Illinois 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

Illinois Law

I. Laws
Sec. 9. Registration as pharmacy technician. Any person shall be entitled to registration as a registered pharmacy technician who is of the age of 16 or over, has not engaged in conduct or behavior determined to be grounds for discipline under this Act, is attending or has graduated from an accredited high school or comparable school or educational institution or received a GED, and has filed a written application for registration on a form to be prescribed and furnished by the Department for that purpose. The Department shall issue a certificate of registration as a registered pharmacy technician to any applicant who has qualified as aforesaid, and such registration shall be the sole authority required to assist licensed pharmacists in the practice of pharmacy, under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. A registered pharmacy technician may, under the supervision of a pharmacist, assist in the practice of pharmacy and perform such functions as assisting in the dispensing process, offering counseling, receiving new verbal prescription orders, and having prescriber contact concerning prescription drug order clarification. A registered pharmacy technician may not engage in patient counseling, drug regimen review, or clinical conflict resolution.

Beginning on January 1, 2010, within 2 years after initial registration as a registered technician, a pharmacy technician must become certified by successfully passing the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) examination or another Board-approved pharmacy technician examination and register as a certified pharmacy technician with the Department in order to continue to perform pharmacy technician’s duties. This requirement does not apply to pharmacy technicians registered prior to January 1, 2008.

Any person registered as a pharmacy technician who is also enrolled in a first professional degree program in pharmacy in a school or college of pharmacy or a department of pharmacy of a university approved by the Department or has graduated from such a program within the last 18 months, shall be considered a “student pharmacist” and entitled to use the title “student pharmacist”. A student pharmacist must meet all of the requirements for registration as a pharmacy technician set forth in this Section excluding the requirement of certification prior to the second registration renewal and pay the required pharmacy technician registration fees. A student pharmacist may, under the supervision of a pharmacist, assist in the practice of pharmacy and perform any and all functions delegated to him or her by the pharmacist.

Any person seeking licensure as a pharmacist who has graduated from a pharmacy program outside the United States must register as a pharmacy technician and shall be considered a “student pharmacist” and be entitled to use the title “student pharmacist” while completing the 1,200 clinical hours of training approved by the Board of Pharmacy described and for no more than 18 months after completion of these hours. These individuals are not required to become certified pharmacy technicians while completing their Board approved clinical training, but must become licensed as a pharmacist or become a certified pharmacy technician before the second pharmacy technician registration renewal following completion of the Board approved clinical training.

The Department shall not renew the pharmacy technician license of any person who has been registered as a “student pharmacist” and has dropped out of or been expelled from an ACPE accredited college of pharmacy, who has failed to complete his or her 1,200 hours of Board approved clinical training within 24 months or who has failed the pharmacist licensure examination 3 times and shall require these individuals to meet the requirements of and become registered a certified pharmacy technician. 
    The Department may take any action set forth in Section 30 of this Act with regard to registrations pursuant to this Section.

Any person who is enrolled in a non-traditional Pharm.D. program at an ACPE accredited college of pharmacy and is a licensed pharmacist under the laws of another United States jurisdiction shall be permitted to engage in the program of practice experience required in the academic program by virtue of such license. Such person shall be exempt from the requirement of registration as a registered pharmacy technician while engaged in the program of practice experience required in the academic program.

An applicant for registration as a pharmacy technician may assist a pharmacist in the practice of pharmacy for a period of up to 60 days prior to the issuance of a certificate of registration if the applicant has submitted the required fee and an application for registration to the Department. The applicant shall keep a copy of the submitted application on the premises where the applicant is assisting in the practice of pharmacy. The Department shall forward confirmation of receipt of the application with start and expiration dates of practice pending registration. 
(Source: P.A. 95-689, eff. 10-29-07; 96-673, eff. 1-1-10.)

Sec. 9.5. Certified pharmacy technician.
(a) An individual registered as a pharmacy technician under this Act may be registered as a certified pharmacy technician, if he or she meets all of the following requirements:

(1) He or she has submitted a written application in the form and manner prescribed by the Department.

(2) He or she has attained the age of 18.

(3) He or she is of good moral character, as determined by the Department

(4) He or she has
• graduated from pharmacy technician training meeting the requirements set forth in subsection (a) of Section 17.1 of this Act or

• obtained documentation from the pharmacist-in-charge of the pharmacy where the applicant is employed verifying that he or she has successfully completed a training program and has successfully completed an objective assessment mechanism prepared in accordance with rules established by the Department.

(5) He or she has successfully passed an examination accredited by the National Organization of Certifying Agencies, as approved and required by the Board

(6) He or she has paid the required certification fees
(b) No pharmacist whose license has been denied, revoked, suspended, or restricted for disciplinary purposes may be eligible to be registered as a certified pharmacy technician.
(c) The Department may, by rule, establish any additional requirements for certification under this Section.
(d) A person who is not a registered pharmacy technician and meets the requirements of this Section may register as a certified pharmacy technician without first registering as a pharmacy technician. 
(Source: P.A. 95-689, eff. 10-29-07; 96-673, eff. 1-1-10.)

Sec. 17.1. Pharmacy technician training.
(a) Beginning January 1, 2004, it shall be the joint responsibility of a pharmacy and its pharmacist in charge to have trained all of its pharmacy technicians or obtain proof of prior training in all of the following topics as they relate to the practice site:
(1) The duties and responsibilities of the technicians and pharmacists.
(2) Tasks and technical skills, policies, and procedures.
(3) Compounding, packaging, labeling, and storage.
(4) Pharmaceutical and medical terminology.
(5) Record keeping requirements.
(6) The ability to perform and apply arithmetic calculations.

(b) Within 6 months after initial employment or changing the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician, it shall be the joint responsibility of the pharmacy and the pharmacist in charge to train the pharmacy technician or obtain proof of prior training in the areas listed in subsection (a) of this Section as they relate to the practice site or to document that the pharmacy technician is making appropriate progress.
(c) All pharmacies shall maintain an up-to-date training program describing the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician.
(d) All pharmacies shall create and maintain retrievable records of training or proof of training as required in this Section. 
(Source: P.A. 95-689, eff. 10-29-07.)

II. Regulations

Section 1330.200  Application for Certificate of Registration as a Pharmacy Technician

a) An applicant for registration as a pharmacy technician shall file an application on forms supplied by the Division, together with:

1)A copy of his or her high school diploma or its equivalent, or proof of current enrollment in a high school program; and

2) The fee required by Section 1330.20 of this Part.

b) Pursuant to Section 9 of the Act, an applicant may assist a registered pharmacist for 60 days upon submission of an application or, submission for reinstatement not due to disciplinary action, to the Division in accordance with subsection (a).  A copy of the application must be maintained by the applicant at the site of employment during and until notice of registration or disqualification is received by the applicant and must be readily retrievable for review by the Drug Compliance Investigator.

c) A pharmacy technician must renew his or her registration with the Division on an annual basis.

d) Technician certificate of registration must be displayed and visible to the public in the pharmacy where the pharmacy technician is employed.

e) Every registered pharmacy technician shall notify the Division of any change in the address on record within 30 days after the change.

f) No pharmacist whose license has been denied, revoked, suspended or restricted for disciplinary purposes is eligible to be registered as a Pharmacy Technician.

Section 1330.210  Pharmacy Technician Training

a) It shall be the joint responsibility of a pharmacy and its pharmacist-in-charge to have trained all of its pharmacy technicians or obtain proof of prior training in all of the following topics as they relate to the practice site:

• The duties and responsibilities of the technicians and pharmacists.

• Tasks and technical skills, policies and procedures.

• Compounding, packaging, labeling and storage.

• Pharmaceutical and medical terminology.

• Record keeping requirements.

• The ability to perform and apply arithmetic calculations.</span

b) Within 6 months after initial employment or changing the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician, it shall be the joint responsibility of the pharmacy and the pharmacist-in-charge to train the pharmacy technician or obtain proof of prior training in the areas listed in subsection (a) as they relate to the practice site or to document that the pharmacy technician is making appropriate progress.

c) All pharmacies shall maintain an up to date training program describing the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician.

d) All pharmacies shall create and maintain retrievable records of training or proof of training as required in this Section.

Section 1330.220  Certified Pharmacy Technician

a) An individual may receive certification as a certified pharmacy technician if he or she:

1) Has submitted a written application in the form and manner prescribed;

2) Has attained the age of 18;

3) Is of good moral character, as determined by the Division;

4) Graduated from a pharmacy technician training program approved by a nationally recognized accrediting body or obtained documentation from the pharmacist-in-charge of the pharmacy where the applicant is employed verifying that he or she has successfully completed a training program as provided for in Section 1330.210(a);

5) Has successfully passed an examination accredited by the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), as approved and required by the Board.  The Division, upon the recommendation of the Board, has determined that the Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians offered by the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians, and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, are accredited by NOCA and are, therefore, approved examinations for certification; and

6) Has paid the required certification fees.

b) No pharmacist whose license has been denied, revoked, suspended or restricted for disciplinary purposes may be eligible to be registered as a certified pharmacy technician.

References
Illinois Pharmacy Act

Illinois Pharmacy Rules
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/06801330sections.html

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.