| (a) Authority and purpose.
(1) Authority. In accordance with §559.053 of
the Texas Pharmacy Act, (Chapters 551 - 569, Occupations Code), all
pharmacists must complete and report 30 contact hours (3.0 CEUs) of
approved continuing education obtained during the previous license
period in order to renew their license to practice pharmacy.
(2) Purpose. The board recognizes that the fundamental
purpose of continuing education is to maintain and enhance the professional
competency of pharmacists licensed to practice in Texas, for the protection
of the health and welfare of the citizens of Texas.
(b) Definitions. The following words and terms, when
used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) ACPE--Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
(2) Act--The Texas Pharmacy Act, Chapters 551 - 569,
Occupations Code.
(3) Approved programs--Live programs, home study, and
other mediated instruction delivered by an approved provider or a
program specified by the board and listed as an approved program in
subsection (e) of this section.
(4) Approved provider--An individual, institution,
organization, association, corporation, or agency that is approved
by the board.
(5) Board--The Texas State Board of Pharmacy.
(6) Certificate of completion--A certificate or other
official document presented to a participant upon the successful completion
of an approved continuing education program.
(7) Contact hour--A unit of measure of educational
credit which is equivalent to approximately 60 minutes of participation
in an organized learning experience.
(8) Continuing education unit (CEU)--A unit of measure
of education credit which is equivalent to 10 contact hours (i.e.,
one CEU = 10 contact hours).
(9) CPE Monitor--A collaborative service from the National
Association of Boards of Pharmacy and ACPE that provides an electronic
system for pharmacists to track their completed CPE credits.
(10) Credit hour--A unit of measurement for continuing
education equal to 15 contact hours.
(11) Enduring Materials (Home Study)--Activities that
are printed, recorded, or computer assisted instructional materials
that do not provide for direct interaction between faculty and participants.
(12) Initial license period--The time period between
the date of issuance of a pharmacist's license and the next expiration
date following the initial 30 day expiration date. This time period
ranges from eighteen to thirty months depending upon the birth month
of the licensee.
(13) License period--The time period between consecutive
expiration dates of a license.
(14) Live programs--Activities that provide for direct
interaction between faculty and participants and may include lectures,
symposia, live teleconferences, workshops, etc.
(15) Standardized pharmacy examination--The North American
Pharmacy Licensing Examination (NAPLEX).
(c) Methods for obtaining continuing education. A pharmacist
may satisfy the continuing education requirements by either:
(1) successfully completing the number of continuing
education hours necessary to renew a license as specified in subsection
(a)(1) of this section;
(2) successfully completing during the preceding license
period, one credit hour for each year of their license period, which
is a part of the professional degree program in a college of pharmacy
the professional degree program of which has been accredited by ACPE;
or
(3) taking and passing the standardized pharmacy examination
(NAPLEX) during the preceding license period as a Texas licensed pharmacist,
which shall be equivalent to the number of continuing education hours
necessary to renew a license as specified in subsection (a)(1) of
this section.
(d) Reporting Requirements.
(1) Renewal of a pharmacist license. To renew a license
to practice pharmacy, a pharmacist must report on the renewal application
completion of at least thirty contact hours (3.0 CEUs) of continuing
education. The following is applicable to the reporting of continuing
education contact hours:
(A) at least one contact hour (0.1 CEU) specified in
paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be related to Texas pharmacy
laws or rules;
(B) not later than the first anniversary of becoming
licensed to practice pharmacy, a pharmacist must have completed at
least two contact hours (0.2 CEU) specified in paragraph (1) of this
subsection related to approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring
controlled substances as specified in §481.07635 of the Texas
Health and Safety Code;
(C) any continuing education requirements which are
imposed upon a pharmacist as a part of a board order or agreed board
order shall be in addition to the requirements of this section; and
(D) a pharmacist must have completed the human trafficking
prevention course required in §116.002 of the Texas Occupations
Code.
(2) Failure to report completion of required continuing
education. The following is applicable if a pharmacist fails to report
completion of the required continuing education:
(A) the license of a pharmacist who fails to report
completion of the required number of continuing education contact
hours shall not be renewed and the pharmacist shall not be issued
a renewal certificate for the license period until such time as the
pharmacist successfully completes the required continuing education
and reports the completion to the board; and
(B) a pharmacist who practices pharmacy without a current
renewal certificate is subject to all penalties of practicing pharmacy
without a license, including the delinquent fees specified in the
Act, §559.003.
(3) Extension of time for reporting. A pharmacist who
has had a physical disability, illness, or other extenuating circumstances
which prohibits the pharmacist from obtaining continuing education
credit during the preceding license period may be granted an extension
of time to complete the continuing education requirement. The following
is applicable for this extension:
(A) the pharmacist shall submit a petition to the board
with his/her license renewal application which contains:
(i) the name, address, and license number of the pharmacist;
(ii) a statement of the reason for the request for
extension;
(iii) if the reason for the request for extension is
health related, a statement from the attending physician(s) treating
the pharmacist which includes the nature of the physical disability
or illness and the dates the pharmacist was incapacitated; and
(iv) if the reason for the request for the extension
is for other extenuating circumstances, a detailed explanation of
the extenuating circumstances, and if because of military deployment,
documentation of the dates of the deployment;
(B) after review and approval of the petition, a pharmacist
may be granted an extension of time to comply with the continuing
education requirement which shall not exceed one license renewal period;
(C) an extension of time to complete continuing education
credit does not relieve a pharmacist from the continuing education
requirement during the current license period; and
(D) if a petition for extension to the reporting period
for continuing education is denied, the pharmacist shall:
(i) have 60 days to complete and report completion
of the required continuing education requirements; and
(ii) be subject to the requirements of paragraph (2)
of this subsection relating to failure to report completion of the
required continuing education if the required continuing education
is not completed and reported within the required 60-day time period.
(4) Exemptions from reporting requirements.
(A) All pharmacists licensed in Texas shall be exempt
from the continuing education requirements in paragraph (1) of this
subsection during their initial license period, with the exception
of the requirements in paragraph (1)(B), (C), and (F) of this subsection
which must be completed during the time periods specified in the subparagraphs.
(B) Pharmacists who are not actively practicing pharmacy
shall be granted an exemption to the reporting requirements for continuing
education, provided the pharmacists submit a completed renewal application
for each license period which states that they are not practicing
pharmacy. Upon submission of the completed renewal application, the
pharmacist shall be issued a renewal certificate which states that
pharmacist is inactive. Pharmacists who wish to return to the practice
of pharmacy after being exempted from the continuing education requirements
as specified in this subparagraph must:
(i) notify the board of their intent to actively practice
pharmacy;
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