 400! Take this time you have to

learn as much as you can, because once you are on the job you will be learning

operations and how to do things, with no time for pharmacology yet you will be

expected to know it so that you can avoid medication errors.

See the tutorials in Files or links in Links sections of this site, for links to

such sites for TOP 200 drugs.

Also use www.studystack.com for electronic flash cards make your own it is free

AND you learn while you are experiencing making the flash cards.

If you get hired and it takes you fie minutes to look up the generic for a trade

every time you have ascript to fill you won't last long. So while the exam can

not ask you about every drug of the top 400, if you say or claim you are

certified a pharmacist will expect more from you than knowing 10 - 50 drugs.

Pharmacists and techs working at the pharmacy you get employed at do not have

the time to teach or train everything from scratch. So Learn ALL that you can so

that you are not a hindrence but an assett and can learn the operations or hands

on faster BECAUSE you know the trade/generics, law and math, understand as much

as you can about aseptic technique, cassette fill, inventory, filling ADM's etc

etc. Then teaching/training you on the job will be easier for the RPh and Lead

Tech/Techs. You will be appreciated instead of them wondering how you got

certified if you did not learn XYZ.

Be the BEST tech you can be! From the beginning.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Founder/Owner

>

> Hello everyone!

>

> I'm sure this has been asked before, but how many drugs do we really have to

memorize and how many questions are about drug information on the test?

>

> My review book has over 400 and there is no way I can remember all that

information.

>

> Thanks so much!

>