Vermont 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

Vermont Law

I. Laws
Vermont Revised Statutes
http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/vtstatutesconstctrules/

TITLE TWENTY-SIX.  PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPATIONS  
CHAPTER 36.  PHARMACY  
SUBCHAPTER 3.  LICENSING
§ 2042a. Pharmacy technicians; qualifications for registration

No person shall perform the duties of a pharmacy technician unless registered with the board. To obtain a registration as a pharmacy technician, an applicant shall:



(1) not have engaged in acts which affect the ability of the applicant to practice as a pharmacy technician; and

(2) have paid the fee specified in section 2046 of this title.
§ 2042b. Pharmacy technicians; nondiscretionary tasks; supervision
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a registered pharmacy technician may perform packaging or other nondiscretionary tasks only while assisting and under the supervision and control of a pharmacist.

(b) This section does not authorize a pharmacy technician to perform packaging or other nondiscretionary tasks without a pharmacist on duty, and without being under the supervision and control of a pharmacist.

(c) This section does not authorize a pharmacy technician to perform any act requiring the exercise of professional judgment by a pharmacist.
(d) The board may adopt rules to specify tasks that a pharmacy technician may perform under the supervision and control of a pharmacist pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. A pharmacy or pharmacist that employs a pharmacy technician to perform tasks specified in subsection (a) shall do so in conformity with the rules adopted by the board pursuant to this section.
(e) No person shall act as a pharmacy technician without first having submitted an application for registration with the board as set forth in section 2042a of this title. Pending approval for registration, an applicant who has submitted an application may act as a pharmacy technician for up to 30 days or until the board has made a final determination on the application, whichever occurs first.


(f) A pharmacist on duty shall be directly responsible for the conduct of a pharmacy technician. A pharmacist responsible for a pharmacy technician shall be on the premises at all times. A pharmacist shall verify a prescription before medication is provided to the patient.
§ 2044. Renewal of licenses 


   Each pharmacist and pharmacy technician shall apply for renewal biennially by a date established by the director of the office of professional regulation. The board shall renew the license or registration of each pharmacist and pharmacy technician who is qualified.

Vermont Code of Rules
http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/codeofvtrules/

AGENCY 04. SECRETARY OF STATE  
SUB-AGENCY 030. OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL REGULATION  
CHAPTER 230. BOARD OF PHARMACY ADMINISTRATIVE RULES
Part 5 Pharmacy Technicians.

5.1 Definition of Pharmacy Technician A pharmacy technician is “an individual who performs tasks relative to dispensing and only while assisting and under the supervision and control of a licensed pharmacist.” 26 V.S.A. § 2022(13). This includes prescription data entry, drug selection from inventory, counting and labeling and pharmaceutical ordering and shelf stocking in the prescription department. Cashiers, and delivery people who enter or have access to the prescription department must register as pharmacy technicians.

5.2 Registration


(a) To be registered as a pharmacy technician, an applicant shall:
(1) submit a completed application;
(2) not be in violation of these rules or statutes related to pharmacy practice.
(b) No person who has:
(1) held a pharmacy license, or
(2) whose application for licensure has been denied or revoked or suspended for unprofessional conduct shall be eligible to be registered as a pharmacy technician unless the Board, in its sole discretion, determines that good cause exists to register the individual.
(c) A pharmacist technician while working in the prescription department shall wear a name tag bearing in a clearly legible font, at a minimum, the individual’s first name and title “Pharmacy Technician.”

5.3 Renewals Pharmacy technician registrations shall be renewed biennially on a schedule as determined by the office.

5.4 Jurisdiction Pharmacy technicians are subject to the disciplinary authority of the Board.
Part 6 Pharmacist-Manager.
6.4 Pharmacy Technicians, When Required The pharmacist-manager shall be assisted by a sufficient number of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as may be required to competently and safely provide pharmacy services.

6.5 Pharmacy Technician Training Manual Unless all technicians are certified by an organization approved by the Board, the pharmacist-manager shall develop or adopt, implement, and maintain a pharmacy technician training manual for that pharmacy. The training manuals of the National Community Pharmacists’ Association (NCPA) and National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), or others as approved by the Board may be used as guides.

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.