title: Perceptions of pharmacy technicians and students regarding technicians as pharmacy instructors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand technicians' attitudes toward teaching student pharmacists and students' attitudes toward learning from technicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey data concerning technicians' perceived importance of pharmacy skills and their confidence in teaching those skills to student pharmacists were collected, as was survey data concerning students' comfort level with learning skills from technicians. Skills included in each survey aligned with common student pharmacist competencies and the pharmacy technician certification examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-eight (92.1%) responses were received from technicians and 141(97.9%) student survey instruments were returned. The skills that pharmacy technicians perceived to be most important and felt most comfortable teaching included filling a prescription and communicating effectively with patients. With the exception of communication, these skills also aligned with what the students were most comfortable learning from technicians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Student pharmacists have learning goals that align with the daily tasks of pharmacy technicians. The survey results highlight areas in which technicians could be used to educate student pharmacists.
authors.affiliation: Belmont University School of Pharmacy, USA. julie.hudgens@mtmc.org
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hudgens
authors.forename: Tomeka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005178:Faculty / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D010596:Pharmacy Technicians / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000523:psychology*
references.citation: Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2005 Oct 1;62(19):1992-7
references.pmid: 16174834
references.citation: Am J Pharm Educ. 2008 Feb 15;72(1):11
references.pmid: 18322573