Pharmacist FAQsFrequently Asked Questions for Pharmacists on Continuing Education Click here to access the Pharmacist log-in page to enter your CE. Q: How do I delete a course that I entered incorrectly? A: A delete icon "X" (in red) has been added to the page that will allow licensees to delete any course.
Q: How do the carryover hours work? A: When you renew your license, the program will automatically carry over additional hours. Pharmacists are allowed to carry over 5 hours of continuing education. The program will carry over the Live hours first.
Q: If I am licensed and practicing in another state, may I meet that state’s continuing education requirements? A: Yes. There is an option on the CE page for out of state pharmacists. On the CE page under Course Type pharmacists should choose “Other” then click on Course Name. An alphabetical list of Board-approved CE will appear. Scroll down the list and choose “Practicing Pharmacy & Meeting CE in Another State”.
Q: Can a pharmacy preceptor earn CE credit for supervising a student? A: Yes. On the CE page under Course Type the pharmacist should choose “Other” then click on Course Name. An alphabetical list will appear. There are 3 different options for preceptors: Preceptor- Board of Pharmacy, Preceptor – Pharmacy School and Preceptor- Pharmacy School/Multiple Students. Please note if you supervised more than one student through Pharmacy School program you would choose “Preceptor-Pharmacy School/Multiple Students."
Q: How many hours of CE credit can a preceptor receive? A: A pharmacy preceptor approved by the NC Board of Pharmacy may receive 5 Live hours if they supervise a student at least 400 hours. Hours must be registered with the NC Board on Form 2. A pharmacy preceptor approved by a NC Pharmacy School who serves as a preceptor for a minimum of 160 hours may receive 5 hours of CE credit per year.
Q: Does Continuing Medical Education, Continuing Nursing Education and Continuing Dental Education count as CE credit for pharmacists? A: Yes. The option for choosing Continuing Medication Education, Continuing Nursing Education and Continuing Dental Education is available on the CE page under “Exemptions”. When entering Continuing Medical Education, Continuing Nursing Education and Continuing Dental Education you will only enter the date and number of hours.
Q: Where do I find Non-ACPE, Non-NCAP CE courses approved by the NC Board of Pharmacy? A: The options for these courses may be found under “Other” on the CE page. Choose “Other” and then under course name click on “Choose One”. An alphabetical list of approved courses will appear.
Q: How do I list AHEC, Health Related Courses, and Volunteer work at Free Clinics? A: The option for each of these may be found under “Exemptions”. When entering, you will only enter date and number of hours.
Q: How many hours of CE credit will I get for attending a Board meeting and what is the maximum number of hours that I may count? A: Pharmacists may receive 1 Live hour of CE for attending a Board meeting with a maximum of 1 hour. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What are the CE requirements for Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPPs)? A: By law, CPPs must obtain 35 hours of continuing education per year. The 15 hours (8 hours live) needed for renewal of a pharmacy license count toward this amount, so CPPs need an additional 20 hours of CE (live or correspondence) per year to maintain that credential. CPP credentials are renewed annually on the CPP's birthday. So, in counting CE hours, CPPs should make sure that they acquire the necessary number in a birthday-year cycle. A CPP’s license to practice pharmacy is still renewed on a calendar-year basis. In the first credentialed year for a CPP, the amount of CE required for renewal of the CPP credential is “pro-rated” monthly. For example, a CPP receiving initial credentialing six months before his/her next birthday would need 18 hours of CE [(35 hours of CE/12 months) x 6 months = 17.5 hours, rounded up to 18 hours]. A CPP receiving initial credentialing 2 months before his/her next birthday would need 6 hours of CE [(35 hours of CE/12 months x 2 months = 5.83 hours, rounded up to 6 hours]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What are the new continuing education requirements for pharmacists? A: Effective January 1, 2008, as a condition of license renewal, a pharmacist shall accumulate 15 hours of continuing education annually. Please see http://www.ncbop.org/PDF/ExplanationofCEruleadoption08.07.pdf for more information, including the specific rule language. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What continuing education requirements bind PTCB certified technicians? A: The Board of Pharmacy does not presently require pharmacy technicians to obtain continuing education. PTCB certified technicians, however, must meet PTCB requirements for recertification, which include continuing education. To recertify, you must earn a minimum of twenty contact hours of continuing education in pharmacy-related topics. CE's relating to functions outside the scope of practice for Pharmacy Technicians will not be accepted. At least one of the twenty hours must be in pharmacy law. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accreditation is not mandatory for attended programs for pharmacy technicians to receive continuing education credit. You may earn a maximum ten of the twenty hours at your workplace under the direct supervision of the pharmacist(s). However, these credits may not be earned by working ten hours at your regular duties. You should arrange with your supervising pharmacist for the completion of specially assigned in-service projects or training. These assignments should be selected with your individual needs in mind and may include computer training, inventory control, IV admixtures, videos, self-study articles from professional pharmacy journals, etc. You may use one college course during your two-year certification period. The college course must be in either a Life Science (Chemistry, Biology, Anatomy, etc.) or Math, and counts as 15 hours of CE. If you are audited, you must submit a grade sheet or official transcript. Your supervising pharmacist records these in-service hours on the PTCB Universal Continuing Education Form (available in PDF format). All other continuing education courses should award their own Certificate of Participation (see Documentation section). A PTCB Universal Continuing Education Form should not be completed for those courses that issue a Certificate of Participation. Each time the PTCB Universal Continuing Education Form is used, the program is considered an in-service project. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can a pharmacist receive contact continuing education credit for serving as a preceptor? A: Yes. A pharmacist who instructs a student for at least 400 hours can receive five (5) contact hours of continuing education. Internship forms (forms 1 & 2) must be completed and returned to the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy to be sure that credit is obtained for both the preceptor and intern. Pharmacists should be aware that the hours of credit cannot be split among several students; one student must receive at least 400 hours of instruction in order for the pharmacist to receive credit. Only five (5) hours per year can be awarded per pharmacist, regardless of how many students he/she may precept in a given year. Pharmacists may also receive continuing education credit for serving as a preceptor through one of the North Carolina pharmacy school programs. Pharmacists who serve as a preceptor for a minimum of 160 hours may receive 5 hours of continuing education per year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can I receive any continuing education credit for volunteer work at a free or charitable clinic? A: At the July 1999 meeting of the Board, and revised at the January 2008 meeting, the members recognized the merit of pharmacists who volunteer for service at free clinics. In a close vote, the members approved one contact hour of continuing education (CE) credit for every three hours of volunteer practice at free clinics, with a maximum of five contact hours per year. If a pharmacist is subjected to a CE audit, it will be the responsibility of the pharmacist-manager at the clinic to certify the hours worked and credit issued. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. May I acquire “contact-hour” continuing education over the Internet? A. Rule .2201(c) provides: (c) All continuing education shall be obtained from a provider approved by the Board. In order to receive credit, continuing education courses shall have the purpose of increasing the participant's professional competence and proficiency as a pharmacist. At least eight hours of the continuing education credits must be obtained through contact programs in any calendar year. Contact programs are those programs in which there is an opportunity for live two-way communication between the presenter and attendee. The consensus of the Board is that so long as an Internet-based program provides an “opportunity for live two-way communication between the presenter and attendee,” it may count toward satisfying the contact-hour continuing education requirement. The Board notes that ACPE-approved continuing education courses that are considered “live” so indicate in the course number. For example: The Elements Necessary to Successfully Prove a Malpractice Case Against a Pharmacist The underlined “L” designation for this online program indicates that this is a live program, and the Board will accept such programs as counting toward the contact-hour requirement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: I am taking a Spanish language course in order to better communicate with my Spanish-speaking customers. Would this count as CE? A: Yes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Are there any teaching tools on medication safety for pharmacists? A: Yes. ASHP has developed a new educational program to teach RPhs, MDs, and RNs to develop logical and safe thought processes in the execution of responsibilities in the medication-use system. A committee developed the program titled: "Incorporating Safe Medication Principles into Daily Practice: Teaching Tool for Healthcare Practitioners." It is available at http://symposia.ashp.org/medsafety/
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