North Dakota Scorecard

Grading Scale:
A – 85-100%, B – 70-84.9%, C – 55-69.9%, D – 40-54.9%, F – 0-39.9%

Grading Categories & Criteria

North Dakota Law

I. LAWS
http://www.legis.nd.gov/cencode/t43c15.pdf

43-15-01. Definitions.
23. “Pharmacy technician” means a person registered by the board who is employed by a
pharmacy to assist licensed pharmacists in the practice of pharmacy by performing
specific tasks delegated by and under the immediate personal
43-15-10. Powers of board.
In addition to other powers provided by law, the board shall have the following powers and
duties, which shall be exercised in conformity with chapter 28-32 in order to protect the public
health, welfare, and safety:
19. To adopt, amend, and repeal rules as may be deemed necessary by the board to
register pharmacy technicians pursuant to qualifications established by the board, to
charge a pharmacy technician an annual registration fee not to exceed fifty dollars, to
specify tasks associated with and included in the practice of pharmacy which may be
delegated by a licensed pharmacist to a registered pharmacy technician, to provide for
suspension or revocation of a pharmacy technician’s registration, and to regulate and
control pharmacy technicians. The board may allocate up to fifty percent of the amount
of the registration fee to an appropriate pharmacy technician association for its general
operating expenses, including pharmacy technician education and development
standards.
43-15-14. Unlawful practice of pharmacy.
3. A pharmacy or licensed pharmacist that utilizes the services of a registered pharmacy
technician as permitted by the board, may not be considered as aiding and abetting an
unauthorized person to practice pharmacy; provided, however, that the pharmacy or
licensed pharmacist must retain responsibility for any act performed by a registered
pharmacy technician in the course of the registered pharmacy technician’s
employment.

North Dakota Administrative Code
http://www.legis.nd.gov/information/rules/admincode.html

CHAPTER 61-02-07.1
PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
61-02-07.1-02. Definitions.
1. “Pharmacy technician” means a person registered by the board of
pharmacy who is employed by a pharmacy under the responsibility of
the pharmacist-in-charge or a staff pharmacist so designated by the
pharmacist-in-charge, to assist in the technical services of preparing
pharmaceuticals for final dispensing by a licensed pharmacist in
compliance with subsection 4 of North Dakota Century Code section
43-15-01 and subsection 16 of North Dakota Century Code section
43-15-01.
1 1/2011
2. “Pharmacy technician in training” is a person who is enrolled in an
academic experiential rotation program of North Dakota state college
of science or in an on-the-job self-instructioned pharmacy technician
study program under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
3. “Supportive personnel” means a person other than a licensed
pharmacist, pharmacy intern, or pharmacy technician who may be
performing duties assigned by the pharmacist under direct supervision.
History: Effective October 1, 1993; amended effective July 1, 1996.
General Authority: NDCC 28-32-02, 43-15-10(12)(14)(19)
Law Implemented: NDCC 28-32-03
61-02-07.1-03. Educational preparation.
1. To be eligible to be registered by the board of pharmacy as a pharmacy
technician the person must have completed one of the following
requirements:
a. Successful completion of an academic program approved by the
board of pharmacy;
b. An on-the-job training program that is directed by the
pharmacist-in-charge and approved by the board of pharmacy; or
c. Employment in a pharmacy as clerical personnel or pharmacy
technician for at least one year. This provision will expire one year
after the approval of this rule and will require a request in writing
by a pharmacist-in-charge of a North Dakota pharmacy.
2. A record of pharmacy technician education must be maintained by the
pharmacist-in-charge or designated staff pharmacist which contains:
a. The name of the pharmacy technician receiving the education;
b. The date of the educational program;
c. A general description of the topic covered; and
d. The name of the presenter if not conducted by the
pharmacist-in-charge.

61-02-07.1-07. Pharmacy technician registration requirements.
1. A pharmacy technician must register with the board of pharmacy on an annual basis.
2. The pharmacy technician will be assigned a registration number.
3. The board of pharmacy must provide the pharmacy technician with an
annual registration card and pocket identification card.
4. The pharmacy technician certificate and annual registration card must
be displayed and visible to the public in the pharmacy where the
pharmacy technician is employed.
5. The pharmacy technician must wear a name badge while in the
pharmacy which clearly identifies the person as a “pharmacy
technician”.
6. Pharmacy technicians shall identify themselves as pharmacy
technicians on all telephone conversations while on duty in the
pharmacy.
7. The northland association of pharmacy technicians shall appoint
annually three of their members as an advisory committee to the board
of pharmacy.
8. Every registered pharmacy technician, within fifteen days after changing
address or place of employment, shall notify the board of the change.
The board shall make the necessary changes in the board’s records.
9. A pharmacy technician having passed the reciprocity examination of the
national association of boards of pharmacy, or any other examination
approved by the board, shall be granted reciprocity and shall be entitled
to registration as a registered pharmacy technician in North Dakota.
10. A pharmacy technician registered by the board may use the
designations “registered pharmacy technician” and “R. Ph. Tech.”.
11. A pharmacy technician holding a certificate of registration as a
pharmacy technician in North Dakota may go on inactive status, and
continue to hold a certificate of registration in North Dakota, provided
that the technician on inactive status may not practice within North
Dakota. A pharmacy technician on inactive status will not be required
to meet the continuing education requirements of the board under
chapter 61-02-07.1. In order for a pharmacy technician to change
an inactive status registration to an active status of registration, the
pharmacy technician must complete ten hours of approved pharmacy
technician continuing education and thereafter comply with the
continuing education requirements of the board.
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12. In the case of loss or destruction of a certificate of registration, a
duplicate can be obtained by forwarding the board an affidavit setting
forth the facts.
61-02-07.1-10. Pharmacy technician continuing education.
1. Each pharmacy technician shall complete at least ten hours of approved
pharmacy technician continuing education every year as a condition of
renewal of a registration as a pharmacy technician in North Dakota.
2. There may be no carryover or extension of continuing education units
with the exception that continuing education units obtained twelve
months prior to the beginning of each annual reporting period may
be used in the current annual reporting period which begins March
first of each year and ends the last day of February, or the previous
reporting period. However, they may not be counted as credit in
both reporting periods. The failure to obtain the required ten hours of
continuing education by the renewal date may result in a suspension
for a minimum of thirty days, or a maximum of the period ending the
date the continuing education is completed.
3. Pharmacy technicians shall maintain their own records on forms
supplied by the board. The records must be maintained for a two-year
period.
4. The requirements of this section do not apply to a pharmacy technician
applying for a first renewal of a registration.
5 1/2011
5. A pharmacy technician registered with the board may make application
to the board for a waiver of compliance with the pharmacy technician
continuing education requirements and may be granted an exemption
by the board.
6. Upon request of the board, proof of compliance must be furnished to
the board.
7. Approved pharmacy technician continuing education means those
pharmacy technician continuing education programs approved by
the board. The board shall maintain a record of approved programs,
including the hours of credit assigned to each program which shall be
available upon request
61-02-07.1-11. Pharmacy technician in training. A pharmacy technician
in training must be designated as a pharmacy technician in training and will be
allowed to practice the professional duties of a registered pharmacy technician as
determined by the pharmacist-in-charge and the supervising licensed pharmacist.
Upon receipt of a request to have a person designated a pharmacy technician in
training from a pharmacist-in-charge, the board, if appropriate, shall register the
person so enrolled as a pharmacy technician in training. The maximum amount of
time to be registered as a technician in training is two years unless an extension is
granted.
History: Effective July 1, 1996; amended effective January 1, 2005.
General Authority: NDCC 28-32-02, 43-15-10(12)(14)(19)
Law Implemented: NDCC 28-32-03
61-02-07.1-12. Technicians checking technicians. Activities allowed
by law to be performed within a licensed pharmacy by a registered pharmacy
technician in the preparation of a prescription or order for dispensing or
administration may be performed by one registered pharmacy technician and
verified by another registered pharmacy technician working in the same licensed
pharmacy, under the following conditions:
1. The licensed pharmacy where the work is being conducted has policies
and procedures specifically describing the scope of the activities to be
verified through this practice.
a. Training for the specific activity is reflected in a written policy.
b. A record of the individuals trained is maintained in the pharmacy
for two years.
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2. The pharmacy has a continuous quality improvement system in place
to periodically verify the accuracy of the final product, including:
a. Recording any quality related events leading up to the final
dispensing or administration of the drug prepared.
b. Recording any errors which actually reach the patient as a result of
these activities.
c. Specific limits of acceptable quality related event levels before
reassessment is required.
d. Consideration must be made for high-risk medications on the
institute for safe medication practices (ISMP) list and specific
monitoring, review, and quality assurance parameters must be
instituted if any of these products are included in the pharmacy’s
technicians-checking-technicians program.
3. Any error must trigger pharmacist review of the process. This review
and subsequent recommendations must be documented.
4. The pharmacy has a system in place to review all quality related
events and errors recorded and takes corrective action based on
the information to reduce quality related events and eliminate errors
reaching the patient.
5. As always, the pharmacist-in-charge and the permitholder are
jointly responsible for the final product dispensed or released for
administration from the pharmacy.
61-02-07.1-13. Pharmacy technician reinstatement. If a registered
pharmacy technician fails to pay the fee for a renewal registration within the
time required, the executive director of the board shall cancel the registration for
nonpayment. Upon application, the delinquent registrant may procure a renewed
registration once the payment of all back registration fees and proof of ten hours of
continuing pharmaceutical education obtained within the past year are submitted,
provided there have been no disciplinary actions involved with the registration and
the board is satisfied that the applicant is a proper person to receive the same.

The data contained in this 2012 Annual Scorecard are accurate as of December 2012 .  Because statutes and regulations are continually revised, the data are subject to change.  These data have been verified with the state board of pharmacy.  This scorecard is updated on an annual basis in order to incorporate statutory and regulatory changes.  A new scorecard will be issued in July 2013.

Scoring rationale for Education and Training:
In order to protect the public and help ensure patient safety, it is important that pharmacy technicians are properly educated and trained.  The most rigorous training is accredited training.  The sole entity empowered to accredit pharmacy-technician training programs is the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).  Please note that this is “programmatic accreditation” – not “institutional accreditation.”  It is the content of the training program – as measured against established standards – that is being evaluated and accredited.  Accredited training is vital to protecting patient safety because it means that a pharmacy-technician training program has met established quality standards to provide assurance and confidence to the public.  For more information, please see http://www.ashp.org/menu/Accreditation/TechnicianAccreditation.aspx.

Scoring rationale for Certification:
Certification is the process by which a nongovernmental agency or association grants recognition to an individual who has met certain predetermined qualifications specified by that agency or association.  This is often determined by an examination process.  Numerous organizations have recommended that the certification exam conducted by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) should be recognized as the sole, nationally-accredited certification exam for pharmacy technician certification – including the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In a recent report, NABP recommended that states be encouraged to “recognize certification by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).” Moreover, NABP performed a psychometric audit of the PTCB’s pharmacy technician certification examination (PTCE) in 2001 and determined that the PTCE is psychometrically sound, defensible, and valid. In May 2010, the TSBP awarded the PTCB with the Pharmacy Technician Certification Provider contract in Texas. PTCB was selected for the contract after a rigorous bidding and evaluation process that included formal reviews and evaluations from three independent psychometricians. TSBP confidently recognizes PTCB as the single provider of certification examinations for pharmacy technicians. In addition, in June 2010, the VA began requiring PTCB certification for VA pharmacy technicians employed at grade GS-6 and above.

Scoring rationale for Registration/Licensure:
Registration/licensure is the process by which the state maintains a list of all pharmacy technicians in the state and grants permission for an individual to work as a pharmacy technician in the state based on the applicant’s completion of all pre-requisites to registration/licensure – such as required training and certification.

Scoring rationale for Continuing Education:
Continuing education enables pharmacy technicians to fulfill their professional responsibility to maintain competence and up-to-date knowledge and skills in an environment of technological advances and increasingly complex, new medications and therapies.