Pennsylvania Code › Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS › Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS › Chapter 27 - STATE BOARD OF PHARMACY › RENEWAL OF PHARMACIST LICENSE AND PHARMACY PERMIT › Section 27.32 - Continuing education

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a) The
					 Board will renew the license of a pharmacist who has completed a minimum of 30
					 contact hours (3 CEU) of continuing education during the preceding biennial
					 renewal period. Beginning with the license period commencing on October 1,
					 2011, 2 of the required 30 contact hours shall be completed in courses from the
					 ACPE topic designator "Patient Safety." In addition, for licensees with
					 authority to administer injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations
					 in accordance with section 9.2 of the act (63 P. S. §
												390-9.2) and §
											27.401 (relating to qualifications
					 for authority), at least 2 of the required 30 hours must concern the
					 administration of injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations,
					 including, but not limited to, disease epidemiology, vaccine characteristics,
					 injection technique, emergency response to adverse events and related topics.
					 Except as provided in subsection (h), only continuing education programs
					 offered by ACPE-accredited providers of continuing pharmaceutical education
					 targeted toward pharmacists are acceptable to the Board.
(b) A pharmacist shall prove compliance with
					 subsection (a) by completing and submitting a form provided to the pharmacist
					 by the Board for that purpose with the renewal application. The certificates
					 provided upon completion of an approved program shall be retained by a
					 pharmacist for 2 years after renewal, and shall be produced upon demand by the
					 Board or its agents. The Board will utilize a random audit of 5% of renewals to
					 determine compliance with subsection (a), and may expand the audit if rates of
					 noncompliance at 20% or more of the sample are revealed by the initial audit.
					 Individuals selected for the audit will be required to produce certificates
					 proving the information they provided to the Board on the form submitted with
					 the renewal application. Notwithstanding any disciplinary action taken under
					 subsection (i), a pharmacist found to be in noncompliance with the continuing
					 education requirements shall make up the delinquent contact hours within 6
					 months of the notice of deficiency from the Board.
(c) Both live and correspondence courses will
					 be accepted by the Board as long as they are offered by approved
					 providers.
(d) An excess of
					 completed contact hours in one renewal period will not be carried over into the
					 next renewal period.
(e) A newly
					 graduated licensee will be exempt from the requirements in subsection (a) for
					 the license renewal immediately following licensure. A reciprocally licensed
					 pharmacist will be required to show compliance with the requirements in
					 subsection (a), but will have the number of hours required to be completed
					 prorated, on a quarterly basis, from the date of licensure to the next date of
					 renewal. For this purpose, each quarter will consist of 3 months, and will be
					 credited for 3.75 contact hours (.375 CEU). The pharmacist will be required to
					 begin accumulating contact hours at the beginning of the next quarter following
					 licensure.
(f) A pharmacist whose
					 license has been suspended or revoked for disciplinary reasons shall comply
					 with continuing education requirements during the period of suspension or
					 revocation, if the pharmacist wants to resume practice or petition for
					 licensure reinstatement at the conclusion of the disciplinary period.
(g) The Board will consider renewing a
					 license without timely filing of the required hours of continuing education on
					 a case by case basis, upon a showing of incapacity, acute illness or other
					 circumstances which reasonably precluded timely compliance. Pharmacists whose
					 licenses are renewed under this subsection will be required to make up the
					 missing hours of continuing education on a schedule determined by the Board,
					 and to pay applicable fees and fines.
(h) Continuing education program providers
					 which are not ACPE-accredited may apply to the Board for approval, and shall
					 make a showing of program accreditation substantially similar to ACPE
					 accreditation standards. Requests for approval shall be submitted to the Board
					 at least 60 days prior to the start date of the program. Retroactive requests
					 for approval will not be considered. The Board will maintain a list of programs
					 approved under this subsection.
(i)
					 A pharmacist who fails to comply with this section, or who submits fraudulent
					 contact hour reports, will be subject to disciplinary action.
This section cited in 49 Pa. Code §
													27.31 (relating to biennial
						  renewal); and 49 Pa. Code §
													27.402 (relating to application,
						  renewal and reactivation
						  procedures).