Positioning Yourself to Succeed in Pharmacy: Legal and Regulatory Considerations Suggestions for the Pre-Pharmacy Student Preamble This document is intended to be used by pre-pharmacy students to help them navigate the legal world of pharmacy when striving to prepare themselves for pharmacy school. Many students are interested in working as a technician to gain experience or exposure to pharmacy practice prior to applying for admission; however, there are alternative methods to go about gaining experience and hopefully this document will help them better understand what is available to a pre-pharmacy student. Issues that will be addressed include: how to gain experience prior to pharmacy school and the variety of ways that experience can be obtained, explanation of the difference between technical and professional tasks and who may perform each type, and assistance in understanding when you can apply for intern registration and details that will help you get a head start on the hours you need to complete for eventual licensure. Hopefully this document will help you answer these question and more along with providing you the resources necessary to navigate the legal world of pharmacy. Experience Many pre-pharmacy students wish to gain experience within the field of pharmacy prior to making the choice to attend pharmacy school. Gaining experience in the field can help students solidify the decision to enter pharmacy school or perhaps help them realize that the profession is simply not for them. One can gain experience in a variety of ways including volunteering, shadowing, or working as a pharmacy technician. Volunteering Volunteering is an excellent way to get involved with a particular area of interest. Volunteer opportunities related to healthcare are pretty easy to find. Many volunteering opportunities are available through various organizations on the University of Kentucky's campus and could include things such as: helping with a health fair, disseminating health related information, educating people about nutrition, and helping at shelters or free clinics. Who can help me get involved with health related volunteer opportunities on campus? Volunteering opportunities are often available through various organizations on campus including: 1. Pre-Pharmacy Club 2. Kentucky Alliance of Pharmacy Students (KAPS) 3. Student Wellness Ambassadors 4. University Health Services Contacting or joining any of these organizations would be very helpful in finding health related volunteer opportunities. The links to the organizations' contact information on the UK Student Involvement website can be found below in the Resources section.
Shadowing Shadowing a pharmacist in the outpatient setting or in a specific area of hospital pharmacy can be a great way to help you gain a better understanding and appreciation of what the daily duties of a pharmacist really are. Actually spending one or two days with pharmacists while they are working will allow you to observe the various responsibilities of the pharmacist and possibly help you envision yourself as a pharmacist in the future. However, there are a few limitations to shadowing a pharmacist. First, this is a very short amount of time in the pharmacy, and although you may get a good "idea" of what a pharmacist does, you will not experience the day in and day out job features of pharmacy. Second, if you happen to shadow the pharmacists on a bad day at the pharmacy, you may walk away with a bad impression of pharmacy practice. So if you do decide to shadow, it is recommended that you shadow multiple people in various settings to help you gain a more complete and accurate view of pharmacy as a whole. If you would like to set up a shadowing experience here at the University of Kentucky the UK Career Center can help you identify a shadowing opportunity. Please see their website: http://www.uky.edu/careercenter/students/mentoring-shadowing-network. Working Although volunteering and shadowing can offer you an introduction to what pharmacy is all about, working in a pharmacy can help you gain a more in depth view of pharmacy. Working as a pharmacy technician can help you see the everyday practice activities of a pharmacist. Although you will be performing different tasks as compared to the pharmacists (which will be discussed latter), you will be working with several pharmacists every day. Working with pharmacists will allow you to observe them on good days and bad, and the pharmacists will be there for any questions, advice and guidance that you may need when making the decision to enter the field of pharmacy. Working in a pharmacy may also serve as a networking opportunity and one of those pharmacists may also be able to provide a needed letter of recommendation. The next few sections will discuss the different options available if you want to work as a technician, the tasks associated with the position, and what is the next step when you have decided to attend pharmacy school and you have already been accepted. Technician Once you decide that you want to work as a technician there are several options for you. This section will discuss the differences between the two types of technicians that you can become, a Registered Technician and a Certified Technician. This will also help you understand what is required of a technician by the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy and exactly what you must do to become a technician. It should be borne in mind that state law prohibits anyone from practicing pharmacy that does not possess a pharmacist license issued by the board of pharmacy. Note, however, that a pharmacist intern may assist with professional acts in the pharmacy and a technician may render assistance related to technical activities in the pharmacy and advanced technical tasks with general supervision if certified. But we will discuss more about that later. Registered Technician Registered Technician means that you are registered with the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy as a technician. As of April, 2009, it is now mandatory for all technicians assisting in the practice of pharmacy to be registered with the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy pursuant to KRS 315.135. After becoming registered, all technicians must display their registration certificate at their place of employment and must have their pocket card in their possession while working. However, there
are a few exceptions to the rules. It is acceptable if technicians do not have their pocket card if: their application has been submitted and no more than 30 days has elapsed since the applicant was employed or the technician is working for a family member. Therefore if you plan to work as a technician in a pharmacy, you must become registered with the Kentucky Board of pharmacy unless you fit one of the three exceptions stated above. How do I become registered with the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy? You can access the Pharmacy Technician Registration Application online at http://www.pharmacy.ky.gov/tech.htm. You can choose to submit the application on line or mail in a paper version. When does my technician registration expire? The technician registration expires annually on March 31st. What tasks can I perform as a registered technician? Registered technicians can perform technical tasks such as: retrieving the medication container from the shelf, counting the tablets or capsules, pouring into the prescription bottle and labeling the container. Registered technicians can also take part in advanced technical tasks such as checking medications in a unit dose cart and initiating and receiving refill authorizations from prescribers but these can only be done under immediate supervision. What is immediate supervision? Immediate supervision requires that the pharmacists directly oversee and hear what the technician is doing. Certified Technician Although all technicians must be registered with the board of pharmacy, there is an additional certification process that you can complete to become a certified technician. To become certified means that you have met certain predetermined qualifications specified by a non-governmental association or agency. These agencies assess your qualifications by a Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. How can I become a Certified Technician? Currently Kentucky accepts certification through two organizations and those are: the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (https://www.ptcb.org//am/template.cfm?section=home1) and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (http://www.nhanow.com/pharmacy-technician.aspx). You can visit the website and apply to take the exam online. Once the application has been completed and you have retrieved the Authorization to Test (ATT) letter then you can schedule an exam appointment time. You can schedule the exam at testing locations; both organizations have testing locations in Lexington, KY. Immediately after the exam is complete a pass or fail result will appear on the computer screen in the testing center. At this time you will receive a print out of test results. Within a few weeks of the testing date scaled scores and certificates will be mailed to you. Once certified your title is Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) and you are authorized to use the designation "CPhT" after your name. When does my certification expire? Recertification is required very two years from your certification date. To become recertified you must complete a total of 20 hours of pharmacy-related continuing education programming (CEs) with at least one hour in the area of pharmacy law within the two year period. What task can I perform as a certified technician? Certified technicians can perform all of the technical tasks that a regular registered technician can; however, they may perform the same advanced technical tasks as a registered technician, such as
checking a unit dose cart and initiating and receiving refill authorizations, doing so under general supervision rather than immediate supervision. In no instance may a technician (registered or certified) receive a new prescription being phoned in from the prescriber's office. What is general supervision? General supervision means that a pharmacist must be present and available to answer questions as needed by the technician. Contrast this with immediate supervision discussed above; the distinction is important. It is noteworthy that a certified pharmacy technician is authorized and entrusted to operate with somewhat less supervision than one who is not certified. Intern Registration After gaining experience you have decided to apply to pharmacy school and you have been accepted, now what? Once you have been accepted into pharmacy school you can register with the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy to become a Pharmacist Intern. You will be required to register as a Pharmacist Intern for pharmacy school, but you can register as soon as you receive your letter of admission. This section will offer you information about the registration process, who can be a preceptor, and the paperwork necessary to turn in your hours. Applying Once you receive your acceptance letter to pharmacy school you can apply for your pharmacist intern registration. To apply all you have to do is fill out and send in this form (http://pharmacy.ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/8b2c6799-4eaf-4974-a24a-c6356700bc82/0/ applicationforregistrationasapharmacistintern.pdf) and a copy of your acceptance letter to the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy. You will soon receive your intern registration card in the mail and you can begin to collect hours as a pharmacists intern. To document the hours worked with the board of pharmacy there is some paperwork that must be filled out. This paperwork and the forms required are described in detail below. What will I receive in the mail to confirm my registration? You will receive a pocket card in the mail. This card is required to be on your person at all times when in the pharmacy. How long is my intern registration valid? Your intern registration is valid for 6 years. What tasks can I perform as an Intern? As an intern you are limited to doing things that your supervising pharmacist authorizes. However by law you may perform technical tasks under general supervision of a pharmacist on your first day on the job. However, one of the benefits of being an intern is that you can also take part in professional tasks. The rules are as follows: 1. During your first year of pharmacy school you may perform professional tasks under immediate supervision by a pharmacist. 2. After your first year of pharmacy school (as a PY2, PY3 or PY4) you may perform professional tasks under general supervision by a pharmacist. What professional tasks may I perform as a pharmacist intern? As a pharmacist intern you can do anything a pharmacist can do except: 1. Final check of a prescription; and 2. Assist in the transfer of a controlled substance prescription from your pharmacy to another.
Hours As an intern you can file the hours you work toward the hours you need to sit for your licensure exams. You can begin collecting hours as soon as you are registered as a pharmacist intern with the board of pharmacy. However, there is a limit to the amount of hours you may collect prior to beginning pharmacy course work. That limit is 500 hours prior to participation in class with a max of 48 hours a week. Currently all the hours you need are built into the curriculum at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. How many hours do I need? You will need 1500 hours to receive your pharmacist license in Kentucky. Is there a limit to the amount of hours I can work as an intern? You can work 48 hours a week while you are not in school, such as during the summer. While working during your summers this is the only limit to the number of hours you may collect. However, you are limited to 20 hours a week while in class with a max of 500 hours. This means that you may only collect 500 hours during your entire career as an intern during the school year. Remember that the hours you collect during your summers are limited by 48 hours a week and the hours you may collect throughout the school year is 500 hours for the entire duration that you are in pharmacy school. If the curriculum provides all 1500 hours, why should I turn in the hours that I work outside of the curriculum? Although Kentucky only requires you to have 1500 hours as an intern, this is not a uniform requirement throughout the United States. Therefore, if you choose to move to a different state that requires more internship hours to receive a pharmacist license, you will have to gain more hours after you graduate to sit for that state's board exam. Therefore, it is very important to document all hours that you work as an intern. May I gain intern hours for any reason other than working in a pharmacy as a pharmacist intern? Yes. You may gain up to 400 hours by completing a nontraditional internship experience. However to collect these hours the internship must be approved in advance. A nontraditional internship may include an internship with a pharmaceutical company, with a professional pharmacy association, or a summer research program. Preceptors To do an internship you need a preceptor and of course your preceptor must work at the same location as you do. Generally if you are working in Kentucky your preceptor must be licensed in Kentucky and should have one year of practice experience. Pharmacists are approved to serve as preceptors by being community-based faculty or by the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy. Both I and my friend work at a local pharmacy, can we both have the same preceptor? A pharmacist may serve as a preceptor for more than one student at a time; however, in general a pharmacist may only precept only one student at a time. This means that the pharmacist interns that the pharmacist precepts may not work the same hours. For example, one intern may work morning hours and the second intern may work evening hours. The only exception to this rule is that the preceptor is a faculty member with the college of pharmacy. Paperwork When working as an intern there are several forms that you need to fill out to gain hours outside of the curriculum. Generally hours you gain within the pharmacy curriculum are filed by filling out an Academic Experience Affidavit and that is usually submitted by the college of pharmacy. However for hours outside of the curriculum you are responsible for filing your own paperwork.
How do I notify the board of pharmacy of who my preceptor will be? You must file a pharmacist preceptor affidavit with the KY Board of Pharmacy within 10 days of staring your internship. The pharmacist preceptor affidavit may be accessed here: http://pharmacy. ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/aff7ce38-d7b3-4afa-8497-6cefa915957d/0/pharmacistpreceptoraffidavit.pdf How do I report the hours I have worked with the board of pharmacy? Every year you must submit an intern report on or before October 1st. The intern report may be accessed here: http://pharmacy.ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/a6e896e7-5425-491d-abff-c9e78b118978/0/ internreport.pdf Resources Organization American Association of Pharmacy Technicians Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians Kentucky Alliance of Pharmacy Students Kentucky Board of Pharmacy Kentucky Pharmacists Association National Association of Boards of Pharmacy National Pharmacy Technician Association Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Pre-Pharmacy Club University Health Services University Wellness Ambassadors Website http://www.pharmacytechnician.com/ http://www.nhanow.com/pharmacy-technician.aspx http://www.kapsweb.org http://www.pharmacy.ky.gov http://www.kphanet.org http://www.nabp.net/boards-of-pharmacy http://www.pharmacytechnician.org https://www.ptcb.org//am/template.cfm?section=home1 http://ukprepharmacyclub.ning.com http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/uhs/ http://www.q-authority.org/qa_swa.html Out-of-state students If you are an out-of-state student you can find similar information specific to your home state at your state's board of pharmacy website. You can locate their website here: http://www.nabp.net/boards-of-pharmacy Kentucky Regulations and Statutes (available through the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy website) KRS 315.020(30) & (4)(a) KRS 315.050(4) & (5) KRS 315.121 KRS 315.125 KRS 315.126 201 KAR 2:040 201 KAR 2:095 201 KAR 2:165 21 CFR 1306.25 Kentucky Board of Pharmacy newsletter for 9/07 Information in this publication is deemed accurate as of April 2011.