South 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

South Dakota Law

I. Laws
South Dakota Statute

https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes

36-11-2. Definition of terms–Promulgation of rules.

(22) “”Registered pharmacy technician,”” a person registered by the board who is employed by a pharmacy to assist pharmacists in the practice of pharmacy by performing specific tasks delegated by and under the immediate personal supervision and control of a pharmacist, as permitted by the board.

36-11-11. Promulgation of rules.

The Board of Pharmacy may promulgate rules pursuant to chapter 1-26:

(13) Pertaining to the registration of registered pharmacy technicians; an annual registration fee not to exceed thirty dollars; and tasks that may not be delegated by a licensed pharmacist to a registered technician;”

South Dakota Administrative Rules

https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative

20:51:29:00. Definitions. Terms used in SDCL 36-11-2 have the same meaning when used in this chapter:

(1) “Certified technician,” an individual described in SDCL subdivision 36-11-2(22) who has gained certification through training and examination pursuant to § 20:51:29:06; and

(2) As used in this chapter, “”pharmacy intern”” has the definition set forth in § 20:51:02:04.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 38 SDR 121, effective January 17, 2012; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22).” ” 20:51:29:01. Purpose of registration. A registration program for all pharmacy technicians is established for the primary purpose of assuring the competency of registered pharmacy technicians and for purposes of identifying, tracking, and bringing disciplinary actions against pharmacy technicians.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 38 SDR 121, effective January 17, 2012; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22).
20:51:29:02. Registration required. Any individual employed in this state as a pharmacy technician shall obtain and maintain during the employment a current registration as a pharmacy technician pursuant to this chapter. Any person accepting employment as a pharmacy technician in this state who fails to register as a pharmacy technician as required by rule may be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with § 20:51:29:27.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 38 SDR 121, effective January 17, 2012; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22).” ” 20:51:29:05. Exemptions from registration. A registered pharmacy intern whose South Dakota certificate is in good standing and who performs any function described in § 20:51:29:21 is not required to register as a pharmacy technician with the board.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13), 36-11-25.

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22), 36-11-25.” “20:51:29:06. Certification of pharmacy technicians. A pharmacy technician may obtain national certification. To obtain registration as a certified technician, the person must be certified by a national organization and have passed a pharmacy technician certification examination that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

Pharmacy technician national certification does not supplant the need for a licensed pharmacist to exercise control over the performance of a delegated function nor does national certification exempt the pharmacy technician from registration pursuant to this chapter.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 38 SDR 121, effective January 17, 2012; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22).

20:51:29:11. Registration renewal. Repealed.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 38 SDR 121, effective January 17, 2012; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024.” ” 20:51:29:14. Registration verification. The pharmacist-in-charge of each pharmacy utilizing a pharmacy technician is responsible for verifying that any technician working in the pharmacy is registered with the board and compliant with all rules of this chapter. Any violation by the technician may be grounds for disciplinary action against the pharmacist-in-charge.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22), 36-11-2.2, 36-11-34.” ” 20:51:29:16. Training and utilization of pharmacy technicians. The pharmacist-in-charge of a pharmacy shall ensure that a registered pharmacy technician receives adequate training in the tasks performed by technicians working at that pharmacy. A pharmacy employing a registered pharmacy technician shall develop, implement, and periodically review written policies and procedures for training and utilizing technicians appropriate to the practice of pharmacy at that pharmacy. Each pharmacy shall specify the frequency of review in its policies. Each pharmacy shall document and maintain each registered pharmacy technician’s training for the duration of employment. The pharmacy shall make its policies and procedures and documentation of registerd pharmacy technician training available for inspection by the board.

Source: 31 SDR 35, effective September 19, 2004; 38 SDR 121, effective January 17, 2012; 50 SDR 138, effective June 2, 2024; 52 SDR 27, effective September 15, 2025.

General Authority: SDCL 36-11-11(1)(13).

Law Implemented: SDCL 36-11-2(22).”

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.