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Indiana News: Blue Card Rule
Published in the May 2007 Indiana Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
The issue of unlicensed and uncertified pharmacy licensees is plaguing our regulation of pharmacy in Indiana. Specifically, technicians – who must be certified in Indiana as of January 2004 – continue to work in pharmacy settings without the proper certification. Myriad reasons are to blame for the rampant number of uncertified technicians: (1) technicians-in-training fail to submit training certification within one year and the temporary permits expire; (2) technicians-in-training state on the application that they do not wish to receive temporary certification (in response to this, we now issue all technicians-in-training temporary certificates irrespective of their answer to the question); or (3) technicians fail to renew.
For the past three (3) years, unwritten policy was to assist the technician in resolving the issue without discipline. This resulted in a lackadaisical attitude by the technicians and the pharmacists-in-charge with regard to obtaining and maintaining proper certification. Technicians are also a growing disciplinary concern. With the number of technicians presently equal (approximately) to the number of pharmacists, proper certification and adherence to statutory requirements is crucial to ensuring the safety of the public.
Technician certification was implemented for this very reason; hence, all professionals in a pharmacy setting must be properly certified/licensed. It is imperative that technicians and their supervisors are keenly aware of the certification requirement and the discipline meted out for failure to adhere to statute.
Due to these issues, the Board of Pharmacy is implementing what we are referring to as the “Blue Card Rule,” which states as follows:
Any pharmacy staff (i.e. pharmacist, pharmacy intern, pharmacy technician or pharmacy technician-in-training) performing duties and responsibilities that require licensure or certification must publicly display all pharmacy staff blue cards (a.k.a. pocket cards) in one central location.
Please note that for individuals that work at more than one location, a duplicate card is available upon request; however, only one (1) duplicate per licensee will be issued. If you work at multiple stores, you are responsible for displaying the card on the days that you work at each location. Please note that the Board of Pharmacy is issuing duplicate blue cards/pocket cards to all licensees with a statement regarding the Blue Card Rule on or before May 31, 2007. Please do not contact Board of Pharmacy staff to request a duplicate.
The Board of Pharmacy is stringently enforcing the Blue Card Rule; therefore, failure to abide by the Rule will lead to disciplinary action. It is not necessary to have a blue card/pocket card on your person and displayed. Displaying your pocket card is sufficient.
