The Master PTCB Set

Which of these classes of drug recall is considered the most serious?

A. Class I

B. Class II

C. Class III

D. Class IV

A. Class I

On which website can pharmacy technicians find a list of medication recalls?

A. TJC

B. FDA

C. ISMP

D. BOP

B. FDA

A patient presents with a life-threatening condition such as cardiac arrest. Which of these codes represents these kinds of condition?

A. Code Black

B. Code Red

C. Code Blue

D. Code Yellow

C. Code Blue

HEPA filters found within laminar hoods remove particles that are at least what size?

A. 0.1 microns

B. 0.2 microns

C. 0.3 microns

D. 0.5 microns

C. 0.3 microns

Ordinarily, the sharps container is which of these colors?

A. Black

B. Red

C. Yellow

D. Blue

B. Red

Which of the following processes is not under the remit of quality control?

A. Pharmacy personnel training and validation

B. Product recalls

C. Calibration and maintenance of equipment

D. Counseling the patient

D. Counseling the patient

To maintain their professional certification, pharmacy technicians are obliged to undergo 20-hours continued education every ___________?

A. 6-month

B. 1-year

C. 18-months

D. 2-years

D. 2-years

For how long should a laminar air flow hood be turned on before being used?

A. 10-minutes

B. 30-minutes

C. 1-hour

D. The hood should always be on

B. 30-minutes

Which of these is NOT an example of “personal protective equipment”?

A. Long-sleeves

B. Goggles

C. Gown

D. Glove

A. Long-sleeves

After caring for a patient with Clostridium difficile infection, which of these should be used to wash hands?

A. Purified water

B. Soap and water

C. 70% isopropyl alcohol

D. Bacteriostatic water-for-injections

B. Soap and water

Which of these FDA drug recalls is issued “where there is no immediate or perceived danger of any health issues, but where items have been released that are in violation of FDA regulations”?

A. Class I

B. Class II

C. Class III

D. Class IV

C. Class III

Which of these organizations issues a “Do Not Use” list?

A. TJC

B. FDA

C. ISMP

D. DEA

A. TJC

Which of the following organizations enforces USP drug standards?

A. TJC

B. FDA

C. ISMP

D. DEA

B. FDA

When recapping a needle, which of these methods should be used?

A. Needle decompression technique

B. Syringe draw technique

C. Acute angle technique

D. One-handed scoop technique

D. One-handed scoop technique

When compounding hazardous drugs, which of these kinds of syringe should be used?

A. Luer-Lok

B. Autoinjector

C. Syrette

D. Any of the above can be used

A. Luer-Lok

A pharmacy has received notice of a drug recall. Which of the following actions should the pharmacy take?

A. Contact patients who were prescribed the medicine

B. Store recalled product in a safe and separate zone

C. Immediately withdraw the medicine from use

D. All the above actions should be performed

D. All the above actions should be performed

Which of the following pieces of legislation requires that pharmacists perform a drug utilization review (DUR)?

A. Pure Food and Drug Act

B. Occupational Safety and Health Act

C. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

D. FDA Modernization Act

C. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

Which piece of legislation introduced material safety data sheets (MSDS)?

A. Occupational Safety and Health Act

B. Federal Hazardous Substances Act

C. Orphan Drug Act

D. Controlled Substances Act

A. Occupational Safety and Health Act

Which of these is an example of quality assurance?

A. Product recalls

B. Inspecting compounding environments

C. Compounding products using correct procedure

D. All the above are examples of quality assurance

C. Compounding products using correct procedure

Which of the following drug classes should be counted on a separate tray?

A. Opioid drugs

B. Penicillins

C. Antidiabetic drugs

D. Chemotherapeutic drugs

D. Chemotherapeutic drugs

When handling hazardous drugs, which of the following protocols is advised?

A. Wear one pair of gloves

B. Wear two pairs of gloves

C. Wear three pairs of gloves

D. Gloves should be avoided as they are considered high-risk

B. Wear two pairs of gloves

When dealing with controlled substances, which of the following dispensing practices is advised?

A. Slowly count the medicine prior to dispensing

B. Ask a member of staff to assist in the counting

C. Ask the patient to confirm the quantity

D. Double count the medicine prior to dispensing

D. Double count the medicine prior to dispensing

How often should a Class III prescription balance be certified?

A. Every 6 months

B. Annually

C. Every 2 years

D. Every 5 years

B. Annually

To prevent the risk of cross-contamination, which of these substances should be used to clean counting trays?

A. Isopropyl alcohol

B. 70% ethyl alcohol

C. 95% methyl alcohol

D. Bacteriostatic WFI

A. Isopropyl alcohol

As mandated by OSHA, healthcare workers must be vaccinated against which of the following?

A. Hepatitis A

B. Hepatitis B

C. Tetanus

D. All the above must be vaccinated against

B. Hepatitis B

Through which of the following means can microbial contamination of a laminar flow hood take place?

A. Wearing jewellery

B. Wearing makeup

C. Not covering facial hair

D. All the above are potential risks

D. All the above are potential risks

Which risk level would be assigned to a compounding environment that is inferior to an ISO Class 5 environment and which uses non-sterile ingredients to compound the medicine?

A. Low-risk

B. Medium-risk

C. High-risk

D. Risk cannot be established

C. High-risk

Which of the following techniques is used to prevent lookalike or sound-alike medicines from being confused with one another?

A. Using trailing zeros

B. Tall man lettering

C. Short man lettering

D. None of the above are appropriate

B. Tall man lettering

When applying alcohol-based hand rubs, which of the following protocols should be followed?

A. Use a generous amount of alcohol-based rub

B. Allow hands to dry without rubbing them together

C. Placing gloves on just before the alcohol rub as dried

D. All the above should be followed

A. Use a generous amount of alcohol-based rub

What is the maximum concentration limit of particles more than 5 microns in size within an ISO Class 5 environment?

A. 29

B. 58

C. 72

D. 90

A. 29

Which of these medication classes requires patient package inserts?

A. Intravenous medicines

B. Corticosteroids

C. Loop diuretics

D. Metered-dose inhalers

D. Metered-dose inhalers

A database exists that provides details about adverse events and medication error reports submitted to the FDA. What is the name of this database?

A. FAERS

B. ISMP

C. MedMarx

D. TJC

A. FAERS

What name is given to package inserts that must be given alongside certain medicines with each prescription and refill of the medicine prescribed?

A. Package leaflet

B. Medicine information leaflets

C. Medication guides

D. Adverse drug reaction guide

C. Medication guides

Which of the following laws is used to encourage the voluntary reporting of adverse events to enhance patient safety?

A. Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act

B. Durham-Humphrey Amendment

C. Occupational Safety and Health Act

D. Patient Protection Act

A. Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act

Which of the following terms is used to describe any unintended harm that results from the use of a medicine?

A. Nocebo

B. Adverse drug reaction

C. Placebo

D. Side effect

B. Adverse drug reaction

A drug utilization review (DUR) does not involve which of the following?

A. Dispensing process by the pharmacist

B. Patient use of medicine

C. Practitioner prescribing

D. None of the above

D. None of the above

Which of these medicines has a high rate of medication errors?

A. Metformin

B. Insulin

C. Bisoprolol

D. Finasteride

B. Insulin

Which of the following online programs allows hospitals to anonymously report/track errors within their organizations?

A. MedMarx

B. MedWatch

C. MedReview

D. MedReport

A. MedMarx

Patients experiencing an allergic reaction to a medicine are most likely to exhibit which of these effects?

A. Constipation

B. Diarrhea

C. Rash

D. Nasal congestion

C. Rash

What is the definition of “polypharmacy”?

A. Multiple pharmacies owned by the same company

B. Patients who take the same prescription to multiple pharmacies

C. Patients who take multiples of the same medicine

D. Concurrent use of multiple medicines by a patient

D. Concurrent use of multiple medicines by a patient

What is the purpose of root cause analysis?

A. Determine a drug’s mechanism of action

B. Establish the reasons why a medicine is used

C. Discover the risk of potential side effects

D. Eliminate the risk of future errors

D. Eliminate the risk of future errors

About which of the following are pharmacy technicians NOT permitted to answer, when it comes to prescriptions?

A. Medicine name

B. How the medicine will be administered

C. The dosage form in which the medicine is formulated

D. The side effects the medicine may have

D. The side effects the medicine may have

Before medicines are taken from an automated dispensing cabinet for a patient, who must first review the order (except in emergency circumstances)?

A. Pharmacy technician

B. Nurse practitioner

C. Pharmacist

D. Any of the above

C. Pharmacist

Which of these is NOT on the Joint Commission’s “Do Not Use” list?

A. Trailing zero

B. Lack of leading zero

C. MS

D. PO

D. PO

What term is used to describe an absolute warning against using a medicine for a specific purpose due to a potential life-threatening risk?

A. Adverse drug event

B. FDA drug warning

C. Black box warning

D. Contraindication

C. Black box warning

With regards to the medication-use process, mistyping a medication order can occur during what part of that process?

A. Transcribing

B. Monitoring

C. Prescribing

D. Dispensing

B. Monitoring

The CMS – or Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services – requires which of the following insurance plans to offer MTM services to certain beneficiaries?

A. Medicare Part C

B. Medicare Part D

C. Medicaid

D. None of the above

B. Medicare Part D

Which of the following involves reviewing a patient’s complete medication list and ensuring it is as up-to-date as possible to eliminate any potential errors that may have developed over the course of the patient’s treatment?

A. Medicines reconciliation

B. Drug utilization review (DUR)

C. Root cause analysis

D. None of the above

A. Medicines reconciliation

Which of the following pharmacy strategies can be used to mitigate the risk of medication error?

A. Using zeros after whole numbers

B. Concurrent performance of multiple tasks at the same time

C. Using abbreviations/acronyms to ensure efficiency

D. Writing a zero before a decimal point

D. Writing a zero before a decimal point

Which of these medication errors can occur during the dispensing process?

A. Inaccurately interpreting a medication order

B. Incorrectly interpreting the prescription

C. Insufficiently monitoring patient therapy

D. Choosing the incorrect formulation

D. Choosing the incorrect formulation

Which of the following is NOT true when it comes to root cause analysis?

A. Ensures continual quality standards

B. It can be used and applied retrospectively

C. It can be used to prevent future error

D. It is a self-correcting mechanism

D. It is a self-correcting mechanism

The Joint Commission releases a “Do Not Use” list, in terms of acronym and abbreviations that should be avoided. Which of the following terms (as of 2020) is included in that list?

A. U

B. PRN

C. PO

D. UD

A. U

Which of the following medication classes is defined as “high alert”?

A. Chemotherapy medicines

B. Hypoglycemic drugs

C. Anticoagulant medicines

D. All the above are considered “high alert”

D. All the above are considered “high alert”

What term is given to the practice of writing part of a drug's name in upper case letters to help distinguish sound-alike, look-alike drugs from one another in order to avoid medication errors?

A. Short-hand writing

B. Tall-man lettering

C. Wide-hand spelling

D. Wrong-drug tools

B. Tall-man lettering

Which of these terms refers to the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice as to how and when they should take their medicines?

A. Concordance

B. Monitoring

C. Dependence

D. Compliance

D. Compliance

MedGuides are required for which of the following types of medicine?

A. Prescription medicines

B. OTC medicines

C. Medicines that pose a significant health risk to the public

D. All the above

C. Medicines that pose a significant health risk to the public

Which of these laws was responsible for the formation of the Drug Utilization Review (DUR)?

A. Durham-Humphrey Amendment

B. FDA Modernization Act

C. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

D. Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies

C. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

Which of the following should be used to decrease medication errors on prescription orders and measurements?

A. Metric system

B. Imperial system

C. Avoirdupois system

D. Apothecary system

A. Metric system

A patient may misunderstand the medicine instructions given to them. During what stage of the medication-use process might this error take place?

A. Patient assessment

B. Medication dispensing

C. Medication order

D. Medication administration

D. Medication administration

According to the ISMP, which of these dosage forms can be crushed prior to administration?

A. Slow-release dosage forms

B. Extended-release dosage forms

C. Sugar-coated dosage forms

D. Enteric-coated dosage forms

C. Sugar-coated dosage forms

Which of these is the safest and most appropriate way to represent a number, one that complies with FDA regulations?

A. .5

B. 05.

C. 0.5

D. 5.0

C. 0.5

To enhance medication safety, which of the following details should be included in a patient profile?

A. Insurance number/details

B. Social security number

C. Drug allergies

D. All the above should be included

C. Drug allergies

The MERP – or Medication Error Reporting Program – is overseen by which of the following organizations?

A. ISMP

B. FDA

C. TJC

D. None of the above

A. ISMP

According to the Institute of Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), which of the following is an error-prone abbreviation?

A. TID

B. PRN

C. QD

D. PO

C. QD

Which of the following is NOT used to reduce medication errors?

A. Drug utilization review (DUR)

B. Medication therapy management (MTM)

C. Medication reconciliation (MR)

D. Medication therapy review (MTR)

D. Medication therapy review (MTR)

A pharmacy technician does not include enough information for the safe use of the patient’s medicine; which is classified as what type of error?

A. Error of commission

B. Error of omission

C. Error of competence

D. Error of incompetence

B. Error of omission

“Medication therapy management” is an outcome derived from which of the following sources?

A. TJC

B. ISMP

C. Medicare Part D

D. None of the above

C. Medicare Part D

Methotrexate is an example of a medicine that carries significant risks to the patient and requires close monitoring. Which of the following is the standard dose of methotrexate administered to the patient?

A. Once daily for 5-days only

B. Once weekly

C. Once every 2 weeks

D. Once monthly

B. Once weekly

Which of these terms refers to the phenomenon whereby a patient’s negative expectations of taking a medicine lead to a negative therapeutic outcome?

A. Placebo

B. Anticebo

C. Adverse drug reaction

D. Nocebo

D. Nocebo

With regards to the medication-use process, failing to report a patient adverse event can occur during what part of that process?

A. Transcribing

B. Monitoring

C. Prescribing

D. Dispensing

A. Transcribing

Which of the following details is NOT present in the patient information leaflet?

A. Precautions

B. Pharmacokinetics

C. Side effects / drug interactions

D. None of the above

B. Pharmacokinetics

What term describes an error in which something is not done correctly?

A. Error of commission

B. Error of omission

C. Error of competence

D. Error of incompetence

A. Error of commission

Which of the following is NOT a safe and effective practice when it comes to crash cart medicines?

A. Expiration dates should be monitored

B. Medications should be in unit dose form

C. Medications should be specific to the patient’s age

D. None of the above

D. None of the above

Which of the following is used to identify potentially harmful medicines when used in older patients?

A. Wine list

B. USP 797

C. USP 795

D. Beers list

D. Beers list

Which of these drug classes comes with a MedGuide?

A. Beta blockers

B. ADHD medicines

C. Thyroid medicines

D. All the above require a MedGuide

B. ADHD medicines

The Coombs and Gell classification is used for which of the following?

A. How conscious a patient is/was

B. Withdrawal effects

C. Hypersensitivity reactions

D. Dispensing standards within pharmacies

C. Hypersensitivity reactions

Patients taking statins for high cholesterol should be counselled to avoid which of these juices?

A. Orange juice

B. Lemon juice

C. Grapefruit juice

D. Prune juice

C. Grapefruit juice

According to Leape et al. (1995), when do most medication errors take place?

A. Dispense phase

B. Transcribing phase

C. Administration phase

D. Medication order phase

D. Medication order phase

The Joint Commission accredits many different organizations. Upon receiving that accreditation, how regularly must those organizations undergo an on-site survey?

A. 6-months

B. 1-year

C. 18-months

D. 3-years

D. 3-years

Pharmacists are obligated to be involved with ___________________.

A. Labelling prescription bottles

B. Handling inventory requirements

C. Inputting prescription and patient data

D. Drug utilization review (DUR)

D. Drug utilization review (DUR)

A pharmacy has received notice of a drug recall. Which of the following actions should the pharmacy take?

A. Contact patients who were prescribed the medicine

B. Store recalled product in a safe and separate zone

C. Immediately withdraw the medicine from use

D. All the above actions should be performed

D. All the above actions should be performed

Which of the following processes is not under the remit of quality control?

A. Pharmacy personnel training and validation

B. Product recalls

C. Calibration and maintenance of equipment

D. Counselling the patient

D. Counselling the patient

On which website can pharmacy technicians find a list of medication recalls?

A. TJC

B. FDA

C. ISMP

D. BOP

B. FDA

Ordinarily, the sharps container is which of these colors?

A. Black

B. Red

C. Yellow

D. Blue

B. Red

HEPA filters found within laminar hoods remove particles that are at least what size?

A. 0.1 microns

B. 0.2 microns

C. 0.3 microns

D. 0.5 microns

C. 0.3 microns

For how long should a laminar air flow hood be turned on before being used?

A. 10-minutes

B. 30-minutes

C. 1-hour

D. The hood should always be on

B. 30-minutes

Which piece of legislation introduced material safety data sheets (MSDS)?

A. Occupational Safety and Health Act

B. Federal Hazardous Substances Act

C. Orphan Drug Act

D. Controlled Substances Act

A. Occupational Safety and Health Act

Which of these FDA drug recalls is issued “where there is no immediate or perceived danger of any health issues, but where items have been released that are in violation of FDA regulations”?

A. Class I

B. Class II

C. Class III

D. Class IV

C. Class III

Which of these is an example of quality assurance?

A. Product recalls

B. Inspecting compounding environments

C. Compounding products using correct procedure

D. All the above are examples of quality assurance

C. Compounding products using correct procedure

Which of these organizations issues a “Do Not Use” list?

A. TJC

B. FDA

C. ISMP

D. DEA

A. TJC

Which of the following organizations enforces USP drug standards?

A. TJC

B. FDA

C. ISMP

D. DEA

B. FDA

After caring for a patient with Clostridium difficile infection, which of these should be used to wash hands?

A. Purified water

B. Soap and water

C. 70% isopropyl alcohol

D. Bacteriostatic water-for-injections

B. Soap and water

Which of the following drug classes should be counted on a separate tray?

A. Opioid drugs

B. Penicillins

C. Antidiabetic drugs

D. Chemotherapeutic drugs

D. Chemotherapeutic drugs

When applying alcohol-based hand rubs, which of the following protocols should be followed?

A. Use a generous amount of alcohol-based rub

B. Allow hands to dry without rubbing them together

C. Placing gloves on just before the alcohol rub as dried

D. All the above should be followed

A. Use a generous amount of alcohol-based rub

Which of these classes of drug recall is considered the most serious?

A. Class I

B. Class II

C. Class III

D. Class IV

A. Class I

What is the maximum concentration limit of particles more than 5 microns in size within an ISO Class 5 environment?

A. 29

B. 58

C. 72

D. 90

A. 29

A patient presents with a life-threatening condition such as cardiac arrest. Which of these codes represents these kinds of condition?

A. Code Black

B. Code Red

C. Code Blue

D. Code Yellow

C. Code Blue

As mandated by OSHA, healthcare workers must be vaccinated against which of the following?

A. Hepatitis A

B. Hepatitis B

C. Tetanus

D. All the above must be vaccinated against

B. Hepatitis B

Which of the following pieces of legislation requires that pharmacists perform a drug utilization review (DUR)?

A. Pure Food and Drug Act

B. Occupational Safety and Health Act

C. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

D. FDA Modernization Act

C. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

How often should a Class III prescription balance be certified?

A. Every 6 months

B. Annually

C. Every 2 years

D. Every 5 years

B. Annually