Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 070 - Board of Pharmacy
Rule 070.00.01-009 - 03-00 - Pharmacy Technicians - Registration / Permit Required
Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 070.00.01-009
Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, February 2024
03 -PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
03-00
-PHARMACY
TECHNICIANS-REGISTRATION/PERMIT REQUIRED
03-00-0001 -DEFINITIONS:
A.
PHARMACY
TECHNICIAN: This term refers to those individuals identified as
Pharmacist Assistants in Arkansas Code §
17-92-801.
Pharmacy Technicians are those pharmacy personnel, exclusive of pharmacy
interns, who are regular paid employees of the pharmacy or hospital and assist
the pharmacist in pharmaceutical services.
B.
SUPERVISION:
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 regulation. The supervising
pharmacist is totally and absolutely responsible for the actions of the
pharmacy technician.
03-00-0002 -REGISTRATION REQUIRED
A. A pharmacy technician shall register with
the Board of Pharmacy on a form approved by the Board; and said registration
shall expire on December 31 of each year. Pharmacy Technician's registrations
shall be renewed on a biennial basis pursuant to as Regulation
01-00-0007.
B. The registration fee
for a pharmacy technician shall be defined in Regulation 01-00-0007.
C. Prior to a person beginning work as a
pharmacy technician the pharmacy technician shall submit an application to the
Board office which shall issue a certificate of registration to the pharmacy
technician and a permit for the pharmacy technician to work at the pharmacy
designated on the application. The permit, sent to the pharmacy, shall be
prominently displayed for public perusal in said pharmacy.
D. 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.
E. When a pharmacy technician leaves the
employment of a pharmacy, the pharmacist-in-charge shall notify the Board, in
writing, within fourteen (14) days thereof.
F. 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.
G. 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.
H. If the pharmacy technician is suspected to
have or evidence exists that a pharmacy technician may have violated any law or
regulation 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.
I.
(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
regulation.
(b) Violation of any
law or regulation regarding the practice of pharmacy.
(c) Violation of any law or regulation
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 A.C.A. §
17-92-101
et seq. and Board Regulations.
03-00-0003 -A PHARMACY TECHNICIAN SHALL:
A. Conduct himself/herself professionally in
conformity with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws and
regulations 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.
B. Provide valid and sufficient checks in
payment for licenses or renewals.
03-00-0004 -QUALIFICATIONS
A. A high school graduate or a recognized
graduate equivalency degree (G.E.D.).
B. Of good moral character and temperate
habits.
C. 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, employment must be prior
approved by the Board of Pharmacy.
03-00-0005 -TASKS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND
DUTIES OF THE PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
A pharmacy technician may assist the pharmacist in performing the following specific tasks in accordance with specified Policy and procedures 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 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.
A. 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 Section
IV(A) (1) of this
Regulation 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) In a manual system - preparing, typing,
or writing labels to be placed or affixed on any container described in ACA
§
17-92-101(14)
(A), 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.
In a computer system -- a pharmacy technician may enter Information into the pharmacy computer. The pharmacy technician shall not make any judgment decisions which 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.
(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 which could
effect patient care.
B. A
Pharmacy Technician may assist in the following tasks when the pharmacist has
established a 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.
(1) Bulk reconstitution of
prefabricated non-injectable medication
a.
Bulk reconstitution of prefabricated non-injectable medication may include
addition of multiple additives.
(2) Bulk compounding. This category may
include such items a 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 (1) perform
functions involving reconstitution of single or multiple dosage units that are
to be administered to a given patient as a unit and (2) perform functions
involving the addition of one manufacturer's single dose or multiple unit doses
of the same product to another manufacturer's prepared unit to be administered
to a patient. Pharmacy technicians shall not add multiple ingredients in
preparing parenteral products but may draw up or prepare the ingredients. The
pharmacist must check the preparations and make the final addition. (Amended
10/12/99)
03-00-0006
-DUTIES OF THE PHARMACIST IN
THE USE OF PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
A. A
pharmacy which utilizes a pharmacy technician to enter information into the
pharmacy computer must develop and keep, on file at the pharmacy, written
policy and procedures which describe the procedures by which the supervising
pharmacist verifies the accuracy, validity, and appropriateness of the filled
prescription or medication order. Written procedures for training and
utilization of pharmacy technicians in the use of parenteral products and the
check required of the pharmacy technicians must be included in the procedures
if the pharmacy technician is performing these tasks.
B. The pharmacist shall include, in the
Policy and Procedure Manual, the specific scope of responsibilities for
pharmacy technicians or procedures delegated to pharmacy technicians.
C. The duties of pharmacy technicians in the
preparation or processing of medication shall be accomplished under the
immediate and direct supervision of the pharmacist who assumes the
responsibility. The final check and verification of the medication dispensed
shall be the responsibility of the pharmacist. The pharmacist is totally
responsible for all aspects of the data and data entry.
D. The supervising pharmacist shall assure
that the pharmacy technician maintains confidentiality of all patient
records.
03-00-0007
-PHARMACIST TO PHARMACY TECHNICIAN RATIO:
A.
Retail or Specialty Pharmacy Setting:
(1) Each
pharmacist on duty in a retail or specialty pharmacy, may utilize two pharmacy
technicians to assist the pharmacist.
(2) In addition to the technician(s)
described in paragraph A, 1, above a pharmacist shall not also supervise more
than one student intern. A Graduate intern will not affect the ratio.
B. Hospital or Ambulatory Care
Facility Setting:
(1) Pharmacy technicians
used in assisting the pharmacist in pharmaceutical services for inpatients of
the hospital or patients or 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 two 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) (Amended 10/2000, 8/2001).
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.
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