PHARMACY TECHNICIAN VOCABULARY FLASHCARDS

A comprehensive set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on pharmacy technician roles, processes, safety, and regulatory concepts.

Pharmacy Technician

A trained professional who supports the pharmacist by performing dispensing-related tasks, customer service, and inventory, under supervision; does not independently exercise clinical judgment.

Certified Pharmacy Technician (ExCPT/CPhT)

A technician who has passed a national certification exam (ExCPT/CPhT) indicating competency and often allowed to perform more duties.

Scope of Practice

The legal boundaries of what a pharmacy technician can do, based on license, registration, or certification; does not include clinical dispensing decisions.

Medication Histories

Information about a patient’s past and current medications, gathered to support safe dispensing and care.

Medication Therapy Management (MTM)

Pharmacist-provided service to optimize a patient’s medication use; technicians may identify candidates and support MTM processes.

Drug Utilization Review (DUR)

Ongoing evaluation of a patient’s prescribed, dispensed, and used medications to ensure safety and effectiveness; may generate DUR codes.

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA)

Federal legislation that, among other things, requires counseling and DUR for Medicaid patients and often extends to all patients in practice.

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Any health information that identifies an individual and is protected under HIPAA; must be safeguarded.

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Identifying health data safeguarded by privacy laws; include medical records, diagnoses, and billing information.

National Drug Code (NDC)

An 11-digit identifier that labels medications by labeler, product, and package size; used for inventory and billing; present on stock bottles and prescription labels.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Federal agency that enforces the Controlled Substances Act and regulates manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of controlled substances.

Controlled Substances Act (CSA)

Federal law classifying drugs into five schedules (I–V) based on potential for abuse and medical use.

DEA Registration

A registration number issued by the DEA to prescribers, pharmacies, and manufacturers who handle controlled substances.

DEA Form 222

Paper form used to order Schedule II controlled substances; triplicate copies; requires pharmacist signature.

CSOS (Electronic CS Orders System)

Electronic system for ordering controlled substances (C-II) instead of paper Form 222.

DAW Codes

Do Not Substitute codes used on prescriptions to indicate substitution preferences (e.g., 0 = generic allowed; 1 = substitution not allowed by prescriber; 2 = brand requested by patient; 3 = pharmacist selected; 8 = brand dispensed as generic when generic unavailable).

Reorder Point (ROP)

Inventory level at which a medication should be reordered; determined by inventory software based on usage and trends.

Reorder Quantity (ROQ)

Predefined quantity to reorder for a medication when the ROP is reached.

First In, First Out (FIFO)

Inventory rotation method where the oldest stock is used first to minimize expiration risk.

Unit Dose

Packaging where each dose is dispensed separately, common in hospitals to improve accuracy and safety.

Repackaging

Transferring bulk medications into unit-dose containers or other patient-ready packaging with proper labeling.

Expiration Date

The last date a medication is guaranteed to be safe and effective as labeled on the packaging.

Beyond-Use Date (BUD)

The date assigned to compounded sterile or nonsterile products indicating the end of permissible use; defined by USP guidelines.

Medication Recall

Process to remove products from shelves; Class I (serious risk), Class II (temporary risk), Class III (not likely harmful).

Adherence Aids

Tools to help patients take medications as prescribed (e.g., automatic refills, weekly planners, bubble packs, smart pill bottles, reminders).

Therapeutic Equivalence

Two drugs that have the same clinical effect and safety profile when used under the same conditions; often determined using the Orange Book.

Orange Book

FDA publication listing approved drug products and their therapeutic equivalence evaluations to assess bioequivalence.

Bioequivalence

Two drugs have the same bioavailability and clinical effect; necessary for substituting generics for brand-name drugs.

Sig Codes

Abbreviations used on prescriptions to describe route, frequency, and instructions (e.g., ac, bid, qh, qd, qid, hs).

Barcode Verification

Cross-checking the medication’s barcode against the prescription label to ensure correct product and dose before dispensing.

Adverse Drug Event (ADE)

Harmful or unintended reaction resulting from medication use; can be serious and require investigation.

Side Effect

A non-desired effect of a drug that can be positive or negative and is not the primary therapeutic effect.

Drug Interactions (DDIs)

When two or more drugs affect each other’s activity causing beneficial or adverse effects; may be absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion interactions.

High-Alert Medications

Drugs with a heightened risk of causing significant harm if used incorrectly; require extra safety checks.

SALAD Names

Sound-alike, look-alike drug names that can lead to errors; Tall Man lettering helps distinguish them.

Tall Man Lettering

Capitalization technique to highlight differences in SALAD drug names to reduce confusion.

Medication Guides

FDA-required informational leaflets for certain medications or classes to help patients use them safely.

Patient Package Inserts (PPI)

Documents accompanying prescription medications that provide detailed product information.

REMS and ETASU

Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) with Elements to Assure Safe Use (ETASU) to manage high-risk medications; isotretinoin is a notable example (iPLEDGE).

iPLEDGE

REMS program for isotretinoin requiring pregnancy risk management and contraception, with monthly testing.

Biosimilars

Therapeutically equivalent biologics that are cheaper alternatives to reference biologics; require FDA approval and interchangeability status.

Sig Translation

Process of converting prescriber directions (Sig) into understandable patient instructions (e.g., 1 TAB Q4H = take one tablet every 4 hours).

NDC Barcode

Barcodes on medication packaging used to verify the correct product during dispensing and claims processing.

PMP (Prescription Monitoring Program)

State programs that collect data on controlled substance prescribing/dispensing to detect misuse and diversion; can generate alerts for pharmacists.

Hazardous Drugs (USP 800)

Drugs that require special handling, storage, and PPE; regulated to protect workers and patients.

Sterile Compounding

Aseptic preparation of sterile products in ISO Class 5 or better environments; governed by USP 797 and related guidelines.

Nonsterile Compounding

Preparation of nonsterile medications; governed by USP 795; emphasizes cleanliness and SOPs.

Durable Medical Equipment (DME)

Medical devices like beds, wheelchairs, and nebulizers; sometimes billed through Medicare Part B and may require accreditation.

ADMs (Automated Dispensing Machines)

Automated cabinets that store and dispense medications in healthcare settings; use biometric or password access; enhance efficiency and safety.

HIPAA Privacy Rule

Federal regulation protecting PHI and setting rules for disclosure, access, and safeguarding patient information.

OBRA Counseling

Pharmacists must offer counseling to Medicaid patients (and often all patients); technicians assist and gather data.