SB 590, Stone. Pharmacy: intern pharmacists.
Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, establishes the California State Board of Pharmacy within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties over the licensing and regulation of the practice of pharmacies, pharmacists, intern pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. A knowing violation of these provisions is a crime.
Existing law requires an intern pharmacist to complete 1,500 hours of pharmacy practice or intern experience before applying for the pharmacist licensure examination. Existing law authorizes an applicant for examination who has been licensed as a pharmacist in any state for at least one year to submit certification to satisfy the required 1,500 hours of intern experience if that applicant has obtained a minimum of 900 hours of pharmacy practice experience in a pharmacy as a pharmacist.
This bill would instead require, for all applicants, that 900 hours of the 1,500 required pharmacy practice experience include experience in a pharmacy, including experience in both a community and institutional pharmacy practice setting.
Existing law requires the pharmacy practice to comply with the Standards of Curriculum established by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or with regulations adopted by the board. Existing law requires an intern pharmacist to submit proof of his or her experience under penalty of perjury.
This bill would require that an applicant for the licensure examination who has graduated after January 1, 2016, from an ACPE accredited college of pharmacy or school of pharmacy recognized by the board, be deemed by the board to have satisfied the required hours of pharmacy practice experience, as specified.
By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 4209 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:
(a) (1) An intern pharmacist shall complete 1,500 hours of pharmacy practice experience before applying for the pharmacist licensure examination.
(2) This pharmacy practice experience shall comply with the Standards of Curriculum established by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or with regulations adopted by the board.
(3) This pharmacy practice experience shall include 900 hours of pharmacy practice experience in a pharmacy as a pharmacist and shall include pharmacy practice experience in both a community and institutional pharmacy practice setting.
(b) An intern pharmacist shall submit proof of his or her pharmacy practice experience on board-approved affidavits, or another form specified by the board, which shall be certified under penalty of perjury by a pharmacist under whose supervision the experience was obtained or by the pharmacist-in-charge at the pharmacy while the pharmacist intern obtained the experience. Pharmacy practice experience earned in another state may be certified by the licensing agency of that state to document proof of those hours.
(c) An applicant for the examination who has been licensed as a pharmacist in any state for at least one year, as certified by the licensing agency of that state, may submit this certification to satisfy the required 1,500 hours of pharmacy practice experience, provided that the applicant has obtained a minimum of 900 hours of pharmacy practice experience in a pharmacy as a pharmacist and has pharmacy practice experience in both a community and institutional pharmacy practice setting. Certification of an applicant’s licensure in another state shall be submitted in writing and signed, under oath, by a duly authorized official of the state in which the license is held.
(d) An applicant for the examination who has graduated after January 1, 2016, from an ACPE accredited college of pharmacy or school of pharmacy recognized by the board shall be deemed to have satisfied the pharmacy practice experience requirements specified in subdivisions (a) and (b).
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
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