BILL ANALYSIS Ó ----------------------------------------------------------------- |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 590| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 SB 590 Page 2 (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 SB 590 Page 3 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 SB 590 Page 4 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 Page 5 **** END ****