18VAC110-21-150. Criteria for approval for training programs (Effective until July 1, 2022).
A. Any person wishing to apply for approval of a pharmacy technician training program shall submit the application fee, a sample certificate, and an application on a form approved by the board and meet the criteria established in this section.
B. The curriculum of a training program for pharmacy technicians shall include instruction in applicable current laws and regulations and in the tasks that may be performed by a pharmacy technician to include the following or any other task restricted to pharmacy technicians in regulation:
1. The entry of prescription information and drug history into a data system or other recordkeeping system;
2. The preparation of prescription labels or patient information;
3. The removal of the drug to be dispensed from inventory;
4. The counting, measuring, or compounding of the drug to be dispensed;
5. The packaging and labeling of the drug to be dispensed and the repackaging thereof;
6. The stocking or loading of automated dispensing devices or other devices used in the dispensing process; and
7. The acceptance of refill authorization from a prescriber or the prescriber's authorized agent provided there is no change to the original prescription.
C. Each program shall have a program director who shall be either (i) a pharmacist with a current license in any jurisdiction and who is not currently suspended or revoked in any jurisdiction in the United States; (ii) a pharmacy technician with at least one year of experience performing technician tasks who holds a current registration in Virginia or current PTCB certification and who is not currently suspended or revoked as a pharmacy technician in any jurisdiction; or (iii) other person approved and deemed qualified by the board to be a program director.
D. Instructors for the core components listed in subsection B of this section shall meet the requirements for the program director listed in subsection C of this section. The program director may serve as an instructor.
E. The length of the program shall be sufficient to prepare a program participant to sit for the board-approved examination and demonstrate entry-level competency.
F. The program shall maintain records of program participants either on site or at another location where the records are readily retrievable upon request for inspection. A program shall provide a certificate of completion, including the program approval number, to participants who successfully complete the program and provide verification of completion of the program for a participant upon request by the board. Records shall be maintained for two years from date of completion or termination of program.
G. The program shall report within 14 days any substantive change in the program to include a change in program name, program certificate, program director, instructors, name of institution or business if applicable, address, program content, length of program, or location of records.
H. A pharmacy technician training program approval expires after two years, after which the program may apply for renewal. For continued approval, the program shall submit the renewal application, renewal fee, and a self-evaluation report on a form provided by the board at the time of renewal notification. Renewal of a program's approval is at the discretion of the board, and the decision to renew shall be based on documentation of continued compliance with the criteria set forth in this section.
Statutory Authority
§§ 54.1-2400 and 54.1-3307 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 36, Issue 6, eff. December 11, 2019; amended, Virginia Register Volume 39, Issue 7, eff. December 21, 2022.