La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § LIII-903

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section LIII-903 - Pharmacy Technician Candidates

A. Registration

1. All pharmacy technician candidates shall obtain a registration from the board prior to performing any professional functions in a pharmacy; failure to do so may result in disciplinary action by the board.

2. Qualifications

a. The applicant shall be at least 18 years of age, as evidenced by a valid and legible copy of a birth certificate or other appropriate credential.

b. The applicant shall be of good moral character and non-impaired.

c. The applicant shall satisfy one of the following eligibility criteria:

i. proof of enrollment in a nationally-accredited and board-approved pharmacy technician training program; or

ii. Proof of successful completion of a board-approved technician certification examination, and further, proof of successful completion of a high school approved by a state department of education or an equivalent degree of education, as evidenced by a valid and legible copy of a diploma, transcript, or other appropriate credential.

iii. proof of credentialing as a pharmacy technician by another state board of pharmacy as well as evidence of practice as a pharmacy technician for at least one year in that state, and further, proof of successful completion of a board-approved technician certification examination.

d. Exceptions

i. A pharmacist or pharmacist intern whose board credential has been denied, suspended, revoked, or restricted for disciplinary reasons by any board of pharmacy shall not be a pharmacy technician candidate or pharmacy technician.

ii. A pharmacist or pharmacist intern whose board credential is lapsed shall not be a pharmacy technician candidate or pharmacy technician until such lapsed credential is recalled through non-disciplinary board action.

3. Issuance and Maintenance

a. Upon receipt of a properly completed application, appropriate fee, and any other documentation required by the board, the board may issue a Pharmacy Technician Candidate Registration to the applicant.

b. The board reserves the right to refuse to issue, recall, or discipline a registration for cause.

c. The registration shall expire 24 months after the date of issuance, and it shall not be renewable.

d. Termination of Enrollment; Status of Registration

i. In the event the candidate is no longer enrolled in a nationally-accredited and board-approved pharmacy technician training program for any reason other than graduation, the candidate no longer meets the eligibility criteria to possess the registration, and the candidate shall relinquish the registration to the board, giving notice of their last day of enrollment in the program.

ii. In the event a candidate fails to relinquish their registration when required to do so, or when notified by the board office of that requirement, the board staff shall inactivate the registration and refer the matter to the board for its consideration of disciplinary action against the candidate.

iii. In the event the candidate should re-enroll in the original program or a different program, and gives proof of that enrollment to the board, the board may re-issue the registration with the original expiration date preserved.

iv. In its discretion, the board may grant an exception to the original expiration date upon request by the candidate demonstrating unusual circumstances.

e. A pharmacy technician candidate shall notify the board, in writing, no later than 10 days following a change of mailing address. The written notice shall include the candidates name, registration number, and old and new addresses.

f. A pharmacy technician candidate shall notify the board, in writing, no later than 10 days following a change in location(s) of employment. The written notice shall include the candidates name, registration number, and name, address, and permit numbers for old and new employers.

B. Training Programs

1. All training programs approved by the board shall maintain their national accreditation.

2. The training program shall notify the board when a pharmacy technician candidate is no longer enrolled in the program. Evidence of a programs failure to comply with this rule shall constitute sufficient basis for the withdrawal of the boards approval for the program.

3. The training program shall provide an appropriate credential to the pharmacy technician candidate who has successfully completed the program, provided, however, that such credential shall not be formatted in such a manner to lead anyone to believe that credential resembles a document providing legal authority to practice as a pharmacy technician.

C. Practical Experience

1. The candidate shall possess a registration prior to performing any permitted professional function or earning any practical experience in a pharmacy.

2. The candidate shall wear appropriate attire and be properly identified as to name and candidate status while on duty in the prescription department.

3. A candidate shall not work in a permitted site that is on probation with the board, or with a pharmacist who is on probation with the board.

4. The candidates registration shall evidence his authority to earn practical experience in a pharmacy, under the supervision of a pharmacist, in satisfaction of the requirements for pharmacy technician certification:

a. in the event the registration was issued to an applicant enrolled in a nationally-accredited and board-approved training program, the candidate shall earn the amount of experience prescribed by the curriculum of that program, which may include hours earned in a consultant pharmacy practice which does not hold a pharmacy permit; or

b. in the event the registration was issued to an applicant by any other method, the candidate shall earn at least 600 hours of practical experience in a pharmacy in Louisiana, provided however, that a candidate may receive board credit for a maximum of 50 hours per week.

5. Hours of practical experience earned by a candidate shall expire two years after the expiration date of the registration.

D. Examination

1. A board-approved technician examination shall consist of integrated pharmacy subject matter and any other disciplines the board may deem appropriate in order to permit the candidate to demonstrate his competency. The candidate shall achieve a passing score, as determined by the board.

2. In the event the candidate fails the examination, the candidate may repeat the examination in compliance with the test administrator's policy.

a. Following the first or second unsuccessful attempt of an examination, the candidate may be permitted to retake that examination.

b. Following the third unsuccessful attempt of an examination, the candidate shall wait one year after the date of the last examination to retake that examination. If the candidate fails to wait the prescribed one-year period, the board may delay any future certification until that one-year period has elapsed.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § LIII-903

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Pharmacy, LR 30:2485 (November 2004), effective January 1, 2005, amended LR 39:1777 (July 2013), Amended by the Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, LR 432496 (12/1/2017), effective 1/1/2018, Repromulgated LR 4449 (1/1/2018), Amended LR 46574 (4/1/2020).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:1212.