216 R.I. Code R. 216-RICR-40-15-1.12 - Pharmacy Technicians

1.12.1 Pharmacy Technicians
A. General Requirements
1. In accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-19.1-16, a Pharmacy Technician license will be issued to any individual who meets the requirements established under the Act and this Part.
2. No person shall perform the duties set forth in §§1.12.1(F)(1)(a) and (2) of this Part unless such person is licensed as a Pharmacy Technician.
3. There shall be two (2) levels of licensure for a Pharmacy Technician: Pharmacy Technician I and Pharmacy Technician II.
4. The Pharmacy Technician shall file with the Department an application for licensure (see below) and shall be required to furnish such information as the Board may prescribe and, simultaneously with the filing of said application, shall pay to the Department the required non-refundable fee as set forth in the Fee Structure for Licensing, Laboratory and Administrative Services Provided by the Department of Health (Part 10 05-2 of this Title).
5. All licenses issued to Pharmacy Technicians shall be valid for a period of one (1) year.
6. No individual may serve as a Pharmacy Technician without holding a valid Pharmacy Technician license from the Board.
7. A Pharmacy Technician shall wear a name tag that indicates the technician's name and the appropriate licensure designation.
8. A pharmacy can permit Pharmacy Technicians to work remotely, as operationally feasible and in accordance with applicable State and Federal law, to conduct order entry and other functions that are normally performed in a pharmacy. Pharmacy Technicians shall only be permitted to work remotely as long as licensing reciprocity exists, and the Pharmacy Technician resides in the United States or United States' Territory.
B. Licensure by Endorsement

A Pharmacy Technician currently licensed or registered and in good standing in another State or jurisdiction may be licensed by the Board. Provided, however, the requirements for licensure or registration in the State of original and current licensure shall be equivalent to the requirements established by the Board.

C. Exemption for High-School Career Exploration Programs

High school students working in pharmacies as part of school or community sponsored career exploration programs shall be exempt from the requirements of §1.12.1 of this Part and shall not be required to be licensed as Pharmacy Technicians.

D. Licensure of Pharmacy Technicians
1. There shall be two (2) levels of licensure for Pharmacy Technicians. An applicant for licensure as a Pharmacy Technician shall be licensed as one (1) of the following:
a. Pharmacy Technician I: A person licensed by the Board as a Pharmacy Technician I and who performs any pharmacy function or duties under the supervision of a pharmacist as defined in §1.12.1(E)(1) of this Part.
b. Pharmacy Technician II: A person licensed by the Board as a Pharmacy Technician II and who performs any pharmacy functions and duties under the supervision of a pharmacist as defined in §1.12.1(E)(2) of this Part.
E. Qualifications
1. Pharmacy Technician I. An applicant for licensure as a Pharmacy Technician I must:
a. Have satisfied the Board that he/she is of good moral and professional character;
b. Be eighteen (18) years of age or older with the exception of those high school students working in pharmacies as part of school or community sponsored career exploration programs;
c. Be a high-school graduate or the equivalent, or currently enrolled in a high school or vocational training program that awards such degree or certificate;
d. Not have been convicted of any felony for violations involving controlled substances subject to waiver by the Board upon presentation of satisfactory evidence that such conviction does not impair the ability of the person to conduct with safety to the public the duties of a Pharmacy Technician I;
e. Be currently enrolled in or successfully completed a Board-approved Pharmacy Technician I training program defined in §1.12.1(G) of this Part.
f. Obtain an eProfile number from the national association of boards of pharmacy.
2. Pharmacy Technicians II. An applicant for licensure as a Pharmacy Technician II must:
a. Have satisfied the Board that he/she is of good moral and professional character;
b. Be eighteen (18) years of age or older;
c. Be a high-school graduate or the equivalent;
d. Not have been convicted of any felony for violations involving controlled substances subject to waiver by the Board upon presentation of satisfactory evidence that such conviction does not impair the ability of the person to conduct with safety to the public the duties of a Pharmacy Technician;
e. Have successfully passed a nationally-recognized certification examination acceptable to the Board, including, but not limited to, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE) or the National Healthcare Association's "ExCPT" examination.
f. Obtain an eProfile number from the national association of boards of pharmacy.
F. Duties and Responsibilities
1. Pharmacy Technician I
a. A Pharmacy Technician I may perform only those tasks for which he/she has been trained and in which there is proficiency as determined by the pharmacist-in-charge, but in no case, shall ever exceed what is permitted by Regulation, law or scope of practice, and as set forth below:
(1) A Pharmacy Technician I may request refill authorizations for patients from a prescriber who uses a voice mail response system and/or when an agent of the prescriber transcribes the requested information for a follow-up phone call to the pharmacy after reviewing the request with the prescriber. The Pharmacy Technician I may accept authorization for refills from the prescriber or prescriber's agent provided that no information has changed from the previous prescription.
(2) A Pharmacy Technician I may not perform drug utilization review; clinical conflict resolution, prescriber contact concerning prescription drug order clarification or therapy modification; patient counseling or dispensing process validation; or receive new prescription drug orders or conduct prescription transfers.
2. Pharmacy Technician II
a. A Pharmacy Technician II may perform only those tasks for which he/she has been trained and in which there is proficiency as determined by the pharmacist-in-charge, but in no case, shall ever exceed what is permitted by Regulation, law, or scope of practice. In addition to performing the duties and responsibilities stipulated above for Pharmacy Technician I, a Pharmacy Technician II may perform the following duties:
(1) A Pharmacy Technician II may request refill authorizations from the prescriber or prescriber's agent and, with the approval of the pharmacist on duty, transfer and receive new prescription information and changes to prescriptions from the prescriber or agent, except where otherwise prohibited by Federal or State laws and Regulations, provide immunizations, perform sterile and non-sterile compounding, and clarify prescription or medication orders.
b. When a licensed pharmacist is not physically accessible at the address listed on the license, there shall be a sign posted that a licensed pharmacist is not available and that the pharmacy is not opened to the public. Such sign shall be legible and easily viewed by patients or customers. In this circumstance, only Pharmacy Technician II(s) may be present in the pharmacy and the pharmacy shall be closed to the public.
c. With the approval of the pharmacist-in-charge, a Pharmacy Technician II may be present in the pharmacy without a pharmacist present in order to prepare medications and to perform other duties and activities as authorized by statute, Regulation, and the Pharmacy Technician II's scope of practice. Provided, however, a Pharmacy Technician II may not perform drug utilization review; clinical conflict resolution; therapy modification; patient counseling; or dispensing process validation.
G. Board-approved Training Programs for Pharmacy Technician I(s)
1. Training programs for Pharmacy Technicians I(s) that are approved by the Board include:
a. An employer-based Pharmacy Technician training program that includes theoretical and practical instruction as described herein;
(1) Said employer-based Pharmacy Technician training program shall:
(AA) Include written guidelines, policies, and procedures that define the specific tasks the technician shall be expected to perform that include but are not limited to the following:
(i) Orientation;
(ii) Job descriptions;
(iii) Communication techniques;
(iv) Laws and Rules;
(v) Security and safety;
(vi) Prescription drugs;
(vii) Basic pharmaceutical nomenclature;
(viii) Dosage forms;
(ix) Drug orders;
(x) Prescribers;
(xi) Directions for use;
(xii) Commonly-used abbreviations and symbols;
(xiii) Number of dosage units;
(xiv) Strengths and systems of measurement;
(xv) Routes of administration;
(xvi) Frequency of administration;
(xvii) Interpreting directions for use;
(xviii) Drug order preparation;
(xix) Creating or updating patient medication records;
(xx) Entering drug order information into the computer or typing the label in a manual system;
(xxi) Selecting the correct stock bottle;
(xxii) Accurately counting or pouring the appropriate quantity of drug product;
(xxiii) Selecting the proper container;
(xxiv) Affixing the prescription label;
(xxv) Affixing auxiliary labels, if indicated; and
(xxvi) Preparing the finished product for inspection and final check by pharmacists.
(BB) Stipulate how the technician's competency is to be assessed.
(2) A copy of the training program shall be kept in the pharmacy at all times.
(3) The pharmacist-in-charge shall certify that the Pharmacy Technician has successfully completed the training program. Documentation of the training shall be maintained at the pharmacy by the pharmacist-in-charge.
b. Any other training program as approved by the Board.
2. In specialty pharmacies (e.g., compounding pharmacies), the pharmacist in-charge shall ensure that Pharmacy Technicians receive any training necessary to perform specialty functions and duties. Such training shall be documented by the pharmacist-in-charge.
H. Application
1. Application for licensure as a Pharmacy Technician I or II shall be made on the form provided by the Department that may be obtained at:

The Rhode Island Department of Health

Three Capitol Hill, Room 103

Providence, RI 02908

2. Said form shall be completed and signed by the applicant and accompanied by the non-refundable, non-returnable fee as set forth in the Fee Structure for Licensing, Laboratory and Administrative Services Provided by the Department of Health (Part 10-05-2 of this Title).
a. On the above application, the pharmacist-in-charge shall also attest to the following:
(1) That the applicant will receive documented on-the-job training with the duties of employment; and
(2) That the applicant will only be assigned duties for which competency has been demonstrated.
3. Each Pharmacy Technician I applicant shall specify the name of the employer on the application and shall notify the Department when there is a change in employer.
I. Issuance of License
1. Each license, unless sooner suspended or discontinued for due cause in accordance with § 1.15 of this Part shall expire annually on the thirtieth (30th) day of June.
2. Said license shall be renewed annually.
3. Every person licensed as a Pharmacy Technician in the State of Rhode Island who desires to renew his/her license shall file such renewal application annually with the Department on or before the thirtieth (30th) day of June. Said renewal shall be duly executed together with the renewal fee as set forth in the Fee Structure for Licensing, Laboratory and Administrative Services Provided by the Department of Health (Part 10 05-2 of this Title).
4. Every person licensed as a Pharmacy Technician in this State must obtain an eProfile number from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in order to renew their license.
5. A Pharmacy Technician II, licensed by national certification, shall maintain his/her certification in order to renew said license.
J. Continuing Education Requirement
1. A Pharmacy Technician II who seeks annual licensure renewal shall be required to:
a. Satisfactorily complete at least ten (10) hours (one (1) continuing education unit) of continuing education courses, sponsored by a recognized provider between January 1st and December 31st of each year.
b. Maintain documentation of all required continuing education for a period of at least two (2) years from the date the training was completed.
2. A Pharmacy Technician I and II license shall be transferable to different practice locations within the State of Rhode Island.

Notes

216 R.I. Code R. 216-RICR-40-15-1.12
Amended effective 5/17/2021
Amended effective 12/8/2022

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