Credentialing Guidelines and Requirements

A Candidate Guidebook

General Policies

Impartiality, Fairness, and Nondiscrimination

PTCB endorses the principles of impartiality, fairness, and equal opportunity and commits to act impartially, fairly, and equitably in relation to its applicants, candidates, and credential holders, including but not limited to:

Applying its standards and requirements for examinations and certifications equally to all individuals regardless of gender, age, disability, occupation, ethnic origin, color, cultural background, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, or political opinion.
Implementing its policies and procedures impartially and fairly.
Not restricting certification based on undue financial or other limiting conditions.
Not allowing commercial, financial, or other pressures to compromise impartiality in certification activities.

Code of Conduct

PTCB is dedicated to providing and implementing appropriate standards designed to serve pharmacy technicians, employers, pharmacists, and patients. First and foremost, PTCB credential holders and candidates give priority to the health interests and protection of the public, and act in a manner that promotes integrity and reflects positively on the work of pharmacy technicians, consistent with appropriate ethical and legal standards.

As pharmacy technicians, and under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist, PTCB credential holders and candidates have the obligation to: maintain high standards of integrity and conduct; accept responsibility for their actions; continually seek to improve their performance in the workplace; practice with fairness and honesty; and, encourage others to act in an ethical manner consistent with the standards and responsibilities set forth below. Pharmacy technicians assist pharmacists in dispensing medications and remain accountable to supervising pharmacists with regard to all pharmacy activities, and will act consistent with all applicable laws and regulations.

Responsibilities Relating to Legal Requirements.

Each credential holder/candidate must:

Act consistent with all legal requirements relating to pharmacy technician practice, including Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
Refrain from any behavior that violates legal or professional ethical standards, including all criminal laws, Federal laws and agency regulations, and State laws and regulatory agency rules.
Refrain from conduct that is threatening, intimidating, harassing, or deceptive when acting within a professional role.
Maintain good standing with all applicable governmental or quasi-governmental agencies governing pharmacy technician practice.

Responsibilities to PTCB/Compliance with Organizational Policies and Rules.

Each credential holder/candidate must:

Act consistent with all applicable PTCB policies and requirements.
Provide accurate, truthful, and complete information to PTCB.
Maintain the security and confidentiality of PTCB examination information and materials, including the prevention of unauthorized disclosure of test items and format and other confidential information.
Cooperate with PTCB concerning conduct review matters, including the submission of all required information in a timely, truthful, and accurate manner.
Report to PTCB apparent violations of this Code based upon reasonable and clear factual information.

Responsibilities to the Public and Employers.

Each credential holder/candidate must:

Deliver competent, safe, and appropriate pharmacy and related services.
Recognize practice limitations and provide services only when qualified, credentialed, and authorized by a supervising pharmacist in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The credential holder/candidate is responsible for determining the limits of his/her own abilities based on legal requirements, training, knowledge, skills, experience, and other relevant considerations.
Maintain and respect the confidentiality of sensitive information obtained in the course of all work and pharmacy-related activities, as directed by the supervising pharmacist and consistent with legal requirements, unless: the information is reasonably understood to pertain to unlawful activity; a court or governmental agency lawfully directs the release of the information; the patient or the employer expressly authorizes the release of specific information; or, the failure to release such information would likely result in death or serious physical harm to employees and/or patients.
Use pharmacy technician credentials properly, and provide truthful and accurate representations concerning education, experience, competency, and the performance of services.
Provide truthful and accurate representations to the public and employers.
Follow appropriate health and safety procedures with respect to all pharmacy-related activities and duties.
Protect the public, employees, and employers from conditions where injury and damage are reasonably foreseeable.
Disclose to patients or employers significant circumstances that could be construed as a conflict of interest or an appearance of impropriety.
Avoid conduct that could cause a conflict of interest with the interests of a patient or employer.
Assure that a real or perceived conflict of interest does not compromise legitimate interests of a patient or employer, and does not influence or interfere with work-related judgments.

Conduct Case Process/Conduct Complaints

The Conduct Case Procedures (Procedures) will be used to process all matters concerning possible violations of the standards in the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Code of Conduct. This Policy applies to individuals certified by PTCB (credential holders) and all individuals seeking PTCB certification (candidates). The Procedures represent an informal process for the resolution of all PTCB conduct matters. A party may choose to be represented by an attorney during a conduct matter at his/her own expense.

Infographic: Conduct Case Overview

The complete Conduct Case Procedures are available in Appendix A.

Reconsideration of Denial Credential Eligibility or Certification Renewal Policy

The Reconsideration of Denial Credential Eligibility or Certification Renewal Policy (Reconsideration Policy) will be used to review requests for reconsideration of credential eligibility, recertification, or reinstatement denial determinations. A written request must be submitted to the PTCB Help Center and addressed to the PTCB Executive Director & CEO within 30 days of the date of the notification of the denial determination. The written request must include the date of determination, details of the denial, the reason or extenuating circumstances applicable to the request (including relevant supporting materials not previously submitted), and the individual’s email address and phone number at which the individual can be reached. PTCB’s exam eligibility, recertification, and reinstatement requirements or policies are not subject to reconsideration.

A complete version of the Reconsideration Policy is available in Appendix B.

Exam Scoring Challenges

The sole mechanism for candidates to challenge the accuracy of exam content on any PTCB exam is to comment within the exam itself. Candidates can comment on any item during the exam. Subject-matter experts and/or PTCB staff review all candidate comments and take appropriate actions as necessary. In extremely rare circumstances, the review of candidate comments may result in candidates receiving an official exam result that differs from the preliminary result provided at the end of the exam. Candidates cannot challenge the accuracy of exam content outside of the exam itself. PTCB will not adjust or modify exam scores for any reason pertaining to personal circumstances, hardships, or technical or administrative errors. For situations in which a technical or administrative error has been determined by PTCB to have impacted a candidate’s score, the candidate’s exam score will be canceled, and the candidate will be offered an opportunity to retest.

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