R156-17b-303a. Qualifications for Licensure - Education Requirements

  (1) In accordance with Subsections 58-17b-303(2) and 58-17b-304(7)(b), the credentialing agency recognized to provide certification and evaluate equivalency of a foreign educated pharmacy graduate is the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation.

  (2) In accordance with Subsection 58-17b-304(7), an applicant for a pharmacy intern license shall demonstrate that he meets one of the following education criteria:

  (a) current admission in a College of Pharmacy accredited by the ACPE by written verification from the Dean of the College;

  (b) a graduate degree from a school or college of pharmacy that is accredited by the ACPE; or

  (c) a graduate degree from a foreign pharmacy school as established by a certificate of equivalency from an approved credentialing agency defined in Subsection (1).

  (3) In accordance with Subsection 58-17b-305(1)(f), a pharmacy technician shall complete a training program that is:

  (a) accredited by ASHP; or

  (b) conducted by:

  (i) the National Pharmacy Technician Association;

  (ii) Pharmacy Technicians University; or

  (iii) a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States, and

  (c) meets the following standards:

  (i) completion of at least 180 hours of directly supervised practical training in a licensed pharmacy as determined appropriate by a licensed pharmacist in good standing; and

  (ii) written protocols and guidelines for the teaching pharmacist outlining the utilization and supervision of pharmacy technician trainees that address:

  (A) the specific manner in which supervision will be completed; and

  (B) an evaluative procedure to verify the accuracy and completeness of all acts, tasks and functions performed by the pharmacy technician trainee.

  (4) An individual shall complete a pharmacy technician training program and successfully pass the required examination as listed in Subsection R156-17b-303c(4) within two years after obtaining a pharmacy technician trainee license, unless otherwise approved by the Division in collaboration with the Board for good cause showing exceptional circumstances.

  (a) Unless otherwise approved under Subsection (4), an individual who fails to apply for and obtain a pharmacy technician license within the two-year time frame shall repeat a pharmacy technician training program in its entirety if the individual pursues licensure as a pharmacy technician.

  (5)(a) Pharmacy technician training programs that received Division approval on or before April 30, 2014 are exempt from satisfying standards established in Subsection R156-17b-303a(3) for students enrolled on or before December 31, 2018.

  (b) A student in a program described in Subsection (5)(a) shall comply with the program completion deadline and testing requirements in Subsection (4), except that the license application shall be submitted to the Division no later than December 31, 2021.

  (c) A program in ASHP candidate status shall notify a student prior to enrollment that if the program is denied accreditation status while the student is enrolled in the program, the student will be required to complete education in another program with no assurance of how many credits will transfer to the new program.

  (d) A program in ASHP candidate status that is denied accreditation shall immediately notify the Division, enrolled students and student practice sites, of the denial. The notice shall instruct each student and practice site that:

  (i) the program no longer satisfies the pharmacy technician license education requirement in Utah; and

  (ii) enrollment in a different program meeting requirements established in Subsection R156-17b-303a(3) is necessary for the student to complete training and to satisfy the pharmacy technician license education requirement in Utah.

  (6) An applicant from another jurisdiction seeking licensure as a pharmacy technician in Utah is deemed to have met the qualifications for licensure in Subsection 58-17b-305(1)(f) and 58-17b-305(1)(g) if the applicant:

  (a) has engaged in the practice of a pharmacy technician for a minimum of 1,000 hours in that jurisdiction within the past two years or has equivalent experience as approved by the Division in collaboration with the Board; and

  (b) has passed and maintained current PTCB or ExCPT certification.