Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention
PTCB
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Credentials
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Certificate
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Demonstrate your knowledge of controlled substance diversion prevention strategies and DEA requirements.
INTRO
Knowing how to prevent the diversion of controlled substances leads to safer patient care and addresses a greater public health need by helping to keep communities safe. The Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention (CSDP) Certificate requires completion of the first formal training for technicians in this area.
Earning this certificate demonstrates your advanced competency and commitment to patient, pharmacy, and community safety by minimizing the impact of the ongoing opioid crisis.
Complete the Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Certificate to demonstrate your competency in:
- Consequences of diversion
- Signs of impaired health-care workers
- Areas of vulnerability in procurement, preparation and dispensing, prescribing, administration, and waste/removal processes
- Types and functions of security control measures, devices, and software to detect and prevent diversion
- DEA requirements for registration, record keeping and conducting physical inventories
- Identifying suspicious data patterns, product tampering, and fraudulent prescriptions
PREPARE & APPLY
Back to TopA Step Toward Your Advanced CPhT (CPhT-Adv)
Earning this certificate takes you one step closer to becoming PTCB Advanced Certified Pharmacy Technician™ (CPhT-Adv™). Active PTCB CPhTs who have completed at least four of the certificate programs, or three certificate programs and the Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician® (CSPT®) Certification, and 3 years of work experience will be eligible to earn a CPhT-Adv credential.
Eligibility Requirements
A candidate must hold an active PTCB CPhT Certification and complete a PTCB-Recognized Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Education/Training Program.
PTCB-Recognized Programs have been reviewed and found to provide learners with foundational knowledge that will help them be successful on PTCB exams. Please note that PTCB-Recognized Programs may not cover all information that appears on your exam. It is important that you review the exam content outline as part of your preparation and seek supplemental resources as needed.
Exam Fee
The fee to apply for this certificate exam is $89.
How to Apply and Schedule
- Apply by logging into your PTCB Account.
- Once your application is approved, you will receive an email with your authorization to schedule your exam.
The Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Certificate Exam is administered through online proctored testing and in-person at more than 1,400 Pearson Professional Centers nationwide, including more than 100 military on-base sites.
Prepare for Your Exam
Online Testing Requirements Overview
This quick video explains the requirements and policies for online proctored testing.
Pearson VUE Tutorial
The Pearson VUE tutorial provides a preview of the testing experience and functionality for PTCB exams.
Exam Content Outline
The Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Exam covers several knowledge areas organized into four domains. Be sure to review the content outline as part of your exam preparation.
| Controlled Substance Diversion (9%) |
| Consequences of diversion (e.g., infection risks to patients, organizational liability, fines/indictments, fraud charges, loss of job and/or license) |
| Signs of impaired health-care workers (e.g., mood changes, agitation, dilated pupils, sudden declines in job performance) |
| Motivations to divert CS (e.g., addiction, financial gain, recreation) |
| Controlled Substance Diversion Prevention Program (30%) |
| Areas of vulnerability in procurement, preparation and dispensing, prescribing, administration, and waste/removal processes |
| Elements of a comprehensive and effective controlled substances diversion prevention program (CSDPP) |
| Types and functions of security control measures, devices, and software to detect and prevent diversion (e.g., locking storage, cameras, ADCs, analytics software) |
| High risk areas of the pharmacy (e.g., anesthesia area, CS vault, IV room, will call, receiving) |
| Chain of custody methods (e.g., regulation of access control, presence of witnesses for signing delivery sheets, use of tamper-evident containers) |
| DEA Requirements (38%) |
| DEA registration requirements (e.g. power of attorney, renewal) |
| Procedures to validate DEA numbers (e.g., formula and component parts of the DEA number) |
| Contents, appropriate usage, and record keeping for DEA form 222 |
| DEA Controlled Substance Ordering System (CSOS) |
| Contents, appropriate usage, and record keeping for DEA form 41 |
| Contents, appropriate usage, and record keeping for DEA form 106 |
| Knowledge of DEA scheduled medications and which are at high risk for diversion |
| DEA requirements for conducting physical inventories and record keeping |
| Contents, appropriate usage, and record keeping for DEA form 107 |
| Actions to take during a robbery or theft event |
| Procedures for sales of CS and restricted OTCs (e.g., pseudoephedrine) |
| Surveillance and investigation (23%) |
| Suspicious data patterns (e.g., waste buddy, night shift sedation, cancel removes, pocket inventory, anomalous usage) |
| Surveillance practices and techniques (e.g., reconciliation of invoices to purchase history reports, check list to verify all paperwork is complete, records audits) |
| Signs of product tampering and/or alteration (e.g., vials tops that don’t twist easily, chipped tablets, drug assay sampling) |
| Signs of and methods to detect fraudulent prescriptions |
EARN YOUR CERTIFICATE
Back to TopAbout the Exam
The Controlled Substances Diversion Prevention Certificate Exam is a computer-based exam with 60 multiple-choice questions. Be prepared to commit 1 hour and 30 minutes for the exam (5-minute tutorial, 1 hour and 20-minute exam, and 5-minute post-exam survey).
Exam Day Requirements
When you schedule your exam, you may choose to take your PTCB exam at a Pearson VUE test center or online from your own computer under the virtual supervision of a live proctor.
- Arrive at the designated Pearson VUE test center 30 minutes prior to your appointment. If you are testing online, check-in 30 minutes prior to your appointment.
- Bring an approved form of identification that matches your name as it appears on your PTCB Account. You will not be allowed to take the exam without proper identification.
- Prior to your exam day, be sure to review more details about what to expect and important information about online testing requirements in our Help Center.
Testing Accommodations
Candidates who require testing accommodations must request these accommodations during the application process. Accommodations that are reasonable and consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be provided by PTCB at no additional cost to candidates. Learn more.
NEXT STEPS
Back to TopScoring
The passing scaled score is 300. The range of possible scores based on the exam content outline is 0 to 400. Your official score report will be presented on screen following your exam. If you pass the exam, your credential status can be verified through PTCB Certification Verification.
Certificates
Once your official score is available, you can download your certificate through the Credly Platform. Learn more.
Digital Badges
Upon earning your credential, you will receive an email invitation from the Credly Platform via badge@ptcb.org with instructions for claiming your badge and setting up your account.
This digital badge will contain information describing your credential, including how you earned it. You can display the badge in your email signature, electronic files of a resume, and on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Renew
This certificate program does not require renewal.
DOCUMENTS
Back to TopQuick access to additional documents you may need during this process. Download the necessary documents and submit the completed forms as required.