Medications
35%of exam
Federal Requirements
18-19%of exam
DEADSCSAFDA RecallsREMSHIPAA
Safety + Quality
23-24%of exam
Order Entry
22-23%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- PTCE
- Credential
- CPhT
- Questions
- 90 total
- Scored
- 80 scored
- Time
- 110 min
- Pass
- 1400 scaled
- Fee
- $129
- Blueprint
- Jan 6 2026
Storage Temps
Room 20-25; fridge 2-8
Room: 20-25 CFridge: 2-8 CFreezer: below zero
Brand vs Generic
Brand
- Trade name
- Manufacturer chosen
- Capitalized
Generic
- Active ingredient
- Official name
- Lowercase
Name vs ingredient
Drug Picker
- Brand name shown→Generic pair
- Suffix -pril→ACE inhibitor
- Suffix -sartan→ARB
- Suffix -statin→Lipid drug
- NTI clue→Extra caution
- Weekly methotrexate→Verify dose
Brand Generic
- Lipitor
- AtorvastatinStatin
- Synthroid
- LevothyroxineThyroid
- Zoloft
- SertralineSSRI
- Prozac
- FluoxetineSSRI
- Norvasc
- AmlodipineCCB
- Glucophage
- MetforminDiabetes
- Prilosec
- OmeprazolePPI
- Coumadin
- WarfarinAnticoagulant
Interaction vs Contraindication
Interaction
- Drug affects drug
- Diet affects drug
- Monitor risk
Contraindication
- Avoid use
- Unsafe condition
- Hard stop
Risk vs avoid
Drug Classes
- ACE inhibitors
- -pril drugs
- ARBs
- -sartan drugs
- Beta blockers
- -olol drugs
- Statins
- -statin drugs
- PPIs
- -prazole drugs
- SSRIs
- -oxetine variants
- Quinolones
- -floxacin drugs
- Sulfonylureas
- -ide diabetes
Storage
- Room temp
- 20-25 C
- Refrigerated
- 2-8 C
- Freezer
- -25 to -10 C
- Light sensitive
- Amber container
- Nitroglycerin
- Original bottle
- Insulin unopened
- Refrigerate
- Reconstituted
- BUD applies
- CII stock
- Locked storage
Schedule Strictness
CII strict; CV lighter
CII: no refillsCIII-V: limitsCI: illegal
DEA vs FDA
DEA
- Controlled substances
- Registrations
- Diversion control
FDA
- Drug approval
- Recalls
- MedWatch
Controls vs products
Law Picker
- Controlled schedule→DEA rules
- PHI question→HIPAA
- Tracing product→DSCSA
- Pseudoephedrine sale→CMEA
- Adverse event→MedWatch
- Vaccine event→VAERS
Controlled Substances
- CI
- No medical use
- CII
- No refills
- CIII
- Five refills
- CIV
- Five refills
- CV
- Lowest control
- DEA 222
- CII ordering
- Inventory
- Biennial count
- Theft
- DEA 106
Federal Rules
- HIPAA
- PHI privacy
- DSCSA
- Trace products
- REMS
- Restricted safety
- CMEA
- Pseudoephedrine limits
- MedWatch
- FDA reports
- VAERS
- Vaccine reports
- Orange Book
- Therapeutic equivalence
- NDC
- Drug identifier
Zero Rules
Lead zeros yes; trailing zeros no
0.5 mg okay.5 mg unsafe5.0 mg unsafe
LASA vs Tall Man
LASA
- Confusable names
- Look/sound alike
- Error source
Tall Man
- Capital letters
- Name highlight
- Error control
Problem vs fix
High Alert
- Insulin
- Double check
- Warfarin
- INR risk
- Heparin
- Bleeding risk
- Opioids
- Respiratory risk
- Chemo
- Hazardous handling
- KCl
- Fatal concentration
- Digoxin
- NTI drug
- Methotrexate
- Weekly dosing
Error Flow
Near miss -> report -> CQI
CatchReportAnalyzeImprove
Safety Signals
- LASA
- Name confusion
- Tall Man
- Name contrast
- Leading zero
- Use before decimal
- Trailing zero
- Never use
- Near miss
- Caught error
- RCA
- Find causes
- CQI
- Improve process
- DUR
- Pharmacist review
NDC vs Lot
NDC
- Drug code
- Labeler/product/package
- Billing ID
Lot
- Batch code
- Recall tracing
- Manufacturing group
Product vs batch
Math Picker
- Units differ→Convert first
- Quantity asked→Daily dose
- Days supply→Quantity/daily use
- Percent strength→g per 100 mL
- Dilution question→C1V1=C2V2
- Weight based→kg first
Calculations
- mL
- Volume
- mg
- Weight dose
- mcg
- Microgram
- g
- 1000 mg
- kg
- 2.2 lb
- Days supply
- Quantity per day
- Concentration
- Amount per volume
- Flow rate
- Volume per time
Quantity vs Days Supply
Quantity
- Amount dispensed
- Tablets/mL
- Package size
Days supply
- Duration covered
- Insurance field
- Daily use
Amount vs duration
Sig Codes
- PO
- By mouth
- PRN
- As needed
- BID
- Twice daily
- TID
- Three times daily
- QID
- Four times daily
- QHS
- At bedtime
- AC
- Before meals
- PC
- After meals
Inventory
- FIFO
- Oldest first
- FEFO
- Earliest expires
- Lot number
- Batch tracking
- Expiration
- Do not dispense
- Recall
- Remove product
- Return stock
- Usable return
- Reverse distribution
- Expired return
- Par level
- Reorder trigger
Common Traps
Refill rules
CII no refills ≠ CIII-V five refills
Zero notation
Use leading zero ≠ Avoid trailing zero
Drug reports
MedWatch for drugs ≠ VAERS for vaccines
Inventory order
FEFO expires first ≠ FIFO receives first
Product tracking
NDC identifies product ≠ Lot identifies batch
Dose math
Convert units first ≠ Round at end
Last Minute
- 1.Weights: 35 / 18.75 / 23.75 / 22.5
- 2.CII = no refills
- 3.DEA 106 = theft
- 4.DSCSA = product tracing
- 5.MedWatch = drug events
- 6.VAERS = vaccine events
- 7.0.5 safe; .5 unsafe
- 8.FEFO = earliest expiration
- 9.Days supply = quantity/daily use
- 10.Pharmacist handles counseling
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