BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 590|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 590
Author: Stone (R)
Amended: 4/22/15
Vote: 21
SENATE BUS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMMITTEE: 9-0, 4/6/15
AYES: Hill, Bates, Berryhill, Block, Galgiani, Hernandez,
Jackson, Mendoza, Wieckowski
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT: Pharmacy: intern pharmacists
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill clarifies the means by which intern
pharmacist applicants for licensure and examination can provide
pharmacy practice experience to the Board of Pharmacy.
Senate Floor Amendments of 4/22/15 are technical.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the practice of pharmacy and provides for the
licensing and regulation of pharmacies and pharmacists by the
Board of Pharmacy (Board). (Business and Professions Code
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(BPC) § 4000 et seq.)
2)Defines "intern pharmacist" as a person licensed by the Board
for a period of one to six years if he or she is enrolled in a
school of pharmacy recognized by the Board, two years if he or
she is a graduate of a school of pharmacy recognized by the
Board who has applied to become licensed as a pharmacist, two
years if he or she is a foreign graduate, or one year if he or
she has failed the pharmacist license exam four times and has
remained enrolled in a school of pharmacy. (BPC § 4030)
3)Provides that an intern pharmacist may perform all functions
of a pharmacist at the discretion of and under the direct
supervision and control of a pharmacist whose license is in
good standing with the Board. Specifies that a pharmacist may
not supervise more than two intern pharmacists at any one
time.
(BPC § 4114)
4)Requires an intern pharmacist to complete 1,500 hours of
pharmacy practice that complies with the Standards of
Curriculum established by the Accreditation Council for
Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or with regulations adopted by the
Board before applying for the pharmacist licensure
examination. (BPC § 4209)
5)Requires an intern pharmacist to submit proof of his or her
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 such
experience was obtained or by the pharmacist-in-charge at the
pharmacy while the pharmacist intern obtained the experience.
Allows intern hours earned in another state to be certified by
the licensing agency of that state to document proof of those
hours. (Id.)
6)Authorizes 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, to submit
the certification above to satisfy the required 1,500 hours of
intern experience, provided that the applicant has obtained a
minimum of 900 hours of pharmacy practice experience in a
pharmacy as a pharmacist. Provides that certification of an
applicant's licensure in another state shall be submitted in
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writing and signed, under oath, by a duly authorized official
of the state in which the license is held. (Id.)
This bill:
1) Makes clarifying changes by adding "experience" to all
references of pharmacy practice required prior to examination
and licensure for intern pharmacists and substitutes "intern
hours" under current law for "pharmacy practice experience".
2) Specifies that 900 hours of the pharmacy practice experience
required by the Board prior to applying for the pharmacist
licensure examination include experience in a pharmacy as a
pharmacist in both a community and institutional pharmacy
practice setting.
3) Specifies that 900 hours of the pharmacy practice experience
required by the Board for applicants for the pharmacist
licensure examination who have been licensed as a pharmacist
in any state for at least one year, include experience in a
pharmacy as a pharmacist in both a community and
institutional pharmacy practice setting.
4) Provides that an applicant for the pharmacist licensure
examination who has graduated after January 1, 2016 from an
ACPE-approved college of pharmacy or department of pharmacy
of a university recognized by the Board, shall be deemed to
have satisfied the required 1500 hours of pharmacy practice
experience.
Background
Existing law establishes parameters for pharmacy practice
experience and how an applicant for a pharmacist license must
comply with pharmacy practice requirements while Board
regulations provide further specificity on pharmacy practice
experience and in what settings the experience is to be
obtained. In 2014, the Board had various discussions and
determined it should revise its current process for the
reporting of pharmacy practice experience for individuals who
graduate from an ACPE school of pharmacy, specifically
indicating a desire to accept the PharmD degree from an ACPE
accredited school as documentation that an individual has
completed the required pharmacy practice experience
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requirements.
Many student applicants have difficulty providing documentation
of professional practice experience to the Board if they have
gained experience in several pharmacies and different pharmacy
settings as part of their pharmacy practice experience over a
three to four year period, due to the requirement that such
experience must be documented and signed under penalty of
perjury by a pharmacist under whose supervision such experience
was obtained (or by another designated pharmacist). The Author
notes, that since all schools of pharmacy recognized by the
Board meet the same standards of curriculum (including pharmacy
practice experience) as outlined in the Pharmacy Law, the
current method of documentation, which can be cumbersome for
applicants, does not actually add value to the application
process or enhance the Board's consumer protection mandate.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: Yes
SUPPORT: (4/24/15)
California Pharmacists Association
OPPOSITION: (4/24/15)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The California Pharmacists Association
(CPhA) writes in support of this bill, stating that, "Given that
each school of pharmacy carefully monitors the pharmacy practice
experience of students, the burdensome affidavit requirement is
not necessary?It is important to note that the pharmacy practice
experience requirements remain unchanged; SB 590 only affects
the documentation requirements for this experience."
Prepared by:Sarah Mason / B., P. & E.D. / (916) 651-4104
4/24/15 15:45:11
SB 590
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