Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 007 - Arkansas Department of Health
Division 39 - Board of Pharmacy
Rule 007.39.20-001 - Rule 3- Pharmacy Technicians
Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 007.39.20-001
Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
03-00-PHARMACY TECHNICIANS-REGISTRATION/PERMIT REQUIRED
03-00-0001
-DEFINITIONS
(a) "Pharmacy
technician" means those individuals, exclusive of pharmacy interns, who assist
the pharmacist in pharmaceutical services.
(b) 'supervision" means that the responsible
pharmacist must be physically present to observe, direct, and supervise the
pharmacy technician at all times when the pharmacy technician performs acts
specified in this rule. The supervising pharmacist is totally and absolutely
responsible for the actions of the pharmacy technician. (Revised 11/15/2003 and
8/1/2020)
03-00-0002
-REGISTRATION REQUIRED
(a) A
pharmacy technician shall register with the Board of Pharmacy on a form
provided by the Board and undergo a criminal background check pursuant to Board
Rule 11;
(b) The registration shall
expire on December 31 biennially as provided in Board Rule 01-00-0007
(c) The registration fee for a pharmacy
technician shall be defined in rule 01-00-0007.
(d) No person shall work as a pharmacy
technician prior to the Board issuing a certificate of registration and a
permit. The permit shall be prominently displayed for public perusal in any
pharmacy where the technician is working. The pharmacist-in-charge shall
determine that the person is registered as a pharmacy technician and that the
Board has issued a permit for the technician before the technician performs any
tasks identified in rule 03-00-0005 or 03-00-0006.
(e) If there is a change of mailing address
for the pharmacy technician, the pharmacy technician shall immediately notify
the Board of Pharmacy, in writing, of the new address.
(f) When a pharmacy technician leaves the
employment of a pharmacy, the pharmacist in charge shall notify the Board, in
writing, within fourteen (14) days.
(g) Any concurrent or subsequent employment
at any pharmacy shall be reported to the Board of Pharmacy by both the pharmacy
technician and the pharmacist in charge of the pharmacy where the pharmacy
technician will be working. The pharmacist in charge must notify the Board of
Pharmacy, in writing, of the exact date when the pharmacy technician will begin
working. The pharmacy technician shall not work at that location until the
Board of Pharmacy has received said notification.
(h) A pharmacy technician shall identify
himself/herself as such in any telephone conversation regarding the functions
of a pharmacy technician while on duty in the pharmacy.
(i) If the pharmacy technician is suspected
to have, or evidence exists that a pharmacy technician may have violated any
law or rule regarding the practice of pharmacy, legend drugs or controlled
substances, the pharmacist in charge shall notify the Board, in writing, within
ten days or immediately if any danger to the public health or safety may exist.
Any other pharmacist, whether or not practicing in the same pharmacy, who has
such knowledge or suspicion, shall notify the Board in a like manner.
(j)
(1) The
Board may, after notice and hearing, suspend or revoke the permit of a pharmacy
technician upon a finding of the following:
(A) Violation of this rule.
(B) Violation of any law or rule regarding
the practice of pharmacy.
(C)
Violation of any law or rule related to legend drugs or controlled substances.
(2) The Board shall
follow the same procedures for hearings for pharmacy technicians as applicable
to hearings for pharmacists as set forth in §
17-92-101 et seq. and Board rules.
(Revised 11/15/2003, 7/22/2015, and 8/1/2020)
03-00-0003
-A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
SHALL
(a) Conduct himself/herself
professionally in conformity with all applicable federal, state, and municipal
laws and rules in his relationship with the public, health care professions,
and pharmacists.
(b) Hold to the
strictest confidences all knowledge concerning patrons, their prescriptions,
and other confidence entrusted or acquired by him/her; divulging in the
interest of the patron, only by proper release forms, or where required for
proper compliance with legal authority.
(c) Provide valid and sufficient checks in
payment for licenses or renewals.(Amended 8/1/2020)
03-00-0004
-QUALIFICATIONS
(a) A high school graduate or a recognized
graduate equivalency degree (G.E.D.).
(b) The applicant must complete a criminal
background check pursuant to Board rule 11. If the pharmacy technician has a
past record of alcohol or drug addiction or past record of violation of any law
related to controlled substances, registration must be prior approved by the
Board of Pharmacy. (Revised 11/15/2003 and 8/1/2020)
03-00-0005
-TASKS, RESPONSIBILITIES,
AND DUTIES OF THE PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
(a) A pharmacy technician may assist the
pharmacist in performing the following specific tasks in accordance with
specific written policy and procedures established by the pharmacist-in-charge
covering the areas described in this section. The supervising pharmacist is
responsible for all tasks performed by the pharmacy technician. All tasks
performed by the pharmacy technician must be supervised, checked, and approved
by the supervising pharmacist. If the pharmacy technician performs any other
task that is defined as the practice of pharmacy, it will be considered a
violation.
(b) Approved tasks:
(1) Placing, packing, pouring, or putting in
a container for dispensing, sale, distribution, transfer possession of,
vending, or barter any drug, medicine, poison, or chemical which, under the
laws of the United States or the State of Arkansas, may be sold or dispensed
only on the prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe
drugs, medicines, poisons, or chemicals. This shall also include the adding of
water for reconstitution of oral antibiotic liquids.
(2) Placing in or affixing upon any container
described in this rule, a label required to be placed
upon drugs, medicines, poisons, or chemicals sold or dispensed upon
prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe those drugs,
medicines, poisons, or chemicals.
(3) Selecting, taking from, and replacing
upon shelves in the prescription department of a pharmacy or apothecary drugs,
medicines, chemicals, or poisons which are required by the law of the United
States or the State of Arkansas to be sold or dispensed only on prescription of
a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe them.
(4)
(A) In
a manual system -- preparing, typing, or writing labels to be placed or affixed
on any container described in §
17-92-101 on which a label is
required to be placed upon drugs, medicines, poisons, or chemicals sold or
dispensed upon prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe
those drugs, medicines, poisons, or chemicals.
(B) In a computer system -- a pharmacy
technician may enter information into the pharmacy computer. The pharmacy
technician shall not make any judgment decisions that could affect patient
care. The final verification of prescription-information, entered into the
computer shall be made by the supervising pharmacist- prior to dispensing - who
is then totally responsible for all aspects of the data and data entry.
(5) A pharmacy
technician may obtain prescriber authorization for prescription refills
provided that nothing about the prescription is changed; a pharmacy technician
shall not receive prescriber authorization for a new prescription by telephone
or by other verbal communication.
(6) Prepackaging and labeling of multi-dose
and unit-dose packages of medication. The pharmacist must establish the
procedures, including selection of containers, labels and lot numbers, and must
check the finished task.
(7)
Dose-picking for unit dose cart fill for a hospital or for a nursing home
patient.
(8) Nursing unit checks in
a hospital or nursing home. Pharmacy technicians may check nursing units for
proper medication storage and other related floor stock medication issues. Any
related medication storage problems or concerns shall be documented and
initialed by a pharmacist.
(9)
Patient and medication records. The recording of patient or medication
information in manual or electronic system for later validation by the
pharmacist may be performed by pharmacy technicians.
(10) The pharmacy technician shall not make
any judgment decisions that could affect patient care.
(c)
(1) A
pharmacy technician may assist in the following tasks when the
pharmacist-in-charge has established a specific written policy and procedure
for reconstitution of prefabricated non-injectable medication, bulk
compounding, and/or preparation of parenteral products that establishes the
order of addition of ingredients, the point at which the ingredients will be
checked by the pharmacist, and the point at which the final product will be
checked for integrity, correctness, and pharmaceutical elegance.
(2)
(A)
Prior to any of these tasks being carried out by a pharmacy technician:
(i) the technician shall successfully
complete an initial training, assessment of skills program, and test pursuant
to a written training and assessment procedure established by the
pharmacist-in-charge as provided in Rule 03-00-0006; and
(ii) the pharmacist supervising a technician
who engages in the above-referenced reconstitution, bulk compounding, and/or
preparation of parental product shall perform all calculations of ingredients
and provide written directions for measurement of ingredients by the
technician;
(B) Prior to
dispensing any of said products for administration, the supervising pharmacist
shall verify and approve in written form all ingredients as well as the final
product.
(d)
(1) Bulk reconstitution of prefabricated
non-injectable medication may include addition of multiple additives.
(2) Bulk compounding may include such items
as sterile bulk solutions for small-volume injectables, sterile irrigating
solutions, products prepared in relatively large volume for internal or
external use by patients, and reagents or other products for the pharmacy or
other departments of the facility.
(3) Preparation of parenteral products.
(A) Pharmacy technicians may:
(i) reconstitute and withdraw any amount
(i.e. partial or entire amount) of an injectable medication to be administered
to a patient; and
(ii)
reconstitute, withdraw, and add any amount (i.e. partial or entire amount) of
one or more injectable products to an IV solution to be administered to a
patient.
(Revised 10/12/99, 11/152003, and 8/1/2020)
03-00-0006
-DUTIES OF THE PHARMACIST IN
THE USE OF PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
(a) A
pharmacist-in-charge who utilizes a pharmacy technician to enter information
into the pharmacy computer must develop and keep on file at the pharmacy,
written policies and procedures which describe the process by which the
supervising pharmacist verifies the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of
the filled prescription or medication order.
(b)
(1) A
pharmacist-in-charge who utilizes a pharmacy technician for (1) bulk
reconstitution of prefabricated non-injectable medication, (2) bulk
compounding, and/or (3) preparation of parental products shall develop written
policies and procedures for training, testing, and competency assessment of any
pharmacy technicians performing these tasks.
(2) These policies and procedures shall
incorporate those standards developed in the American Society of Health-Systems
Pharmacists (ASHP) Guidelines on Quality Assurance for Pharmacy-Prepared
Sterile Products (Copyright 2002) or a Board approved
equivalent.
(c) The
pharmacist-in-charge shall include, in the policy and procedure manual, the
specific scope of responsibilities for pharmacy technicians or procedures
delegated to pharmacy technicians.
(d) In each instance in which a pharmacy
technician prepares or processes any medication identified in Rule 03-00-0005,
the supervising pharmacist
(1) Shall
supervise the technician participating in those tasks as provided in Rule
03-00-0001(b);
(2) Shall personally
determine all medication dose calculations and drug compatibilities, maintain
proper storage conditions, and verify the proper labeling of all finished
products, to include:
(A) For bulk products,
the product name, name and strength of each drug, the name and volume of each
vehicle, the preparation and expiration dates, and lot or equivalent numbers;
and
(B) For individual products,
the information required by law for individual
prescriptions;
(3)
Determine all medication dose calculations, drug compatibilities, maintain
proper storage conditions, and verify the proper labeling of all finished
products including appropriate expiration dates; and
(4) Shall record in written form his or her
verification of the amount of each ingredient by volume, weight, or measure and
of the final product by lot or equivalent number.
(e) The supervising pharmacist shall ensure
that the pharmacy technician maintains confidentiality of all patient
records.
(f) The
pharmacist-in-charge shall maintain records of each drug product resulting from
the procedures identified in paragraph (b) above for a period of two years and
make said records available for inspection by the Board to include:
(1) A copy of all individual training,
testing, and competency assessments;
(2) The record of verification of ingredients
and final drug product described in paragraph (d) (4) above; and
(3) Policies and procedures applicable to
producing said drug products. (Revised 11/15/2003 and
8/1/2020)
03-00-0007
-PHARMACIST TO PHARMACY
TECHNICIAN RATIO
(a) Retail or
Specialty Pharmacy Settings
(1) Each
pharmacist on duty in a retail or specialty pharmacy may utilize three pharmacy
technicians to assist the pharmacist.
(2) In addition to the technician(s)
described in this section, a pharmacist shall not also supervise more than one
student intern unless the student(s) are working as part of an experiential
learning experience as assigned by an ACPE accredited, Board approved College
of Pharmacy. A graduate intern will not affect the ratio.
(b) Hospital or Ambulatory Care Facility
Settings
(1) Pharmacy technicians used in
assisting the pharmacist in pharmaceutical services for inpatients of the
hospital, or patients of an ambulatory care facility shall be permitted to
perform under direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist within the following
conditions:
(A) The number of pharmacy
technicians utilized in a hospital pharmacy or ambulatory care facility shall
not exceed a ratio of three pharmacy technicians to each pharmacist on
duty.
(B) This ratio shall not
include pharmacy interns counted as either supportive personnel or pharmacists.
Also excluded from the count of supportive personnel are those persons whose
functions are not related to the preparation or distribution of medication.
Such persons include clerks, secretaries, messengers, and delivery personnel.
(8/23/96, Revised 10/2000, 8/2001 and 7/22/2015).
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Arkansas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
