WASHINGTON — This week, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) hosted a special 20th anniversary reception to celebrate two decades of advancing patient care and safety and to recognize the 2015 PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) of the Year.

on October 27 to celebrate two decades of advancing patient care and safety, and to recognize the 2015 PTCB Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) of the Year, Hortense Jones.

PTCB said Thursday that more than 80 guests — including pharmacy leaders, employers, educators, PTCB staff and 20-year CPhTs — attended the event, which also included the presentation of mini-documentary film (see video above) on PTCB’s 20 years.

“This 20-year anniversary celebration is a great occasion to showcase PTCB’s progress in advancing patient care and safety, honor certified pharmacy technicians, and strengthen support for PTCB’s mission,” PTCB Board of Governors chairman Paul Abramowitz said at the event. “This milestone is really about the nation’s more than 280,000 dedicated CPhTs. We applaud them for their essential roles on the health care team.”

Since its founding, PTCB has granted more than 550,000 certifications. The board was established in 1995 by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists, and Michigan Pharmacists Association. In 2001, PTCB expanded its Board of Governors to include the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).  

“We are here to celebrate the PTCB Certification Program’s contribution to advancing patient safety as the roles of pharmacy technicians have evolved during the past 20 years,” Everett McAllister, executive director and chief executive officer of PTCB, told attendees. “PTCB is a nationally accepted certification program that helps position pharmacy technicians for the changing roles experienced in today’s pharmacy settings, and for career advancement. Given the program’s rigor, strength, and national acceptance, PTCB anticipates increasing demand, and we look forward to meeting the needs of pharmacy technicians for the next 20 years.”

PTCB said a high point of the evening was a ceremony to honor Hortense Jones, the 2015 PTCB CPhT of the Year. She was presented with a trophy and honorarium by McAllister. Jones is the pharmacy technician supervisor at the Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham, N.C., a primary care facility providing outpatient health services to the medically underserved. Lincoln Pharmacy processes more than 1,000 prescriptions daily for nearly 30,000 patients.