Pharmacy Technician - Initial Interview with Aerotek Scientific - Quick Update

I'm still here! But been busy! Second interview, getting additional references, going in for drug testing tomorrow, and still have to finish up classes of course. full updates when I have more time to do all. But things are looking promising on the Pharm Tech end!

Pharmacy Technician - Initial Interview with Aerotek Scientific - Part 1

The NCPPS report interruption continues. I had my interview on Friday with Aerotek Scientific.

I made it there thirty minutes early, and wasn't too nervous. Made sure I had my documents and just be calm. I went into the building 15 minutes before the interview, went into the office, and was told my interviewer would be maybe 5 minutes late. No big deal. More time for me to just relax and made sure I was completely stress free. I was even offered a glass of water which I gladly took. I hadn't had many fluids that morning, and I didn't want my mouth drying out.

The first part of the interview was conducted by the same person that interviewed me over the phone. This was the part where she wanted to get a good handle on me, what kind of person I was, and wanted me to elaborate on my resume.

The very first question she asked, was asking if I knew much about Aerotek Scientific. I immediately cursed myself for not researching the company more before going in. I, at the very least, was able to tell her that my cousin actually got his first temp job through them. (Which is true. I talked to him on Wednesday, and he mentioned it, and that's exactly why I didn't research more. He vouched for them and that was good enough for me.)

She explained that do the hiring for a lot of science related fields, and while it isn't always the case, when it comes to the UCSF Pharmacy, they're the ones that do all the interviews and hiring decision, and the checks will come from them. But I can still put down on resumes they I worked for the UCSF Pharmacy.

With that introduction we went onto learning about me.

As a quick reminder, the thing about my resume is that I have almost no work experience. Pretty much the only real work I've had is working on a contract by contract basis for fashion shows conducted by Macy's. She wanted me to describe work, and I told her about the very efficient and structured nature of how it is behind the scenes of a fashion show, when you're part of the team that cues the models to walk the runway. The main directors watch from above, they call over headset to the door handlers when the cue the models, then the models walk out. But also at the same time, the runners at each entrance have to make sure each model checks in two segments (song/clothing style/theme) in advance, and door managers report back to the head director. Models are given numbers for each communication back and forth. I dont' know if I explained that well... but I also don't know how many people really want to know these inner workings, so I'm trying to be brief.

In summary, I wanted to describe is a team based, multi-tasking role that I had, as one of those runners.

She asked about what kind of stressful situations I've had to work in. That was when I described my role in the 42nd Annual International Children's games. How I was part of a team that had to organize and coordinate all the translators for the 60+ (80+?) teams of pre-teens/teens from all around the world. We had to set up and be there to make sure each team was properly greeted as all those teams arrived nearly 24/7 in the span of three days. Highly stressful. She asked how I handled that stress, and I simply told her during the downtimes we made sure to support each other and make sure everyone was getting at least some breaks and proper rest.  Was that a good response? I don't know, but it was the one that I had.

Shen then asked me to describe a situation where I had more of a leadership role. That's when I described to her that I have also been a part of a community service organization that holds an annual Multi-Cultural AIDS Awareness Day even on the campus of SFSU that I coordinated for three years. It's a role that takes months of planning, and delegation of 30-60 individuals on the day of. And of course it's for a good cause. I could have sworn that I talked about this before, but I can't seem to find a post about it. In short we organize organizations from both on and off the campus to come educate about HIV/AIDS in various facets (prevention, counseling, etc), have people offer up free testing, have speakers come and talk about current issues, and have multi-cultural entertainment as a symbol of the indiscriminant nature of the disease.

From there she asked me that it seems like I've been involved with a lot of groups, and she wanted me to describe a situation where I had to deal with... I forget exactly how it was worded. I want to say motivation problems, but I don't think that was it. That was more how I answered the question. Talking about I have been president of that same community service organization, and certainly it was at a time that we weren't at our peak.

She also asked me how I keep myself motivated. And I think this was probably my most unique response of all. I let her know that I have a pharmacy blog that I update, both as a way to keep my thoughts organized for when it comes time to filling out applications, and as way to immediately help others who have the same interest as me. I'm sure most people have vaguer and less tangible responses when it comes to that question.

I can't remember the placement of these next questions, but they were all asked at some point. She wanted to ask again what kind of shifts I was interested, what it was like commuting to school, if I was open to full-time or part-time or contract work, etc. I may not have given the best response when I said I didn't much like taking public transportation because of how long it took. She then mentioned that parking is difficult around UCSF.

I will say that I have done my research (SPOILER! I called back for the final follow up interview scheduled for Monday), and saw that taking BART (a subway/train system in the Bay Area) and bus actually isn't that bad. UCSF is located much closer to me than San Francisco State is. The travel time is essentially cut in half. And all day parking at UCSF is $22, plus $5 for toll, $8 of gas... while taking public transportation will be around $10. Not driving is probably the way to go. And now that with this information, I'm prepared to give them a knowledgeable response.

And with that, this post is getting long... since the interview was in two parts, I think I'll turn this into two-part post. This first part of the interview, in fact, went on for maybe 30 to 40 minutes and was one on one. The second part of the interview included a new person telling me more specifics about the job. That will come up next.

Pharmacy Technician Birthday Surprise!

Job Interview!

I have to interrupt the 5th Annual NCPPS reporting to report some good news! Today is my birthday and what do I wake up to? And email from a staffing agency, the wonderful Aerotek Scientific (which helped my cousin get his first temp job), and they contacted me saying they're looking to fill some pharmacy technician positions!

The surprise is that I never submitted my information to them. They got my info from the Pre-Pharmacy Association that I helped to found.

It caught me off guard and I was nervous, so I drank some water and ate some breakfast before I made the call. My phone interviewer was a lovely person, and after the standard questions of when you'll be available, what kind of shifts do you want, how far are you willing to commute, and what kind of pay you're looking for (My answer: Anything and everything, and I'm not looking for pay, I'm looking for experience and the opportunity to work with a pharmacist so I can get a letter of recommendation.), it turns out that the position is at UCSF itself!

I have an in person interview Friday, I just need to bring in proof that I have my license, two professional referrals, and answers to questions such as - Why Pharmacy? - Explain some situations where you had to multi-task in a hectic enviroment - and so on.

I don't know a better way I could have started my birthday.

The plan: Find my proof, because it seems to be misplaced, find a second person to give me a professional referral (already asked one), and make sure I have some clothes for the interview.


Quick Update

As for the 5th Annual NCCPS reporting, for my previous reports, I always brought my netbook and typed as speakers talked, making it easy to come home and reformat the information into complete sentences and paragraphs. My netbook battery no longer holds a charge. So I took my ipod nano and recorded audio and wrote notes on the supplied notepad. I'm going to have to relisten to the audio and hope it recorded decently before I can sort out all the information. It'll get up here, but it may take some time as I still have school to manage, so please bear with me.


And Thanks

This is long overdue, but thanks Elaine and California Pharmacy Schools and most recently Lucia for leaving positive comments. It's surprising how a simple comment of appreciation can help to motivate me to keep up with the updates.

Short Job Search Update

The pharm tech I applied for earlier was filled. Not surprisingly really. I have no experience, and my schedule won't be all that friendly (definitely not for full-time work). So the plan now is to get work where I can that will fit my schedule, and to pursue volunteer work.

That work where I can is still that library aide position that I mentioned. I have an interview on June 3rd. If that job has the hours that I need, especially during my 19 unit fall semester, I'll be very happy to have it. I'll get money I otherwise wouldn't have, and work experience that I'm lacking. Anything at all would be nice to have on my resume.

Pharm Tech Hire... So Close! And Resume 1.5

Ok so... I went in to the Human Resources office to physically fill out an application for the pharm tech job. As I was filling it out, a nice lady was walking by and stopped. She asked me what job I was applying for and I told her. She asked, "Do you have a resume?" I told her I did. Then she asked, "Did anyone recommend you?" And I said yes to that to. She then told me that she'd go ask the director if I could get an interview on the spot!!

Unfortunately when she came back, it wouldn't be possible at that exact moment, but she was going to make sure the director got my resume, and that I would be getting a call. Not the absolute perfect storm, but still that's some nice weather blowing my way.

And the resume I handed her wasn't quite the one I posted up the other day. I made three significant adjustments.

One, I added to my objective that Volunteering was also an acceptable option that I'd be willing to take. One more point to emphasize that I'll be there to really learn the job, and that I'm not just applying for money. The experience is more valuable to me than money.

Two, I added that I have my CPR/AED certification.

Three, I added that I'm a member of the American Pharmacists Association. That's not something I've talked about on here before I think. That's because while I do get the emails, and I do get the magazine, I have yet to participate in any event. I became a member... in November of 2009 I believe. But most of the events are really geared towards pharmacists and student pharmacists, and then pharm techs. I have yet to figure out how to fully utilize my membership as just a pre-pharmacy student. That's why I initially left it off, but my friend convinced me that I deserve to put it on there because I have contributed by paying my dues.

When I asked my cousin to review my resume, he brought up three things. He works in the biotech field, and felt that while it was good to put my goals on the resume, he felt the 2012 date for when I wanted to be a student pharmacist was a detriment. However, from all that I've seen, a there have been plenty of student pharmacists and presenters that talk about how even just one month of experience will help in your applications to pharm school. That gave me the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that there are plenty of applicants that don't work for very long, and so saying my target date by Fall 2012 meant I actually wanted to work there for a long time. The position is also just an On Call position and not full time, helping to strengthen my belief that putting the date on there is the right thing.

My cousin also thought that putting the gap in time under my Pre-Pharmacy Association involvement was a bad idea, and that I should have just written it as 2006-Current. But there are two issues with that. I have a hard time lying. It's simply not true. The other is that I think it's actually better to have that gap. I was the founding Vice President, and then nothing else. If I was involved that whole time, I think it actually looks worse on me that I didn't take any other position. Maybe I was a bad leader, people hated me, or simply lost interest. I think by having that gap, perhaps that might lead to an interview question asking why, and I could explain I gave up on pharmacy, took a break, and have regained my motivation.

In fact, I think collectively all the additions really tells that story on my application, that I've come back with determination to make it. I have three items under Licensure/Certification that all expire in 2011, and I have it written down that I rejoined the PPA and became a member of APhA at the same time, and they know my goal is to make it into pharmacy. Collectively that seems to me that it speaks out that I've been taking all the proper steps to make it towards my goal, and will be a pharm tech that will be working his best to make it there.

Resume 1.0 - Pharmacy Technician

Well... I made a resume. I got a tip about a possible job at a hospital, and I put together what I could to make a resume. It's a bit sparse. I had to really find a way to word my duties working for the Census to have any kind of relevance towards duties as a pharm tech. But at least I do have something to put under the work experience section now.

The key things on here that I have are that they know I have the PTCB certificate and license to work in CA, they can clearly see that I will have the motivation to do well in the job because I plan an using the experience as an important learning experience to becoming a pharmacist, and while I don't have any pharm tech experience yet, I've obviously taken plenty of classes that use many of the same math concepts required for the job and have first hand experience with the equipment that I may be using.

On a more anal note... I probably spent half an hour or so deciding what font I wanted to use.

(Yes, the rest of this post is 100% about font choice.)

I googled "resume font" and the sites I went to suggested Times New Roman and Arial to look more contemporary. Well I originally wrote it in Arial, but when I was done, I switched it to Times just to see what it looked like.

Well... the website was right that Times does look more old fashioned. It also is a bit smaller than Arial. With the Arial font, I took up nearly the whole page, in Times there was a larger gap at the bottom, and switching to a 12 font made it exceed one page.

I felt comfortable with my choice in Arial until I changed just the header to Times. I really liked how the header looked in times. That came off as more professional looking. I started questioning myself that maybe Times looks more professional on the whole. Should I go for a contemporary look? or professional?

I kept on looking at the whole thing in Times, and I just didn't like the body that way. I liked the header in Times and the body in Arial. But maybe that's just crazy. It might be off putting to other people. So I tried to ask for opinions. Unfortunately, all 5 or 6 people that I attempted to ask all did no respond (and in the case of one person her internet cut out and she left to go buy a new router.)

So to prevent myself from looking crazy, I just settled with my original choice and left the whole thing in Arial, and sent it in.  We'll see if this leads anywhere.

When I was done, I switched it all to Times just to see what it looked like.

(Ok I lied... a quick update about the Library Aide part time job process.  I had my first mishap with my alarm clock and set it for 7:30 pm rather than am, but I woke up with just enough to get to the Library and take their evaluation exam. It was essentially some basic math and sorting Fiction and Non-Fiction books. When I showed up, there were about 50 people also taking the exam, so getting hired isn't likely.)

Summer and Fall 2010

Alright, well... at 6:37am this morning I did a quick check to see if I could add my classes even though it was officially scheduled to open to to all at 8:00am, and bam! I enrolled into both Cell Biology and General BioChem. The numbers had not changed at all with 76 and 39 spots open respectively.  I refreshed the pages as soon as I added and saw the decrease immediately in the numbers, so it's pretty clear those were the actual numbers. 

Besides considering any possible difficulties in a slightly different change in system, I missed the absolutely obvious reason as to why there would be so many spots open in that it costs a lot. There was no regular half time payment for 6 Summer units. It's $1998 total for my two classes.  So I'm lucky that I have this opportunity, but I still have until June 4th to really decide if I can afford the classes.

So how does that affect my Fall semester?  I'll be moving Micro Economics to Fall, making it a total of 19 units. Biology I, OChem I, Microbiology, Nutrition, and Micro Economics. I'll be improving decent grades in the first two classes, fixing a bad grade in microbiology (due to lack of trying), and taking all new classes in the last two.

I hope to also have part time work. Likely not as a pharm tech. That would be ideal, but as I said before, it sounds like people are letting go of techs, and the ones that they are hiring, they want them on for full time. So I have my license now, but it may not get some use for a bit, unless someone wants to hire me full time for the Summer during afternoon to overnight hours.

So I have my Pharm Tech license...

Now the question is, can I get a job?  The job market isn't good right now, and from what I heard from the SF Walgreen District Manager, people are being let go, and not hired.  On top of that, I was hoping for my license to arrive in January or February so I could work full time until the Fall semester started. But now the Spring semester is almost over. Unless someone wants to hire me just for the Summer, I don't expect much to happen. With that said, I've sent in my application to Walgreens. They have a very nice and simple setup at their website. I'll be applying to other places as well, and just see how it goes.

I'm not expecting much, so I also applied to work as a Library Aide. The pay isn't much, but it's still pay and work experience. And they specifically want part time workers which is what I'm going for, especially if they want evenings and weekends. That's something I'll be able to maintain during my 19 unit Fall Semester.  At least that's I hope to enroll in. Fall registration at CCC begins May 3rd.

Pharm Tech License Finally Arrived!

Title says it all.  I'll write more later.  I've been up for 41 hours.  Time to sleep.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 14 - Delay!!

News!  Good news?  Only if any news is good news.  And I suppose that's how I'm taking it.  So I got a letter in the mail today, and it said:

The Board is currently in communication with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain your fingerprint clearances.  There can be multiple reasons for the delay.  The Board has submitted a follow-up request or a request for correction of personal information to the DOJ to obtain a status of your fingerprint clearances.  Please allow 30-45 days for the DOJ to notify the Board with the status of your fingerprint clearances.

So there it is.  I'm going to have to wait at least another month. There isn't much I can do about it besides at least be thankful that I finally know what's going on.  That much is appreciated.

I might be a bit more frustrated, except if I had to get this news, today was the best day to receive it.  And that's because...

I got the letter after just coming back from taking a... I'm not quite sure what to call it?  A placement exam?  For the getting hired to work for the 2010 Census.  The exam was an incredibly easy 28 questions, and will help in deciding if we get hired to be the census takers or do clerical or office work.  

I know for sure that I did better than at least one other person, because when we were told you only need to get 10 out of 28 questions right, he let out a sigh of relief.  10 out of 28!  I was expecting 25 of 28.

But if that's how it's done, then that's how it's done.  Maybe that means I'll get a higher paying office position. (If that is higher paying.)  I was able to fill out the question about having any supervisory experience as well, so that should help.

We hear back in about a week about the results of the exam, and hopefully details about being hired soon after that.  My pharm tech license might be delayed, but I need to work, and looks like I'll likely have something temporary to occupy my time until news from the Board of Pharmacy arrives.

The Waiting Game & CPR Certification Card

I hope everyone's been enjoying the holidays.  That's pretty much all I've been doing as I play the waiting game for the arrival of my California pharm tech license.  I would love to start working now and feel a bit restless.  But at least the wait is happening during a time when the holidays can be a distraction.  It would have been less tolerable in the summer.

I'm tempted to go looking into the 2010 Census jobs as a supplemental job to go along side being a pharm tech.  But of course considering getting a supplemental job without knowing the schedule of my future primary job is a bit difficult to do.  But calling to find out how long they'll be taking applications couldn't hurt.

In other news, I received my credit card sized CPR certification/identification card.  So now if in the unlikely scenario that someone asks if I'm CPR certified, I can show them proof.  And more importantly, I can see the official time span in which I can claim certification.

My First Comment!

Hey look at that, someone actually read my blog that isn't one of my friends.

Congratulations on your PTCB Certification. Great job. --NPTA

Upon closer examination, it looks as if whoever that person is, they either work for, or at the very least, wants to promote the National Pharmacy Technician Association.

Just a couple hours into the first business day after I post that I received my certificate, and they're already nudging me to join!  That was quick.  They're watching.  *looks around nervously*

Well... thanks for the congrats! =)

I'll take a closer look at the website in a day or so.  Tonight I'll be doing some last bits of planning because I register for my final semester as an undergrad at SFSU tomorrow at 10am

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 13 - PTCB Certificate Arrived!

It finally arrived!  I passed the exam on Nov 19th, and my official certification date is Nov 30th, and it arrived in the mail on Dec 5th.  Keeping in mind that there was the Thanksgiving holiday during that time, it took sixteen days from passing the test to getting the certificate in my hands.

As soon as I got it, I took a shower, ate some lunch, and went back to that UPS Store where I got the Live Scan done, so I could get a notarized copy of the certificate, and retake my photo.  Unfortunately, (and I should have realized) they only take Polaroid photos there, and the application specifically states to not attach a Polaroid photo.

But I was there for two things.  The notary public made a copy, recorded it in his book, made me sign it and stamp my thumb print.  I had to swear that the contents of the document describing what was copied said was the truth, and paid my $10.33.

With that done, I went back to Costco to retake my photo.  But by the time I got it all finished, it was already too late in the day on a Saturday to make it before the last mail pick up at the post-office.  So I just decided to drop it off at later, and headed home.

I'm one step closer.

Oh yeah, here are the results.  They came with the certificate.  I'm surprised that my Admin. Mgmt. of Pharmacy Practice score was so low, especially since I got 100% on the practice exam.  But I passed.  And I'll master it all eventually.  I'm reading the Pocket Guide for Pharmacy Technicians, which has all the same stuff and more, and I'll be learning on the job once I get hired.  The learning doesn't stop because the exam is over.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 12 - Live Scan Fingerprinting

Short version: I got my fingerprints scanned, in anticipation of receiving my PTCE results in the mail, so I can send in my application for my California pharm tech license.

Long Version:  I got my finger prints scanned today.  I headed over the link provided in the application to find a Live Scan location.  I was trying to shop around for the cheapest location, and saw that most places were "Appointment Only."  I lucked out and found that the cheapest location was also the closest.  It had some random name, but whatever.  Am I really supposed to be familiar with the names of Live Scan sites?  I dial up the number.  It rings.  It rings some more.  Then I get an answering machine.

The message wasn't even a professional answering machine message.  "Thank you for calling [insert business name].  Our hours of operation are..." and all that.  It was the generic answering message you get on cell phones.  "You have called [insert number].  Please leave a message after the beep."  I was going to call to make an appointment for the next day or two, but after that, it wouldn't hurt to take a look to see what else is out there.

I skimmed through all the other nearby locations and saw that one of the locations was a UPS Store, and allowed walk-ins.  No appointment necessary.  That's great.  It was $10 more, but there was still plenty of time in the day, and I wasn't doing anything.  I figured I'd just go right then and there.

I get there, the are other people around taking care of their business, it's a nice and familiar store.  No hassle and a comfortable setting.  I figured that it was worth paying an extra $10.  I ask to get my fingerprints scanned, and hand over the paperwork and my ID.  While the lady was setting that up, another customer walked in and also asked for her fingerprints scanned.  Was that just a coincidence?  Or do they really do multiple scans per day?  I guess since there are so many locations nearby, it must be a service that's asked for pretty regularly.

Well, the person helping me yelled out from the computer she was at that the total cost would be $81!  There were additional fees, like the link said, I just didn't realize it would be that much.  It was $31 for the FBI, and $20 more for the DOJ.  (That could be reversed, but either way the total was an additional $51.) 

The lady also asking for fingerprinting said, "I hope it doesn't cost that much for me."  But then mentioned her work would also reimburse her for $50 of the charge. 

Then the attendant asked the lady how she'd be paying, and the lady responded that she'd be using her debit card.  "That'll be a $3.00 additional charge."

I could only laugh.  What's three more dollars.

Then the attendant said she could be charging me first, before they did the scan.  With payment processed, we went back to the computer and she scanned my prints.  First both thumbs, then all four fingers on my right hand, then my left, then all my fingers individually.  When that was done, she clicked a button, and said that they'd receive the info when it was done loading.  And just like that, I was finished.

I had my receipts and my paperwork.  And I noticed that the UPS store can also notarize things and takes passport photos.  I didn't really like the photo I took at Costco, so I'll be taking another.  And now I know where I can get my notarized copy of my PTCE results.  A nice one stop shop for all my California pharm tech license needs.  But I'll be sure to bring cash next time.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 11 - CA State Board of Pharmacy Application

While I'm waiting for my official results to arrive, I'm trying to take care of the steps it takes to complete the California State Board of Pharmacy application to be a pharm tech.

The main steps are:
1) Fill it out.
2) Provide a 2"x2" photo.
3) Get my finger print scanned.
4) Supply a notarized copy of my PTCB certificate.

Step 1 is of course the easy part.  And I  can't accomplish Step 4 until my certificate arrives, hopefully sometime next week.  That leaves Steps 2 and 3.

Today I took care of Step 2.  I went to the ever popular Costco with my dad.  A little too popular.  11am on a weekday, we didn't there would be many people.  We were wrong.  The parking lot was packed.  We didn't stop to consider that it's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

So what did we do?  We drove to the Costco several cities away, where our old house used to be.  It'd an extra thirty or so minutes of travel time each way, but that Costco was never packed.  And we were right.

We did all the normal shopping, added a turkey, and I threw in some blueberries and Nutri-grain bars to snack on.  I of course stopped by the photo section of the store, took my pic, and after a ten minute wat and $5 fee, Step 2 is complete!

The next step is to get my finger scanned sometime before my certificate arrives, and then finish the rest of that waiting game.  While at the same time scouting out all the potential locations that I'm going to be applying at.  Once I have my California License in hand, it's time to find some work!  (Hopefully there's some out there.)

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 10 - PTCE Passed!

You can "click to enlarge", but pretty much is says - Result: Pass!  This is the sheet they gave me as I walked out of the testing room and back into the reception area.  That was nice since I couldn't take a picture or a screen capture of the results page on the testing computer.

As you can see, I passed! But that's the end of the story. Back to the beginning...

Prepping

I got plenty of sleep, printed out directions, and the ATT (Authorization To Test) and Registration emails to make sure I didn't miss anything. Made sure I had my Driver's License for ID, and made sure I didn't need to bring a calculator or pen.

Arrival

The directions were pretty simple, I only missed the very last turn. What was unexpected was that the door was locked! I pulled out the emails to see if there were any instructions for getting into the building, but as I was doing that, a girl (who I assume just finished taking whatever exam she was there for) showed up, trying to get out. She tried opening the door and saw that it was locked. I gave her a shrug, she read the sign on the door that was facing her, then found the "exit button". She opened the door, and we smiled at each other and went our separate ways.

Checking In

I was given the testing rules to read over concerning not revealing details of the exam (which I'm taking to mean specific details, not broad strokes) and all that. When I finished, the receptionist asked for two forms of ID! The email just said to bring one!  My eyes widened, but of course the second ID could just be my debit card, so no worries there.  She confirmed my identity, scanned my finger and took my picture.

Then it was off to the other staff member that sat right by the door and monitored all the test takers.  He gave me a calculator, some laminated graph paper, and two marker to write with. He told me some additional rules and procedures, including telling me that I could not erase anything I wrote down. If I need more space to write on, then I would just have to raise my hand, and he'd give me more.  (But there were five sheets, and you could write on both sides.  I ended only using just one side of the first page.)  Then he asked me if I wanted earplugs or tissue, which was a pleasant surprise. For some reason, sometimes when I take exams, my nose starts to act up, so I took some tissue just in case.

Exam

I did sign that non-disclosure agreement, so there won't be much detail.  But I can tell you how I felt about it all.  It took 5 minutes to finish the tutorial, leaving me 115 minutes to take the exam.  I finished my first run through with 45 minutes left on the clock, then took 20 more minutes to go over the questions I wanted a second look at.  I was trying to take my time and I still had 25 minutes left.  I'm sure if I wanted I could have finished in under and hour.

There was one question that I just felt like I was missing something incredibly obvious. I also started to feel a bit tired towards the end. It could have been the turkey I ate before I left.

Overall I knew what I was doing.  There were some questions that I expected to not know, and some others where I could make some educated guesses.  A couple made me want to slap myself for going blank on a simple piece of info.  Pretty much it was like a reaction to many other multiple choice exams.  I was sort of nervous when I finally clicked "End Exam", but the results popped up, and I passed!

Next Step

Next up is waiting for the official results to arrive in the mail and then complete the registration paperwork to work in California.

But as of tonight, I'm Gerry, CPhT!

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 9 - Rescheduled Again

I rescheduled my exam one more time. I received an email letting me know that the Pre-Pharmacy Association was meeting tonight at 7pm, which would have overlapped with my PTCE taking time, so I pushed it back a day. (I did the actual rescheduling yesterday morning of course, since the rescheduling has to take place at least 24 hours prior the the scheduled time.)

A UCSF student came to answer any and every question, and there was a lot of info given out for the 2+ hours she was there. I'll go through that in more detail when I have more time to go through all the notes I took.

One thing that's relevant for the exam that I'll be taking tomorrow is that the way she became a pharm tech, is the same way I'll be doing it. But she wasn't as paranoid as me when it came to studying. She said she bought a book at Borders, studied for just a week, then took the test and passed.

I'm going to be spending some time looking over the material again, and I'll be ready to take the exam. I think I'm not going to stress over trying to learn the 200+ drugs. I'll look through it some, but it doesn't look like it's necessary to pass if you know everything else.

I'll learn about the drugs on the job, and have an easier time learning about them since they'll have some context for me. I just need the license to get to that point. So that's it. Good luck to me. I'll be back to report tomorrow on how I do.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 8 - Practice Exam

Finally took the Official PTCE Practice Exam.  I was confused the first time I looked for into on the practice exam page.  The page does describe what the practice exams are all about (There are two general practice exams, a calculations exam, and a medication usage and administration exam.), but I couldn't find the link to press to pay for it and get it started!

It turned out the link was right in front of me, but in the form of a flashing banner.  I tend to ignore banners because they're usually ads, but it wasn't the case this time.

These are the various "slides" of the banner as they switch from one to another.

After following the link, you'll wind up having to register for a third time. (The other two times were back when I made my appointment to take the official exam.)  This registration gets you a Logon ID and Personal ID number. However unlike the other two registrations, there is no accompanying email, so be sure you really do print out the page or jot down the information somewhere. (If you forget, there still is a method to recover the info, but better to just keep note of it right away.)

That info allows you to see a dashboard that has all your testing info:

(Click to enlarge)

Just click on the link of the exam you want to pay for, then afterwards that exam becomes available to take.  I haven't taken a lot of online exams, but I was happy to see that you're able to apply normal Multiple Choice Test-taking strategies.  You're shown one question at a time, but you're allowed to "mark" questions.  This allows you to go through the entire exam, then you see a summary page.  That summary page let's you know which questions you marked, and you can easily jump back to those questions that you wanted to go back to.  I didn't realize what the "mark" feature was until I got there, so I didn't really need to use it, but that will be very helpful when it's time to go through the real process.

I took the exam, guessed on the questions that I didn't know the answers to(I need to really study that Top 200+ Drugs list), and still had about thirty minutes left of the hour that was allowed.  I passed with a score of 725.  I could not find on the PTCB website what the max score is, but if The Pharmacy Technician is right, it's out of a possible 900.  (The information on scoring can be found here.  It's important to know that each question is not weighed the same, like in traditional multiple choice tests.)

(Click to enlarge)

Besides the overall score, the results page gives you a breakdown of how well you did in the three different areas that the exams tests for.

(Click to enlarge)

Those scores aren't exactly the best scores to be proud of, but like I said earlier, I essentially spent no time studying the Top 200+ Drugs list.  The way the The Pharmacy Technician and The Pharmacy Technician Workbook and Certification Review are set up, the drugs list is in the Appendix and not part of the main 17 chapters.  With some studying, I'll do better on these drug specific questions and will also hopefully make less stupid mistakes.

This is a pass or fail exam, but I'd be nice to do better.  Should I fail, I have to wait two months before taking the exam again.  (Failure a second time means waiting two more months, and failure a third time and onward means waiting 6 months!  Although that's pretty understandable.  The exam really isn't that hard from what I've seen.  It takes some studying, but isn't that hard.)

So that's it.  The practice exam was certainly helpful.  Worth paying the $29.00.  And I'll be taking the exam on the 18th.  I could spend weeks studying to get as close to a perfect score as possible, but I'd really like to continue learning while working.  The exam isn't the goal, the certification is the goal.  I'll keep on studying after the 18th, but I'm ready to take the exam now.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 7 - Rescheduling Exam

I just rescheduled my exam for 18th. I wanted to relax and enjoying listening to the live coverage of the World Series of Poker Main event that took place for 18 hours this past Saturday starting at Noon, then resumed Monday at 10pm for about three more hours.

While there wasn't any real pressure when taking the practice exams in The Pharmacy Technician Workbook & Certification Reveiw, the official practice exams will cost me $29 and I want to use it as a true gauge on how I'll do on the real thing, so I want to be fully rested, and I want to make sure I plug the tiny holes that still need fixing.  I'm fairly confident already that I'll pass, but I just want to be safe.  Failure means that I can't take the PTCE again for three more months.

Rescheduling has to take place longer than one business day before the exam, which I'm in time for. And the rescheduling itself is fairly straightforward. It just takes going to pearsonvue.com/ptcb, logging in, clicking on the reschedule button, and then following the same procedure in choose a location, date, and time.

And then there's a review details page, confirm rescheduling page, and done!  Exam rescheduled in less than a minute.

Becoming a Pharmacy Technician - Part 6 - Workbook Calculations Practice Exam

While the full practice exams is 100 questions, the calculations exam is only 50. But with that said, the question types within the calculations category feel more varied.

How did I do? I did ok. Not great though. There were three questions that I simply did not know what they were asking. I mixed up the equation in my head for converting degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit (the practice exam gave the equation, the calculations exam did not. I think it's safe to say I need to memorize the equation before I go into the exam.) There were two questions that I failed to catch the trick, and I forgot how to convert gallons to liters.

Seven questions wrong out of fifty is not good at all. But the reason I say I did ok, is that none of the mistakes will be hard to fix. The practice exam did what it was supposed to and show me where I need a little bit more work.  Conversions are easy to memorize, and once I understand what the three questions are asking, the math will be simple. I did not mess up on any of the math where I understood what the question was asking for. (Besides the degree conversion.) 

For anyone else that uses this book, even if you do well on the practice exam, the variety of questions in the calculations exam makes it worth taking.

Next... it's time to study for a couple more days to fix the holes in my ability, and then take the official practice exam.