Intern Pharmacist Licensure

PURPOSE: This rule establishes requirements for intern pharmacist licensure and pharmacy practice experience. (1) The provisions of this rule shall be applicable to individuals seeking to earn pharmacy practice experience in Missouri. (2) Requirements for Licensure. Every person who desires to gain pharmacy practice experience in Missouri shall first apply for an intern pharmacist license. Application for licensure shall be made on forms provided by the board and shall be accompanied by the application fee. To be eligible for licensure, the applicant shall submit proof of fingerprinting as required by 20 CSR 2220-7.090 and must be— (A) Currently enrolled in a school or college of pharmacy that is located in a U.S. state or territory and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE); (B) A graduate of an ACPE-accredited school or college of pharmacy who is actively seeking to earn pharmacy practice experience to qualify for Missouri pharmacist licensure; (C) A graduate of a foreign school/college of pharmacy as defined by 20 CSR 2220-7.040 with a completed pharmacist application on file with the board who has obtained Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certification from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and is actively seeking to earn pharmacy practice experience to qualify for Missouri licensure; (D) Graduates of an ACPE-accredited pharmacy school/ college with a completed and active pharmacist application on file with the board, provided the applicant holds a current and active pharmacist license from another U.S. state or territory; or (E) A graduate of an ACPE pharmacy school/college who is enrolled in a residency training program to be completed in Missouri that is accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, or with a valid application for accreditation pending with the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists, or that is a residency program operated by or in conjunction with an ACPE-accredited school or college of pharmacy. (3) Site/Preceptor Approval. After licensure, an intern pharmacist shall only be authorized to earn pharmacy practice experience in a site approved by the board and under the supervision of a board approved preceptor. Requests for site and preceptor approval shall be submitted on a form provided by the board. The board may request additional information, interview program participants, or complete site inspections before a decision on an application is made. The intern pharmacist will receive confirmation from the board office noting approval of the site and preceptor and a start date after which pharmacy practice experience may be counted. In no event shall an intern pharmacist be credited for hours earned prior to being licensed by the board as an intern pharmacist. (A) Site Approval. The board shall only approve a site for pharmacy practice experience if the site holds a pharmacy license from a United States (U.S.) state or territory and such license is not under disciplinary action with the licensing entity. AND INSURANCE (B) Special Sites. An individual or entity/facility may petition the board to approve an entity/facility that is not a licensed pharmacy for purposes of intern training as a special site if the pharmacy practice experience to be earned complies with 20 CSR 2220-7.030(1)(A)3. Requests shall be made on a form provided by the board and shall include a detailed description of the pharmacy practice experience to be earned. The board may limit the number of pharmacy practice hours that may be earned at an approved special site. (C) Preceptor Approval. To be eligible for approval, a supervising preceptor shall hold a pharmacist license from a U.S. state or territory and such license must be active and not under disciplinary action in such U.S. state or territory. An individual/ entity may petition the board to approve a preceptor that is not licensed as a pharmacist in a U.S. state or territory on a form provided by the board. The board may, in its discretion, approve a non-pharmacist preceptor if the preceptor is sufficiently qualified to train interns in the proposed pharmacy practice experience area(s) and the experience to be earned complies with the provisions of 20 CSR 2220-7.030(1)(A)3. The board may limit the amount of pharmacy practice hours that can be earned with a non-pharmacist preceptor. (D) Students enrolled in an approved school/college of pharmacy shall be authorized to earn experience as part of their school/college curriculum at any site or with any preceptor approved by the board or the school/college as authorized by 20 CSR 2220-7.027. However, students desiring to earn pharmacy practice experience outside of, or in addition to, the training/ experience required as part of the curriculum of an approved school/college of pharmacy (i.e., non-school related summer employment) shall comply with the provisions of this rule for the additional hours earned and shall separately request prior approval by the board of the site/preceptor to be used. (4) Calculation of Hours. An intern pharmacist shall only be given credit for hours earned in activities related to the practice of pharmacy as determined by the board or connected with pharmaceutical or patient-centered care through the interpretation and evaluation of prescription orders; the compounding, dispensing, and labeling of drugs and devices pursuant to prescription orders; the proper and safe storage of drugs and devices and the maintenance of proper records of them; or consultation with patients and other health care practitioners about the safe and effective use of drugs and devices. (A) Except as otherwise provided herein, an intern pharmacist shall only receive credit for pharmacy practice experience that is earned after the date of licensure as an intern, at an approved site and under the supervision of an approved preceptor. (B) Certification of Hours. An intern pharmacist shall file a Preceptor’s Affidavit of Internship Hours at the completion of his/her pharmacy practice experience on a form provided by the board. The report shall identify the pharmacy practice experience hours earned at each approved training site and shall be signed by the supervising preceptor. No credit shall be granted for hours not reported to the board. In lieu of the preceptor affidavit, an approved school/college of pharmacy shall certify to the board the pharmacy practice experience earned by each student as part of the required curriculum. (C) The board may restrict the number of hours an intern pharmacist may earn per week. An intern pharmacist shall not be credited for hours earned while practicing/working as a pharmacy technician. (D) The board shall not certify or verify any pharmacy practice experience gained in Missouri unless the pharmacy practice experience complies with the requirements of this rule. Additionally, the board will not verify or certify hours earned by a student if the board does not receive certification from the preceptor or the school/college documenting the hours required by this rule. (5) Change of Intern Location/Preceptor. Except as provided for students of an approved school/college of pharmacy, an intern pharmacist shall promptly notify the board of a change in intern site/preceptor and shall request approval of the site/ preceptor to be used. If approved, the intern pharmacist shall not be credited for hours earned more than ten (10) days prior to the date the approval request is filed with the board. No credit shall be granted for hours earned if the request for site/ preceptor approval is subsequently disapproved by the board. (6) Intern pharmacists shall file an application to renew their intern pharmacist license between October 1 and December 31 of each even-numbered year. Applications shall be made on a form provided by the board and accompanied by the renewal fee. An intern pharmacist license shall not be renewed more than two (2) years after the intern pharmacist’s graduation from an ACPE-accredited school/college of pharmacy. For graduates of a foreign school/college of pharmacy who have obtained FPGEC certification from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, an intern pharmacist license shall not be renewed more than once. The board may approve additional renewals in the event of extraordinary circumstances due to no fault of the intern. An intern pharmacist license shall automatically terminate once the intern is issued a Missouri pharmacist license. AUTHORITY: sections 338.060 and 338.070, RSMo 2016, and sections 338.035 and 338.140, RSMo Supp. 2025.* Original rule filed Jan. 10, 2013, effective Aug. 30, 2013. Amended: Filed Dec. 27, 2019, effective July 30, 2020. ** Amended: Filed Dec. 28, 2020, effective June 30, 2021. Amended: Filed Aug. 27, 2025, effective Feb. 28, 2026. *Original authority: 338.035, RSMo 1990, amended 1993, 1995, 2007, 2020; 338.060, RSMo 1939, amended 1943, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1981, 1984, 1997, 1999; 338.070, RSMo 1939, amended 1947, 1953, 1961, 1969, 1981, 1985, 1997; and 338.140, RSMo 1939, amended 1981, 1989, 1997, 2011, 2019. **Pursuant to Executive Order 21-09, 20 CSR 2220-7.025, subsection (4)(C) was suspended from July 13, 2020 through September 15, 2021.