A. No person shall perform the duties of a pharmacy technician without first being registered as a pharmacy technician with the Board. Upon being registered with the Board as a pharmacy technician, the following tasks may be performed:

1. The entry of prescription information and drug history into a data system or other record keeping 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;

7. The acceptance of refill authorization from a prescriber or his authorized agency, so long as there is no change to the original prescription; and

8. The performance of any other task restricted to pharmacy technicians by the Board's regulations.

B. To be registered as a pharmacy technician, a person shall submit satisfactory evidence that he is of good moral character and has satisfactorily completed a training program and examination that meet the criteria approved by the Board in regulation or that he holds current certification from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board.

C. A pharmacy intern may perform the duties set forth for pharmacy technicians in subsection A when registered with the Board for the purpose of gaining the practical experience required to apply for licensure as a pharmacist.

D. In addition, a person enrolled in an approved training program for pharmacy technicians may engage in the acts set forth in subsection A for the purpose of obtaining practical experience required for registration as a pharmacy technician, so long as such activities are directly monitored by a supervising pharmacist.

E. The Board shall promulgate regulations establishing requirements for evidence of continued competency as a condition of renewal of a registration as a pharmacy technician.

F. The Board shall waive the initial registration fee and the first examination fee for the Board-approved examination for a pharmacy technician applicant who works as a pharmacy technician exclusively in a free clinic pharmacy. If such applicant fails the examination, he shall be responsible for any subsequent fees to retake the examination. A person registered pursuant to this subsection shall be issued a limited-use registration. A pharmacy technician with a limited-use registration shall not perform pharmacy technician tasks in any setting other than a free clinic pharmacy. The Board shall also waive renewal fees for such limited-use registrations. A pharmacy technician with a limited-use registration may convert to an unlimited registration by paying the current renewal fee.

2001, c. 317; 2004, c. 47.