Section R156-17b-303a - Qualifications for Licensure - Pharmacist, Pharmacy Intern, and Pharmacy Technician - Education Requirements(1) Under Subsections 58-17b-303(2) and 58-17b-304(6)(b), the credentialing agency recognized to provide certification and evaluate equivalency of a foreign educated pharmacy graduate is the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.(2) Under Subsection 58-17b-304(6), an applicant for a pharmacy intern license shall: (a) be a current pharmacy student in a college of pharmacy accredited by the ACPE, as evidenced by written verification from a dean of the college; or(b) hold a graduate degree from a foreign pharmacy school and have received a certificate of equivalency from an approved credentialing agency under Subsection (1).(3) Under Subsection 58-17b-305(1)(e), a pharmacy technician shall complete a training program that: (a) is accredited by: (ii) the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES); or(b) is conducted by: (i) Pharmacy Technicians University; or(ii) a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States; and(c) meets the following standards: (i) requires completion, while licensed as a pharmacy technician trainee, of at least 180 hours of directly supervised practical training in a licensed pharmacy by a licensed pharmacist in good standing; and(ii) has written protocols and guidelines for the teaching pharmacist outlining the use and supervision of pharmacy technician trainees that address: (A) the specific manner in which supervision will be completed; and(B) an evaluative procedure to verify the accuracy and completeness of any act, task, and function performed by the pharmacy technician trainee.(4) A pharmacy technician trainee shall complete a pharmacy technician training program and pass the required examination in Subsection R156-17b-303c(4) within two years after obtaining their pharmacy technician trainee license, unless otherwise approved by the Division in collaboration with the Board for good cause showing exceptional circumstances. An individual who fails to comply with this time frame shall repeat a pharmacy technician training program in its entirety if the individual pursues licensure as a pharmacy technician.(5)(a) A pharmacy technician training program is exempt from satisfying ASHP or ABHES accreditation for students enrolled on or before December 31, 2024.(b) A student in a program described in Subsection (5)(a) shall comply with the program completion deadline and testing requirements in Subsection (4), except that the license application shall be submitted to the Division before December 31, 2025. A program in ASHP candidate status shall notify a student before enrollment that if the program is denied accreditation status while the student is enrolled in the program, the student will be required to complete education in another program with no assurance of how many credits will transfer to the new program.(c) A program in ASHP candidate status that is denied accreditation shall immediately notify the Division, enrolled students, and student practice sites, of the denial. The notice shall instruct each student and practice site that: (i) the program no longer satisfies the pharmacy technician license education requirement in Utah; and(ii) enrollment in a different program meeting requirements in Subsection R156-17b-303a(3) is necessary for the student to complete training and to satisfy the pharmacy technician license education requirement in Utah.(6) An applicant from another jurisdiction seeking licensure as a pharmacy technician in Utah, who does not meet the qualifications for licensure by endorsement in Subsection 58-1-302(1), meets the qualifications for licensure in Subsections 58-1-302(2), 58-17b-305(1)(e), and 58-17b-305(1)(f) if the applicant: (a) has engaged in the practice of a pharmacy technician for a minimum of 1,000 hours in that jurisdiction within the past two years, or has equivalent experience as approved by the Division in collaboration with the Board; and(b) has current PTCB or ExCPT certification.Utah Admin. Code R156-17b-303a
Amended by Utah State Bulletin Number 2015-6, effective 2/24/2015Amended by Utah State Bulletin Number 2019-24, effective 11/25/2019Amended by Utah State Bulletin Number 2021-07, effective 3/11/2021Amended by Utah State Bulletin Number 2023-02, effective 1/5/2023