2.2 Pharmacy Technicians, Trainees & Interns

Pharmacy Technicians, Trainees & Interns

Support personnel are vital to modern pharmacy workflows, but the Commonwealth of Virginia strictly bounds their qualifications, training, registration, and professional maintenance. Under Code of Virginia § 54.1-3321 and 18VAC110-21-10 et seq., the Virginia Board of Pharmacy sets clear standards separating registered pharmacy technicians, technician trainees, and pharmacy interns.

Candidates preparing for the Virginia MPJE must master the entry pathways, continuing education mandates, time restrictions for trainees, and the preceptor oversight rules governing pharmacy interns.

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Pharmacy Technician Registration Requirements

Under Code of Virginia § 54.1-3321, no person may perform the duties of a pharmacy technician in Virginia without holding an active registration issued by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, unless practicing under the statutory trainee exception.

Core Prerequisites for Registration

To obtain registration as a pharmacy technician in Virginia, an applicant must satisfy two core requirements:

1. Completion of a Board-Approved Training Program: The applicant must complete a training course that complies with Board curriculum guidelines (covering federal and state drug law, calculations, compounding, terminology, dispensing systems, and patient confidentiality) or an accredited ASHP/ACPE pharmacy technician training program.
2. Passage of a Board-Approved Certification Examination: The applicant must pass either:
   • The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCE), or
   • The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Exam for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians (ExCPT).

Registration must be approved and issued by the Board before the individual may practice independently as a registered technician.

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Pharmacy Technician Trainees: The 9-Month Rule

Recognizing that practical dispensing experience is necessary to master technical duties, Virginia law establishes a specific temporary status for individuals preparing for registration.

Under Code of Virginia § 54.1-3321(B) and 18VAC110-21-140:

• An individual who is actively enrolled in a Board-approved technician training program may practice as a pharmacy technician trainee.
• The trainee may perform pharmacy technician duties for a maximum cumulative period of 9 months from the date of beginning the training program.
• Throughout this 9-month window, the trainee must work under the direct personal supervision of a licensed pharmacist who is physically on-site and readily available for consultation and verification.
• The PIC must maintain documentation of the trainee's enrollment date, training program start date, and progress records on the pharmacy premises for inspection.

Strict Regulatory Limitation: If an individual reaches the end of the 9-month trainee period without passing the national certification exam and obtaining official Board registration, that person must immediately cease performing all technician duties. The individual may only perform strictly non-pharmacy clerical or cashier duties until full technician registration is granted by the Board. There is no automatic extension of the 9-month window.

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Continuing Education (CE) and Annual Renewal for Technicians

Pharmacy technician registrations in Virginia expire annually on December 31.

Under 18VAC110-21-120, to renew an active technician registration, the technician must complete continuing pharmacy education:

• Annual Hour Requirement: The technician must obtain a minimum of 5 contact hours (0.5 CEU) of Board-approved continuing education per calendar year (January 1 through December 31).
• Approved Providers: CE credits must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) or approved directly by the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
• Record Retention Mandate: The technician must maintain original certificates of CE completion for at least two years following the renewal date.
• Audit Compliance: Technicians are subject to random audits by the Board. If selected for audit, the technician must produce proof of completion within the timeframe specified in the Board notice. Failure to produce certificates can result in monetary penalties, suspension, or denial of renewal.

Technician CE Summary:
- Annual Requirement: 5 Contact Hours (0.5 CEU) per calendar year
- Renewal Deadline: December 31 annually
- Record Retention: Minimum of 2 years
- First Renewal Exemption: A technician is not required to submit CE for the first renewal following initial registration

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Pharmacy Interns: Qualifications & Scope of Practice

Under Code of Virginia § 54.1-3320 and 18VAC110-20-60, a pharmacy intern is a professional licensee-in-training registered with the Board to acquire practical experience toward pharmacist licensure.

Registration Eligibility

To register as a pharmacy intern in Virginia, an individual must:

1. Be currently enrolled in an ACPE-accredited school or college of pharmacy and have successfully completed at least one semester of professional didactic coursework; or
2. Be a graduate of an ACPE-accredited school awaiting initial licensure examination; or
3. Be a graduate of a foreign school of pharmacy who has obtained the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certificate issued by the NABP.

Practical Experience Hours Mandate

To qualify for the Virginia pharmacist licensure examination (NAPLEX/MPJE), an applicant must document a minimum of 1,500 hours of practical pharmacy experience:

• Hours earned through ACPE-accredited school experiential education (IPPE and APPE rotations) fulfill this requirement when certified by the pharmacy school dean.
• Any non-academic hours earned outside of formal school rotations must be earned while registered as a pharmacy intern under the supervision of a Board-approved pharmacist preceptor, with hours submitted on Board-approved affidavit forms.

Broad Scope of Intern Practice

Unlike pharmacy technicians whose duties are confined to technical and clerical dispensing tasks, a registered pharmacy intern in Virginia may perform any and all acts that constitute the practice of pharmacy, provided the intern acts under the direct and immediate personal supervision of a licensed pharmacist preceptor.

Under this supervisory model, an intern may:

• Receive new oral prescriptions over the telephone from prescribers.
• Perform prospective Drug Utilization Reviews (DUR).
• Provide clinical patient counseling and drug therapy education.
• Transfer and receive verbal prescription transfers.
• Administer vaccinations and biologics pursuant to Board protocols.
• Recommend OTC therapies, clinical interventions, and dosage adjustments.
• Perform non-sterile and sterile compounding.

Exam Watch-Out: Although an intern may perform these clinical and dispensing functions, the supervising pharmacist retains ultimate legal and professional responsibility for the accuracy of the dispensed product and clinical appropriateness. The pharmacist must review and perform the final product verification before the medication leaves the pharmacy.