Florida Administrative Code › 64 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › 64B16 - Board of Pharmacy › Chapter 64B16-26 - PHARMACISTS LICENSURE › Section 64B16-26.103 - Continuing Education Credits; Renewal

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Prior to biennal
				renewal of pharmacist licensure, a licensee shall complete no less than 30
				hours of approved courses of continued professional pharmaceutical education
				within the 24 month period prior to the expiration date of the license. The
				following conditions shall apply.
(a) Upon a
				licensee's first renewal of licensure, the licensee must document the
				completion of one (1) hour of board approved continuing education which
				includes the topics of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune
				Deficiency Syndrome; the modes of transmission, including transmission from a
				healthcare worker to a patient and the patient to the healthcare worker;
				infection control procedures, including universal precautions; epidemiology of
				the disease; related infections including tuberculosis (TB); clinical
				management; prevention; and current Florida law on AIDS and its impact on
				testing, confidentiality of test results, and treatment of patients. In order
				to meet this requirement, licensees must demonstrate that the course includes
				information on the State of Florida law on HIV/AIDS and its impact on testing,
				reporting, the offering of HIV testing to pregnant women, and partner
				notification issues pursuant to Sections
				 381.004 and
				 384.25, F.S. Any HIV/AIDS
				continuing education course taken during the second or subsequent renewal of
				licensure may be applied to satisfy the general continuing education hours
				requirement.
(b) The initial
				renewal of a pharmacist license will not require completion of courses of
				continued professional pharmaceutical education hours if the license was issued
				less than 12 months prior to the expiration date of the license. If the initial
				renewal occurs 12 months or more after the initial licensure, then 15 hours of
				continued professional pharmaceutical education hours shall be completed prior
				to the renewal of the license but no earlier than the date of initial
				licensure.
(c) Prior to renewal a
				licensee must complete, within the 24 month period prior to the expiration date
				of the license, a two-hour continuing education course approved in advance by
				the Board on medication errors that covers the study of root-cause analysis,
				error reduction and prevention, and patient safety. Hours obtained pursuant to
				this section may be applied by the licensee to the requirements of subsection
				(1).
(d) Five hours of continuing
				education in the subject area of risk management may be obtained by attending
				one full day or eight (8) hours of a board meeting at which disciplinary
				hearings are conducted by the Board of Pharmacy in compliance with the
				following:
1. The licensee must sign in with
				the Executive Director or designee of the Board before the meeting day
				begins;
2. The licensee must remain
				in continuous attendance;
3. The
				licensee cannot receive continuing education credit for attendance at a board
				meeting if required to appear before the board; and,
4. The maximum continuing education hours
				allowable per biennium under this paragraph shall be ten
				(10).
(e) A member of the
				Board of Pharmacy may obtain five (5) hours of continuing education in the
				subject area of risk management for attendance at one Board meeting at which
				disciplinary hearings are conducted. The maximum continuing education hours
				allowable per biennium under this paragraph shall be ten (10).
(f) Up to five hours per biennium of
				continuing education credit may be fulfilled by the performance of volunteer
				services to the indigent as provided in Section
				 456.013(9),
				F.S., or to underserved populations, or in areas of critical need within the
				state where the licensee practices. In order to receive credit, the licensee
				must make application to and receive approval in advance from the Board.
				Application shall be made on form DH-MQA 1170 (Rev. 02/09), Individual Request
				for Continuing Education for Volunteers, which is hereby incorporated by
				reference. The form can be obtained from the Board of Pharmacy, 4052 Bald
				Cypress Way, Bin #C04, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3254. One hour credit shall
				be given for each two hours volunteered in the 24 months prior to the
				expiration date of the license. In the application for approval, the licensee
				shall disclose the type, nature and extent of services to be rendered, the
				facility where the services will be rendered, the number of patients expected
				to be serviced, and a statement indicating that the patients to be served are
				indigent. If the licensee intends to provide services in underserved or
				critical need areas, the application shall provide a brief explanation as to
				those facts. A licensee who is completing community service as a condition of
				discipline imposed by the board cannot use such service to complete continuing
				education requirements.
(g)
				Continuing education credit shall be granted for completion of post
				professional degree programs provided by accredited colleges or schools of
				pharmacy. Credit shall be awarded at the rate of 5 hours of continuing
				education credit per semester hour completed within the 24 months prior to the
				expiration date of the license.
(h)
				Continuing education may consist of post-graduate studies, institutes,
				seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, correspondence courses, or other
				educational opportunities which advance the practice of the profession of
				pharmacy if approved by the Board. A course shall be approved prior to
				completion and will be evaluated by the Tripartite Committee using the
				standards found in Rule
				 64B16-26.601, F.A.C. Individuals
				must submit requests for course approval at least 45 days in advance of the
				program or course by completing the approved application form DOH/MQA/PH 112,
				(Rev. 6/12), entitled Individual Requests for Continuing Education Credit,
				which is incorporated by reference, and which can be obtained from
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-01636
,
				and the Board of Pharmacy, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C04, Tallahassee,
				Florida 32399-3254, or from the website located at
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/pharmacy
.
				Individuals seeking course approval must attach to the application a detailed
				program outline, overview or syllabus which describes the educational content,
				objectives and faculty qualifications.
(i) Any volunteer expert witness who is
				providing expert witness opinions for cases being reviewed by the Department of
				Health pursuant to Chapter 465, F.S., shall receive five (5) hours of credit in
				the area of risk management for each case reviewed in the 24 months prior to
				the expiration date of the license, up to a maximum of ten (10) hours per
				biennium.
(j) The presenter of a
				live seminar, a live video teleconference or through an interactive
				computer-based application shall receive 1 credit for each course credit hour
				presented, however presenter will not receive additional credit for multiple
				same course presentations.
(k) All
				programs approved by the ACPE for continuing education for pharmacists are
				deemed approved by the Board for general continuing education hours for
				pharmacists. Any course necessary to meet the continuing education requirement
				for HIV/AIDS, medication errors, or consultant pharmacist license renewal shall
				be Board approved.
(l) General
				continuing education earned by a non-resident pharmacist in another state that
				is not ACPE approved, but is approved by the board of pharmacy in the state of
				residence can be applied to meet the requirements of license renewal in
				subsection (1), above.
(m) At least
				ten (10) of the required 30 hours must be obtained either at a live seminar, a
				live video teleconference, or through an interactive computer-based
				application.