Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 070 - Board of Pharmacy
Rule 070.00.03-009 - Regulation 03: Pharmacy Technicians
Universal Citation: AR Admin Rules 070.00.03-009
Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, February 2024
REGULATION 3 -PHARMACY TECHNICIANS
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 regulation. The supervising
pharmacist is totally and absolutely responsible for the actions of the
pharmacy technician. (Revised 11/15/2003)
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 Regulation 11;
(b) The registration shall expire on December
31 biennially as provided in Board Regulation 01-00-0007
(c) The registration fee for a pharmacy
technician shall be defined in regulation 01-00-0007.
(d) No person shall work as a pharmacy
technician prior to the Board issuing a certificate of registration and a
permit for the specific location at which the technician will work. The permit
shall be prominently displayed for public perusal in said pharmacy. 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 specific
location before the technician performs any tasks identified in regulation
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 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.
(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
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 §
17-92-101
et seq. and Board regulations. (Revised
11/15/2003)
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.
(c) 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) The applicant must
complete a criminal background check pursuant to Board regulation 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)
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 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)
(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 Regulation 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)
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 Regulation
03-00-0005, the supervising pharmacist
(1)
Shall supervise the technician participating in those tasks as provided in
Regulation 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)
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 two 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. 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 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, Revised 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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