North Carolina News: Item 2143 - Proposed Amendment to Rule .2201 Governing Continuing Education Requirements

July 1, 2007 3:30 pm Topics: Continuing education

Reprinted from the July 2007 North Carolina Board of Pharmacy Newsletter.

Effective January 1, 2008, the Board will have the authority to “require licensees to obtain up to 30 hours of continuing education every two years from Board-approved providers as a condition of license renewal, with a minimum of 10 hours required per year.” NCGS §90-85.17.

Pursuant to this statutory authority, the Board has published proposed amendments to Rule .2201. If adopted, the new rule will read as follows:
(a) As a condition of license renewal, a pharmacist shall accumulate 15 hours of continuing education annually.
(b) Eight of these continuing education hours shall be obtained through contact programs. Contact programs are those in which there is an opportunity for live two-way communication between the presenter and attendee. An on-line continuing education course may satisfy this contact-hour requirement provided that the live two-way communication standard is met.
(c) A pharmacist who accumulates more than the required 15 hours of continuing education in a single year may carry forward up to five surplus hours to be applied to the following year’s continuing education requirements.
(d) A pharmacist shall preserve all continuing education records for three years.
(e) Upon license renewal, the pharmacist shall report continuing education hours on a form approved and provided by the Board.

The Board may require a pharmacist to submit records, reports of accredited hours and certificates of credit on a random basis ursuant to a continuing education audit.
(f) All continuing education shall be obtained through accredited continuing education courses. The Board shall approve continuing education courses as accredited if they provide education on matters that will maintain or increase the participant’s professional competence and proficiency as a pharmacist.
(g) Continuing education shall not serve as a barrier to reciprocity; however all licensees by reciprocity must observe the continuing education standards specified in (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of this Rule within the first renewal period after licensure in this state.