Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
315.010,
315.065,
315.120,
315.121
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
315.065(2) and (3) require
the Board of Pharmacy to establish continuing education requirements for
pharmacists. This administrative regulation establishes requirements for the
continuing pharmacy education of registered pharmacists and requires all
registered pharmacists holding a license issued by the board to participate in
continuing pharmacy education as a means of renewal of their licenses.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "Continuing education unit" or "CEU" is
defined by KRS
315.010(8).
(2) "Sponsor" means a person, school,
association, company, corporation, or group who wishes to develop a continuing
education program.
Section
2.
(1) Continuing education
hours for credit shall be relevant to the practice of pharmacy and free of
commercial bias.
(2) Continuing
education hours shall be approved if approved by:
(a) The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy
Education (ACPE); or
(b) The
board.
Section
3.
(1) Continuing education
sponsors shall submit an Application for Provider CE Approval to the board:
(a) At least sixty (60) days prior to the
presentation date, if pre-approval is sought; or
(b) Between sixty (60) days prior and thirty
(30) days after the presentation date, if pre-approval is not sought.
(2) Program changes shall be
submitted to and approved by the board, or the approval of the program shall be
void.
(3) Continuing education
credit shall be given only once for each program per participant.
(4) Sponsors shall retain a file of each
participant's program completion for three (3) years.
(5) Board approval of each program shall
expire three (3) years after the date of approval.
Section 4.
(1) Pharmacists requesting approval of
individually obtained continuing pharmacy education shall submit an Application
for Pharmacist CE Approval to the board within thirty (30) days of completion
of the educational presentation.
(2) The board shall notify the requesting
pharmacist whether the application request has been approved or
denied.
(3) Continuing education
that has not been approved by ACPE or the board shall not be used to meet
continuing education requirements for renewal or issuance of a
license.
Section 5.
(1) A pharmacist shall:
(a) Complete a minimum of one and five-tenths
(1.5) CEU (fifteen (15) contact hours) annually between January 1 and December
31;
(b) For licensing years 2023
through 2028, one (1) contact hour of the fifteen (15) contact hours shall be
on the opioid epidemic or opioid use disorder; and
(c) Not transfer or apply excess hours or
units for future years.
(2) A pharmacist may be granted a deferral on
a year-to-year basis at the determination of the board for illness, incapacity,
or other extenuating circumstances.
(3) A pharmacist first licensed by the board
within twelve (12) months immediately preceding the annual renewal date shall
be exempt from the continuing pharmacy education provisions for that
year.
(4) Pharmacists shall:
(a) Keep valid records, receipts, and
certifications of continuing pharmacy education programs completed for three
(3) years; and
(b) Submit that
documentation to the board upon request.
(5) Submission of a fraudulent statement or
certificate concerning continuing pharmacy education shall subject the
pharmacist to discipline as provided in
KRS
315.121.
Section 6. Each pharmacist shall keep the
board informed of the pharmacist's correct address.
Section 7. CEU may be transferred from
another state to Kentucky if the transfer state recognizes Kentucky
CEU.
Section 8. A licensee who
failed to timely renew his or her license shall:
(1) Comply with the applicable provisions of
KRS
315.120(2) or (3);
and
(2) Complete fifteen (15) hours
of continuing education for each year the applicant failed to renew his or her
license, up to a maximum of seventy-five (75) hours.
Section 9. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) The following material is incorporated by
reference:
(a) "Application for Provider CE
Approval", June 2018; and
(b)
"Application for Pharmacist CE Approval", June 2018.
(2) This material may be inspected, copied,
or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Kentucky Board of
Pharmacy, 125 Holmes Street, Suite 300, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This material is also available on the
board's Web site at
https://pharmacy.ky.gov/Forms/Pages/default.aspx.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
315.065,
315.110(1),
315.191(1)
