Live Pharmacy Continuing Education
Q: Can someone post information answering this? Didn;t the pharmacy license require a PhD at one time? Also, it is a license or certification? While I'm asking, is there licensure/certification for all those pharmacy techs?
A: Some states require a license for their techs (I think most with a grace period to allow for otj training). Other states have no requirements. The PTCB (Pharmacy Technician Certification Board) offers a national certification exam which then requires 20 hours of Continuing Education every 2 years to maintain. Most retail and some hospital pharmacies seem to offer financial incentives to techs who become Certified. The requirements for continuing pharmacies education are set by individual states, but most if not all require CE. There are standards set for CE programs, and most states will accept CE programs accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE). Massachusetts and Rhode Island require 15 hours per year. There may be further stipulations: for example, Massachusetts requires that at least 10 hours be "live" (as opposed to correspondence courses) and that at least 2 hours be related to matters of Pharmacy Law.