2.2 License Renewal, Continuing Education & Reinstatement

2.2 License Renewal, Continuing Education & Reinstatement

Maintaining competency through CE and renewal is part of MPJE Area 1. Utah's requirements are in § 58-17b-310, § 58-1-308, R156-1-308a–308i, and R156-17b-308 and -309.

Renewal dates

Licenses under the Pharmacy Practice Act are issued for two-year terms (§ 58-17b-308). R156-1-308a sets the renewal dates:

DOPL sends a renewal notice at least 60 days before expiration, and a license not renewed on time expires automatically (R156-1-308c). Practicing on an expired license is unlicensed practice (unlawful conduct under § 58-1-501(1)(a)). A pharmacy intern license cannot be renewed; it may only be extended (§ 58-17b-308(3)).

CE requirements (R156-17b-309)

Pharmacists: 30 hours per cycle

The 30 hours must:

• include 12 hours of live or technology-enabled participation in lectures, seminars, or workshops;
• be relevant to the licensee's professional practice;
• include one hour of pharmacy law or ethics; and
• add topic-specific hours when the pharmacist does certain work:

Utah does not set a separate "clinical core" hour minimum. The rest of the 30 hours only needs to be relevant to your practice.

Pharmacy technicians: 20 hours per cycle

Technicians need 20 hours, including 6 live or technology-enabled hours and 1 hour of law or ethics, plus 2 vaccine hours if the technician administers vaccines. Current PTCB or ExCPT certification satisfies the technician CE requirement, except for the vaccine hours.

First-cycle proration and waivers

A licensee first licensed partway through a cycle has the required hours reduced proportionately according to the licensure date. DOPL may defer or waive CE under R156-1-308d (for example, for qualifying volunteer service).

Earning CE credit (R156-17b-309(4))

• Board of Pharmacy meetings: 1 live hour per meeting attended, up to 2 hours per cycle, and these may count as law or ethics hours.
• Teaching: 2 CE hours for each hour of lecturing or teaching in the profession, up to 10 hours per cycle. Public-service talks (for example, to schoolchildren or service clubs) do not qualify.
• Approved sources: ACPE-approved providers; programs from nationally recognized health-care accreditors related to pharmacy; DOPL training; ACPE-accredited meetings of the Utah Pharmacy Association, Utah Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or other associations; and, for pharmacists, qualifying certifications such as a certified diabetes educator credential or board certification.

Documentation (R156-17b-309(5))

Keep proof of compliance for four years after the end of the renewal cycle for which the CE was due. This means maintaining registration with NABP e-Profile CPE Monitor (or CPE Monitor Plus) and keeping certificates for any CE that CPE Monitor cannot track. Failing to meet CE requirements is unprofessional conduct (R156-17b-502(3)).

Reinstating an expired license

The general rule depends on how long the license has been expired (R156-1-308g):

For pharmacists, R156-17b-308(3) adds practice re-entry requirements:

• Between 2 and 5 years after expiration: document current CE under R156-17b-309(1).
• More than 5 years after expiration: retake the licensing examinations required by R156-17b-303c.

Technicians follow the same 2-year and 5-year structure, using technician CE and the PTCB/ExCPT exam (R156-17b-308(4)).

Scenarios

• All-recorded CE. A pharmacist completes 30 hours of recorded home-study courses with no live or technology-enabled participation and no law hour. The pharmacist is short both the 12 live/technology-enabled hours and the 1 law/ethics hour.
• Vaccinating pharmacist. A pharmacist who gives influenza vaccines must include 2 vaccine-topic hours within the 30.
• Certificate storage. A pharmacist renewed on September 30, 2025, for the cycle ending that day. The records must be kept until September 30, 2029.
• Teaching credit. A pharmacist who teaches a two-hour law lecture to pharmacy technicians may claim four CE hours. Teaching credit is capped at 10 hours per cycle.

Exam strategy

Memorize the numbers as pairs: 30/12/1 for pharmacists (total, live or technology-enabled, law or ethics) and 20/6/1 for technicians. Then add +2 for each specialty activity (vaccines, other administration, hormonal contraception). Remember that documentation is kept for four years after the cycle ends, and that re-entry after five years means retaking the exams.