La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § LIII-903

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 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 of good moral character and non-impaired.

b. One of the three following eligibility criteria shall be satisfied by the applicant:

i. Verification of enrollment in a nationally-accredited and board-approved pharmacy technician training program and at least 18 years of age, as evidenced by a valid and legible copy of a birth certificate or other appropriate credential.

ii. Verification of enrollment in a Louisiana Department of Education program with a pharmacy technician career path and at least 16 years of age, as evidenced by a valid and legible copy of a birth certificate or other appropriate credential. Applicants under 18 years of age shall provide evidence of an Employment Certificate as required by the Louisiana Department of Labor.

iii. Verification from a Louisiana licensed pharmacist, who is not on probation with the board, indicating their intention to provide technician training in a pharmacy that is not on probation with the board. 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.

c. Exceptions

i. A pharmacist or pharmacy 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 Louisiana pharmacist or pharmacy intern whose board credential is active shall not be a pharmacy technician candidate or pharmacy technician until such credential is relinquished.

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 Training

i. In the event the candidate is no longer training with the Pharmacy Technician Educator, for any reason other than completion of the training, the candidate no longer meets the eligibility criteria to possess the registration, and the candidate shall relinquish the registration to the board within 10 days, giving notice of their last day of training.

ii. In the event a candidate fails to relinquish their registration when required to do so, the board staff shall inactivate the registration.

iii. In the event the candidate should resume training with a pharmacy technician educator, and verification of that training is provided 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 or reinstate the registration 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 candidate's name, registration number, and pharmacy name, address, and permit numbers for old and new employers.

B. Pharmacy Technician Educators

1. Pharmacy technician educators shall provide academic preparation including technical skills and knowledge, sufficient to prepare the candidate to adequately perform the duties of a pharmacy technician. Academic preparation shall meet the minimum requirements of a board-approved pharmacy technician certification examination provider.

2. All nationally-accredited training programs approved by the board shall maintain their national accreditation.

3. Pharmacy technician educators shall notify the board within 10 days when a pharmacy technician candidate is no longer enrolled in the program or actively progressing in training with the Louisiana licensed pharmacist.

4. Pharmacy technician educators shall provide verification that the pharmacy technician candidate has successfully completed the training.

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 candidate's 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.

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. A candidate may receive board credit for a maximum of 50 hours per week, unless further limited by an Employment Certificate as required by the Louisiana Department of Labor.

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 pharmacy technician certification 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), Amended LR 501646 (11/1/2024).

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