22 Tex. Admin. Code § 297.8 - Continuing Education Requirements
(a) Pharmacy Technician Trainees. Pharmacy
technician trainees are not required to complete continuing
education.
(b) Pharmacy
Technicians.
(1) All pharmacy technicians
shall be exempt from the continuing education requirements during their initial
registration period.
(2) All
pharmacy technicians must complete and report 20 contact hours of approved
continuing education obtained during the previous renewal period in pharmacy
related subjects in order to renew their registration as a pharmacy technician .
No more than 5 of the 20 hours may be earned at the pharmacy technician 's
workplace through in-service education and training under the direct
supervision of the pharmacist(s).
(3) A pharmacy technician may satisfy the
continuing education requirements by:
(A)
successfully completing the number of continuing education hours necessary to
renew a registration as specified in paragraph (2) of this
subsection;
(B) successfully
completing during the preceding license period, one credit hour for each year
of the renewal period, in pharmacy related college course(s); or
(C) taking and passing a pharmacy technician
certification examination approved by the board during the preceding renewal
period, which shall be equivalent to the number of continuing education hours
necessary to renew a registration as specified in paragraph (2) of this
subsection.
(4) To renew
a registration, a pharmacy technician must report on the renewal application
completion of at least twenty contact hours of continuing education. The
following is applicable to the reporting of continuing education contact hours:
(A) at least one contact hour of the 20
contact hours specified in paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be related to
Texas pharmacy laws or rules;
(B)
any continuing education requirements which are imposed upon a pharmacy
technician as a part of a board order or agreed board order shall be in
addition to the requirements of this section; and
(C) a pharmacy technician must have completed
the human trafficking prevention course required in §
116.002
of the Texas Occupations Code.
(5) Pharmacy technicians are required to
maintain records of completion of continuing education for three years from the
date of reporting the hours on a renewal application. The records must contain
at least the following information:
(A) name
of participant;
(B) title and date
of program;
(C) program sponsor or
provider (the organization);
(D)
number of hours awarded; and
(E)
dated signature of sponsor representative.
(6) The board shall audit the records of
pharmacy technicians for verification of reported continuing education credit.
The following is applicable for such audits.
(A) Upon written request, a pharmacy
technician shall provide to the board copies of the record required to be
maintained in paragraph (5) of this subsection or certificates of completion
for all continuing education contact hours reported during a specified
registration period. Failure to provide all requested records by the specified
deadline constitutes prima facie evidence of a violation of this
rule.
(B) Credit for continuing
education contact hours shall only be allowed for programs for which the
pharmacy technician submits copies of records reflecting that the hours were
completed during the specified registration period(s). Any other reported hours
shall be disallowed.
(C) A pharmacy
technician who submits false or fraudulent records to the board shall be
subject to disciplinary action by the board .
(7) The following is applicable if a pharmacy
technician fails to report completion of the required continuing education.
(A) The registration of a pharmacy technician
who fails to report completion of the required number of continuing education
contact hours shall not be renewed and the pharmacy technician shall not be
issued a renewal certificate for the license period until such time as the
pharmacy technician successfully completes the required continuing education
and reports the completion to the board .
(B) A person shall not practice as a pharmacy
technician without a current renewal certificate.
(8) A pharmacy technician who has had a
physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances which
prohibits the pharmacy technician from obtaining continuing education credit
during the preceding license period may be granted an extension of time to
complete the continued education requirement. The following is applicable for
this extension:
(A) The pharmacy technician
shall submit a petition to the board with his/her registration renewal
application which contains:
(i) the name,
address, and registration number of the pharmacy technician ;
(ii) a statement of the reason for the
request for extension;
(iii) if the
reason for the request for extension is health related, a statement from the
attending physician(s) treating the pharmacy technician which includes the
nature of the physical disability or illness and the dates the pharmacy
technician was incapacitated; and
(iv) if the reason for the request for the
extension is for other extenuating circumstances, a detailed explanation of the
extenuating circumstances and if because of military deployment, documentation
of the dates of the deployment.
(B) After review and approval of the
petition, a pharmacy technician may be granted an extension of time to comply
with the continuing education requirement which shall not exceed one license
renewal period.
(C) An extension of
time to complete continuing education credit does not relieve a pharmacy
technician from the continuing education requirement during the current license
period.
(D) If a petition for
extension to the reporting period for continuing education is denied, the
pharmacy technician shall:
(i) have 60 days to
complete and report completion of the required continuing education
requirements; and
(ii) be subject
to the requirements of paragraph (6) of this subsection relating to failure to
report completion of the required continuing education if the required
continuing education is not completed and reported within the required 60-day
time period.
(9) The following are considered approved
programs for pharmacy technicians.
(A) Any
program presented by an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
approved provider subject to the following conditions.
(i) Pharmacy technicians may receive credit
for the completion of the same ACPE course only once during a renewal
period.
(ii) Pharmacy technicians
who present approved ACPE continuing education programs may receive credit for
the time expended during the actual presentation of the program. Pharmacy
technicians may receive credit for the same presentation only once during a
license period.
(iii) Proof of
completion of an ACPE course shall contain the following information:
(I) name of the participant;
(II) title and completion date of the
program;
(III) name of the approved
provider sponsoring or cosponsoring the program;
(IV) number of contact hours
awarded;
(V) the assigned ACPE
universal program number and a "T" designation indicating that the CE is
targeted to pharmacy technicians; and
(VI) either:
(-a-) a dated certifying signature of the
approved provider and the official ACPE logo; or
(-b-) the Continuing Pharmacy Education
Monitor logo.
(B) Pharmacy related college courses which
are part of a pharmacy technician training program or part of a professional
degree program offered by a college of pharmacy.
(i) Pharmacy technicians may receive credit
for the completion of the same course only once during a license period. A
course is equivalent to one credit hour for each year of the renewal period.
One credit hour is equal to 15 contact hours.
(ii) Pharmacy technicians who teach these
courses may receive credit towards their continuing education, but such credit
may be received only once for teaching the same course during a license
period.
(C) Basic
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) courses which lead to CPR certification by
the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association or its equivalent
shall be recognized as approved programs. Pharmacy technicians may receive
credit for one contact hour towards their continuing education requirement for
completion of a CPR course only once during a renewal period. Proof of
completion of a CPR course shall be the certificate issued by the American Red
Cross or the American Heart Association or its equivalent.
(D) Advanced cardiovascular life support
courses (ACLS) or pediatric advanced life support (PALS) courses which lead to
initial ACLS or PALS certification by the American Heart Association or its
equivalent shall be recognized as approved programs. Pharmacy technicians may
receive credit for twelve contact hours towards their continuing education
requirement for completion of an ACLS or PALS course only once during a renewal
period. Proof of completion of an ACLS or PALS course shall be the certificate
issued by the American Heart Association or its equivalent.
(E) Advanced cardiovascular life support
courses (ACLS) or pediatric advanced life support (PALS) courses which lead to
ACLS or PALS recertification by the American Heart Association or its
equivalent shall be recognized as approved programs. Pharmacy technicians may
receive credit for four contact hours towards their continuing education
requirement for completion of an ACLS or PALS recertification course only once
during a renewal period. Proof of completion of an ACLS or PALS recertification
course shall be the certificate issued by the American Heart Association or its
equivalent.
(F) Attendance at Texas
State Board of Pharmacy Board Meetings shall be recognized for continuing
education credit as follows.
(i) Pharmacy
technicians shall receive credit for three contact hours towards their
continuing education requirement for attending a full, public board business
meeting in its entirety.
(ii) A
maximum of six contact hours are allowed for attendance at a board meeting
during a renewal period.
(iii)
Proof of attendance for a complete board meeting shall be a certificate issued
by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.
(G) Participation in a Texas State Board of
Pharmacy appointed Task Force shall be recognized for continuing education
credit as follows.
(i) Pharmacy technicians
shall receive credit for three contact hours towards their continuing education
requirement for participating in a Texas State Board of Pharmacy appointed Task
Force.
(ii) Proof of participation
for a Task Force shall be a certificate issued by the Texas State Board of
Pharmacy.
(H) Attendance
at programs presented by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy or courses offered
by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy as follows:
(i) Pharmacy technicians shall receive credit
for the number of hours for the program or course as stated by the Texas State
Board of Pharmacy.
(ii) Proof of
attendance at a program presented by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy or
completion of a course offered by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy shall be a
certificate issued by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.
(I) Pharmacy technicians shall receive credit
toward their continuing education requirements for programs or courses approved
by other state boards of pharmacy as follows:
(i) Pharmacy technicians shall receive credit
for the number of hours for the program or course as specified by the other
state board of pharmacy.
(ii) Proof
of attendance at a program or course approved by another state board of
pharmacy shall be a certificate or other documentation that indicates:
(I) name of the participant;
(II) title and completion date of the
program;
(III) name of the approved
provider sponsoring or cosponsoring the program;
(IV) number of contact hours
awarded;
(V) a dated certifying
signature of the provider; and
(VI)
documentation that the program is approved by the other state board of
pharmacy.
(J)
Completion of an Institute for Safe Medication Practices' (ISMP) Medication
Safety Self-Assessment for hospital pharmacies or for community/ambulatory
pharmacies shall be recognized for continuing education credit as follows.
(i) Pharmacy technicians shall receive credit
for three contact hours towards their continuing education requirement for
completion of an ISMP Medication Safety Self-Assessment.
(ii) Proof of completion of an ISMP
Medication Safety Self-Assessment shall be:
(I) a continuing education certificate
provided by an ACPE approved provider for completion of an assessment;
or
(II) a document from ISMP
showing completion of an assessment.
(K) Programs approved by the American Medical
Association (AMA) as Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) and
accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
subject to the following conditions.
(i)
Pharmacy technicians may receive credit for the completion of the same CME
course only once during a license period.
(ii) Pharmacy technicians who present
approved CME programs may receive credit for the time expended during the
actual presentation of the program. Pharmacy technicians may receive credit for
the same presentation only once during a license period.
(iii) Proof of completion of a CME course
shall contain the following information:
(I)
name of the participant;
(II) title
and completion date of the program;
(III) name of the approved provider
sponsoring or cosponsoring the program;
(IV) number of contact hours awarded;
and
(V) a dated certifying
signature of the approved provider.
(L) In-service education provided under the
direct supervision of a pharmacist shall be recognized as continuing education
as follows:
(i) Pharmacy technicians shall
receive credit for the number of hours provided by pharmacist(s) at the
pharmacy technician 's place of employment.
(ii) Proof of completion of in-service
education shall contain the following information:
(I) name of the participant;
(II) title or description of the
program;
(III) completion date of
the program;
(IV) name of the
pharmacist supervising the in-service education;
(V) number of hours; and
(VI) a dated signature of the pharmacist
providing the in-service education.
Notes
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