§ 27.26. Pharmacy internship.
(a) Pharmacy internship means the supervised practical experience required for licensure as a registered pharmacist. The purpose of the pharmacy internship program is to provide a registered intern with the knowledge and practical experience necessary for functioning competently and effectively upon licensure.
(b) Registration as a pharmacy intern will be available to an individual of good moral character who has completed at least 2 years of college and is enrolled or accepted as a student of pharmacy in an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program. A person desiring to register as a pharmacy intern shall do the following:
(1) Apply to the Board for registration including the fee specified in § 27.91 (relating to schedule of fees) for registering as a pharmacy intern.
(2) Forward to the Board acceptable documentation verifying that the applicant has successfully completed at least 2 years of college and is enrolled or accepted as a student of pharmacy in an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program. Acceptable documentation includes a document bearing the school’s seal received by the Board directly from the dean or registrar of the ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program which includes the pharmacy student’s name, address, Social Security number, and a statement indicating that the student has successfully completed at least 2 years of college and is enrolled or accepted as a student of pharmacy in, or has graduated from, the ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program.
(c) The Board will register an applicant after it receives a completed application and other items in subsection (b). A pharmacy intern registration is valid for 6 years from the date of issue exclusive of time spent in the military. A pharmacy intern registration will automatically become invalid if the pharmacy intern permanently ceases enrollment in an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program prior to graduation. A pharmacy intern whose registration becomes invalid under this subsection shall immediately return to the Board the pharmacy intern registration and preceptor approval documents.
(d) The following applies to internship credit:
(1) An intern shall serve at least 1,500 hours.
(2) A maximum of 50 hours may be credited in 1 week.
(3) An intern shall serve at least 500 of the 1,500 hours in a pharmacy.
(4) An intern may earn up to 1,000 of the 1,500 hours in an internship program sponsored or approved by an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program.
(5) The Board may grant internship credit for hours that an individual served in a pharmacy before the individual registered as an intern only if the individual shows good cause for failing to register in timely fashion.
(6) The Board will not grant internship credit for hours which an individual served in a pharmacy if the supervising pharmacist was not registered as a preceptor. An exception to the requirement that the supervising pharmacist register as a preceptor will be made for internship hours acquired in an internship program sponsored or approved by an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program.
(e) The Board will grant internship credit only for activities related to the practice of pharmacy. The following are examples of these activities: scrutinizing prescriptions or drug orders, taking oral orders for prescriptions by telephone or otherwise, compounding medications and filling prescriptions. The Board will not grant internship credit for activities which are not related to the practice of pharmacy.
(f) An intern who wishes to receive credit for internship experience that is not in a pharmacy or sponsored or approved by an APCE-accredited pharmacy degree program shall apply to the Board for approval before beginning an internship experience. Upon receipt of the application, the Board will review and determine how much, if any, credit will be given. Requests for approval shall be submitted at least 90 days before the internship experience begins. Credit given for a nontraditional internship may not be used to satisfy the requirement of subsection (d)(3) pertaining to the minimum amount of time the internship shall be served in a pharmacy.
(g) A person may not be eligible to become a candidate for registration to practice pharmacy unless the person receives instruction in practical pharmacy and pharmaceutical technique from an instructor, professor or faculty member who is a registered pharmacist or from a faculty member who is a registered pharmacist at an ACPE-accredited pharmacy degree program.
(h) The following requirements are applicable to a pharmacy utilized for intern training:
(1) A pharmacy may not have been or be in violation of Federal, State or municipal statutes and ordinances governing any phase of activity in which it is engaged. A pharmacy may appeal to the Board for a waiver of this provision.
(2) A pharmacy shall be managed so that the emphasis is on activities connected with the distribution of articles and services pertaining to medical care, including drugs, medicines, prescriptions, medical supplies and materials.
(3) A pharmacy shall be kept in a sanitary, orderly and clean condition, and the prescription department shall meet the requirements in the statutes and regulations as they affect prescription departments.
(4) A pharmacy shall compound and dispense a sufficient number of prescriptions including renewals so as to provide the pharmacy intern with ample opportunity to scrutinize prescriptions and to compound and dispense under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.
(5) A pharmacy shall have in its employ a licensed pharmacist who is registered as a pharmacist preceptor.
(6) A pharmacy which meets the qualifications of this section shall be approved by the Board after proper notification by the owner or manager of willingness to cooperate in the development of the internship program. Whenever a new intern is accepted for training in the pharmacy, the pharmacist preceptor shall notify the Board of the name of the intern and his anticipated period of internship in the pharmacy.
(i) The requirements for registration as a pharmacist preceptor are as follows:
(1) A pharmacist preceptor may not have been convicted of a criminal offense relating to the practice of pharmacy.
(2) An applicant shall hold a license without restriction to practice pharmacy in this Commonwealth and shall be engaged in the active practice of pharmacy in this Commonwealth.
(3) An applicant shall be working on a full-time basis in a pharmacy utilized for intern training.
(4) A pharmacist preceptor may not direct the training of more than two pharmacy interns at any one time, unless the program has been approved by the Board for a greater number.
(5) A pharmacist preceptor shall be willing to cooperate with the Board in developing an intern program and shall apply to the Board signifying the desire to do so.
(6) A pharmacist preceptor shall certify to the commencement and completion of intern training and may make recommendations to the Board concerning the competency of the intern under his supervision.
(7) A pharmacist preceptor shall report to the Board, as required by the Board, on the progress of an intern under the pharmacist’s supervision.
(8) A pharmacist preceptor shall be charged with the responsibility for seeing that his intern receives proper pharmaceutical training and experience, always keeping in mind the objections of the practical training program.
(j) Credit will be granted for practical experience gained in pharmacies outside this Commonwealth upon presentation of evidence satisfactory to the Board to indicate that the experience gained is substantially equivalent to that required by this chapter.
(k) The pharmacy internship may not be deemed satisfactorily completed until the intern has filed affidavits with the Board certifying that the intern has obtained a total of 1,500 hours of practical experience since registration as a pharmacy intern.
(l) When a candidate receives his first certificate and identification card to practice as a pharmacist, his registration as an intern terminates.
Source The provisions of this § 27.26 amended May 30, 1980, effective May 31, 1980, 10 Pa.B. 2162; amended September 4, 1998, effective September 5, 1998, 28 Pa.B. 4532; corrected October 30, 1998, effective September 5, 1998, 28 Pa.B. 5485; amended December 5, 2014, effective December 6, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 7552. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (347418) to (347420) and (347731).
Cross References This section cited in 49 Pa. Code § 27.1 (relating to definitions); 49 Pa. Code § 27.52 (relating to graduates of foreign schools and noncitizens); and 49 Pa. Code § 27.402 (relating to application, renewal and reactivation procedures).
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.
