Texas Administrative Code › Title 22 - EXAMINING BOARDS › Part 15 - TEXAS STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY › Chapter 297 - PHARMACY TECHNICIANS AND PHARMACY TECHNICIAN TRAINEES › Section 297.8 - Continuing Education Requirements

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(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.