Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) 

an organization that works in collaboration with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and other pharmacy organizations to set accreditation standards for pharmacy technician education and training programs as well as colleges of pharmacy; provider of continuing pharmacy education for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

Alchemist

a skilled compounding artisan

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)

a pharmacy professional organization that provides advocacy, continuing education, and drug information for pharmacy professionals and that collaborates with ACPE to accredit pharmacy technician education and training programs

Anteroom

an ISO Class 8 (or cleaner) transition area where garbing, hand hygiene, CSP supply staging, and other preparatory activities take place prior to entering the buffer room

Apothecary

a shop in which medicines were compounded by skilled artisans using herbs and other natural ingredients; the artisans themselves were often called apothecaries

Aseptic technique

a set of practices and procedures used to minimize the potential introduction of contaminants (including infections) into CSPs

ASHP/ACPE Accreditation Standards for Pharmacy Technician Education and Training Programs

the primary document for pharmacy technician programs seeking to achieve or maintain accreditation

ASHP’s Model Curriculum for Pharmacy Technician Education and Training Programs, Fifth Edition (2019)

the primary document for pharmacy technician programs seeking to achieve or maintain accreditation

Buffer room

an ISO Class 7 (or cleaner) room where PECs are physically located; may be referred to as the IV room or sterile compounding room

Certification

the process by which a nongovernmental association grants recognition to an individual who has met certain predetermined qualifications specified by that profession

Commercially available sterile product

a sterile product that has been produced by pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities that adhere to Current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for product quality and consistency; also known as a conventionally manufactured sterile product or an off-the-shelf sterile product

Compounded sterile preparation (CSP)

a preparation intended to be sterile that is created by combining, admixing, diluting, pooling, reconstituting, repackaging, or otherwise altering a drug product or bulk drug substance

computerized provider order entry (CPOE)

the process of entering medication and other treatment orders directly into a pharmacy-networked computer system by a physician or other prescriber; also known as computerized physician order entry or e-prescribing

continual professional development (CPD) model

a framework of lifelong learning that helps individuals to develop and maintain competence in professional skills and achieve career goals

Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs)

FDA regulations that assure proper design, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes and facilities; adherence to these quality control regulations ensures that a drug is safe and effective for patient use by requiring that manufacturers of medications adequately control manufacturing operations

designated person

FDA regulations that assure proper design, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes and facilities; adherence to these quality control regulations ensures that a drug is safe and effective for patient use by requiring that manufacturers of medications adequately control manufacturing operations

Dyscrasia

an abnormal state of the human body or a human body part; in ancient Greek medicine, a term that meant "bad mixture" of the body's four humors

Eucrasia

a state of homeostasis reflecting good health in the human body; in ancient Greek medicine, a term that meant "good mixture" of the body's four humors

Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT)

an exam offered by the NHA for the certification of pharmacy technicians; exam currently accepted by a portion of the state boards of pharmacy

Flora

plants that are indigenous to a particular region or period

germ theory

the theory that all diseases are caused by microorganisms and that these germs can be transmitted among humans

Humors

a medieval medical theory, often credited to Hippocrates, that believed optimal health may be attained only when the four elemental body fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile), referred to as humors, were in perfect balance

intradermal (ID) route of administration

the injection of a sterile medication into the dermis, or the skin layer underneath the epidermis or top layer of skin

intramuscular (IM) route of administration

the injection of a sterile medication into a large muscle, such as the gluteus maximus or the deltoid muscle

intraosseous (IO) route of administration

the injection of a sterile medication into the bone marrow

intrathecal (IT) route of administration

the injection of a sterile medication between the vertebrae of the spinal column

intravenous (IV) push

a sterile, injectable medication that is administered by direct injection through sterile IV tubing into a patient's vein without further diluting the medication in an SVP or an LVP solution; delivers a single dose of a drug into the patient’s bloodstream

intravenous (IV) route of administration

the injection of a sterile medication into a vein

intravenous piggyback (IVPB) solution

an SVP solution that is administered intermittently through an existing IV line that contains a patient's primary IV solution; thus, the solution is "piggybacked," or placed on top of, the primary IV solution

large-volume parenteral (LVP) preparation

a sterile, parenteral solution that is typically 250 mL or greater; contains medications, nutrients, or electrolytes and is frequently used to maintain or correct the fluid status of a patient

microbial contamination

the contamination of a CSP by any microbial organism—such as a bacterium, fungus, or, less commonly, a virus—that may result in infection or other harm to a patient recipient of the CSP

mortar and pestle

a device consisting of a bowl (mortar) and a club-shaped tool (pestle) that is used to crush and grind ingredients into a fine paste or powder; device dates back to early compounding practices

National Healthcareer Association (NHA)

a national organization that offers ExCPT to earn certification as a pharmacy technician

parenteral route of administration

a route of supplying medication to a patient other than through the digestive tract; includes the IV, IM, subcut, ID, and IT routes of administration

Pharmacy

the art, practice, and profession of preparing, preserving, compounding, and dispensing medications

Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB)

a national organization that develops pharmacy technician standards and serves as a credentialing agency for pharmacy technicians; offers the PTCE to earn certification as a pharmacy technician

Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam (PTCE)

a nationally accepted exam, offered by the PTCB, that is used for the certification of pharmacy technicians

primary engineering control (PEC)

a laminar airflow cabinet, workbench, or hood that provides an ISO Class 5 environment in which CSPs are prepared; previously called a Class 100 environment

small-volume parenteral (SVP) preparation

a sterile, parenteral solution that ranges in volume from 0.1–250 mL; SVP volumes smaller than 25 mL are typically administered by IVP or by syringe pump, whereas volumes greater than 25 mL are typically administered as an IVPB; SVPs often contain an antibiotic medication

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) manual

a resource that provides guidance related to the operation, security, and rules of a pharmacy; specific instructions related to legal and ethical requirements of personnel; and information regarding USP <797> and other USP compounding standards

sterile compounding

the process of combining, admixing, diluting, pooling, reconstituting, repackaging, or otherwise altering a drug or bulk drug substance to create a sterile medication

sterile compounding personnel

pharmacy personnel who prepare CSPs; also known as IV personnel, sterile compounding pharmacists, IV pharmacists, sterile compounding technicians, or IV technicians

subcutaneous (subcut) route of administration

injection of a sterile medication into an area just beneath the skin

United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP)

a nonprofit, nongovernmental, scientific organization that sets standards for the quality, strength, purity, and identity of drugs, dietary supplements, compounded medications, and the ingredients used in their production or preparation for the United States, as well as for numerous countries around the world

United States Pharmacopeia–National Formulary (USP–NF)

an official compendium of drug information and monographs that are the recognized pharmacy practice standards in the United States and many other countries; plays an important role in federal and state laws and regulations

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

a federal agency responsible for the laws and oversight of all regulations related to the development, manufacturing, and labeling of medications within the United States; protects public health and safety by ensuring that food, drugs, biologics, medical devices, tobacco products, and cosmetics are safe, effective, and truthfully labeled

USP–NF General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding—Sterile Preparations

the specific chapter (Chapter <797>) of the USP–NF that sets practice standards regarding the compounding of sterile preparations

USP–NF General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs—Handling in Healthcare Settings

the USP general chapter (Chapter <800>) that provides standards for safe handling of hazardous drugs to minimize the risk of exposure to healthcare personnel, patients, and the environment; USP <800> is informational only and is not compendially applicable