Pharmacist License Renewal and Continuing Pharmacy Education

PURPOSE: This rule establishes renewal and continuing education requirements for relicensure of pharmacists in Missouri. (1) All pharmacist licensees shall apply to renew their Missouri pharmacist license on or before October 31 of every even-numbered year. Applicants shall file a renewal application on a form provided by the board and pay the renewal fee. The renewal application must be completed correctly and in its entirety in order for it to be processed and the license renewed. Any portion of the application that is incomplete or inaccurate shall result in the rejection of the renewal application and require its return to the applicant for correction. (A) No active pharmacist license will be renewed by the board unless the applicant has fulfilled the continuing education requirements as set forth in section 338.060, RSMo, and the provisions of this rule. At the time of renewal, a licensee shall truthfully attest he/she has completed the continuing education requirements required by this rule. The attestation shall be submitted with the renewal application and shall truthfully affirm that the licensee has completed all continuing education requirements and that proof of continuing education completion has been maintained by the pharmacist as required by section (2) of this rule. The required continuing education must be completed by the date the renewal is signed or submitted to the board. (B) A Missouri pharmacist license that has not been renewed by the board on or before October 31 of each even-numbered year shall be deemed expired. Upon expiration, the holder of an expired license shall be deemed no longer licensed and shall not practice pharmacy in the state of Missouri until the license has been renewed by the board. To renew an expired license, the holder shall file a renewal application with the board and shall pay all delinquent fees. A delinquent fee shall not be required if the renewal application was postmarked or submitted via the board’s electronic renewal system on or before October 31 of each even-numbered year. Renewal applications received prior to October 31 that are returned to the applicant for correction will not be considered late and subject to the delinquent fee if the corrected application is returned to the board within thirty (30) days after receipt. (C) Any person who fails to renew his/her pharmacist license within two (2) years of its expiration shall be treated in the same manner as a person who has never been licensed and shall be required to file a new pharmacist license application with the board. (2) Required Hours. As a condition of renewal, all active Missouri pharmacist licensees shall complete thirty (30) hours of continuing education during the two (2) year continuing education reporting period preceding renewal of the license. For purposes of this rule, the reporting period is the twenty-four- (24-) month period beginning on November 1 of even-numbered years and ending on October 31 of even-numbered years. Continuing education hours earned after October 31 of even-numbered years shall apply to the next continuing education period. (A) A pharmacist first licensed by the board within twelve (12) months immediately preceding the October 31 biennial renewal date shall be exempt from the continuing pharmacy education requirements for that reporting period. (B) Hours obtained in excess of the thirty (30) hours required by this rule may not be carried forward to satisfy the requirements for the next reporting period. (3) Continuing Education Course Approval. (A) Except as otherwise provided herein, continuing education shall only be granted for a post-graduate course that is related to the practice of pharmacy and that is— 1. Approved by the Accreditation Council for Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) for continuing education; 2. Offered by a state, federal, or local governmental or regulatory agency and approved by the board; or 3. Related to the practice of pharmacy, as approved by the board. (B) Continuing education courses may include institutes, seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, extension study, correspondence courses, teaching, professional meetings, selfstudy courses, and any other methods approved by the board. The courses must be pharmacy related and shall comply with the other continuing education requirements of this rule. (C) Continuing pharmacy education programs approved by ACPE shall be accepted as approved continuing education courses for purposes of license renewal and are not required to be individually submitted to the board for prior approval. (D) The board shall not grant continuing education credit for any course that is taken before it is approved by the board or ACPE. (E) One (1) continuing education contact unit (CEU) will be the equivalent of ten (10) clock hours of participation in programs approved by the board. (4) Non-ACPE Approved Programs. Programs that are not ACPE approved must be approved by the board prior to being taken as a continuing education course. To be eligible for approval, a program shall provide for evaluation methods or examinations to assure satisfactory completion by participants. Additionally, the person(s) who is to instruct or who is responsible for the delivery or content of the program shall be qualified in the subject matter by education or experience. (A) Continuing education approval requests shall be submitted to the board on forms provided by the board. The applicant shall provide detailed information relating to administration and organization of the course, teaching staff, educational content and development, methods of delivery, facilities, and evaluation. (B) Continuing education program approval applications should be submitted at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the proposed continuing education program, to ensure the program is approved for continuing education credit prior to the course being taken. Applications received less than thirty (30) days prior to the date of the program cannot be guaranteed to be approved prior to the date of the program. No application for approval of continuing education programs will be accepted if received less than ten (10) business days from the date such program is to be offered for continuing education purposes. (C) Applications returned due to errors or for purposes of requesting more information shall not be considered to be received by the board until the requested corrections and/or information are made and received by the board. (D) The executive director shall review applications for continuing education programs and may approve or deny such requests. Applicants shall be notified after a decision to approve or deny a program has been made. (5) Credit for Educational Training. (A) Any pharmacist who leads, instructs, or lectures to groups of nurses, physicians, pharmacists, or others on pharmacy-related topics in organized continuing education or in-service programs shall be granted continuing education credit for the time expended during actual presentation upon adequate documentation to the board. However, a pharmacist whose responsibility is the education of health professionals shall only be granted continuing education credit for time expended in leading, instructing, or lecturing to groups of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, or others on board-approved pharmacy-related topics in an organized continuing education or in-service program outside of his/her formal responsibilities. (B) Approval shall be requested using the procedures in section (4) of this rule. Credit for the same presentation or program will only be granted once during a renewal period. (6) Graduate Studies. Continuing education credit will be given for undergraduate or graduate studies taken as a post-graduate in any regionally accredited pharmacy, medical, or dental educational institution of higher learning. To be eligible for credit, the studies must be related to the practice of pharmacy. Credit for undergraduate/graduate studies authorized by this rule shall be assessed as follows: (A) 3 hours college credit = 15 CE hours (B) 2 hours college credit = 10 CE hours (C) 1 hour college credit = 5 CE hours (7) Licensees may obtain four (4) hours (0.4 CEU) of continuing education by attending a complete open session of a board meeting at which disciplinary hearings are scheduled, subject to the following: (A) The licensee must sign in with the executive director or designee of the board before the meeting day begins; (B) Licensees cannot receive continuing education credit for attendance at a board meeting if required to appear before the board; (C) The licensee must remain in continuous attendance during the open session meeting, provided attendance shall not be required for more than eight (8) hours of an open session meeting. Except as otherwise provided in this section, partial credit will not be given if the licensee is not in attendance for the entire open session meeting; (D) The maximum continuing education hours allowable for board meeting attendance pursuant to this subsection shall be limited to eight (8) credit hours (0.8 CEU) per biennial pharmacist renewal period. (8) No information or advertisements shall contain information that a continuing education program has been approved by the board unless the program is accredited by ACPE or notification has been received from the board that the program has been approved. (9) Inactive Licenses. In lieu of submitting proof of continuing education, a pharmacist may apply for an inactive license at the time of license renewal. To be deemed inactive, the pharmacist shall file a renewal application with the board with the applicable fee and request inactive status on the renewal application. An inactive license shall then be issued and may be renewed at subsequent renewal periods. While the inactive license is in effect, the pharmacist shall not practice pharmacy. (A) The renewal fee will be the same for active and inactive licenses. (B) Before an inactive license can be returned to active status, the licensee shall submit proper evidence that he/she has obtained at least fifteen (15) continuing education hours for each year that his/her license was inactive. The licensee may obtain the required continuing education hours during any time period while the license is on inactive status, as long as the hours are obtained prior to applying for return to active status. (10) Any licensee who has an expired pharmacist license and seeks to renew the license pursuant to section 338.060.2, RSMo, shall present proper evidence that he/she has obtained the required number of continuing education hours during the period that his/her license was expired. (11) A pharmacist shall maintain proof of completion of continuing education credits for a minimum of four (4) years after the continuing education has been completed. Licensees shall maintain a completed certification from ACPE or the approved continuing education provider indicating the course name and date of the program, the name of the participant, the date credit was earned, and, if applicable, the ACPE course number. (12) The board may audit a licensee to assess the authenticity and validity of continuing education hours submitted for relicensure. Failure to provide proof of completion of the required continuing education credits when requested to do so by the board shall be considered a violation. (A) In accordance with section 338.060, RSMo, any licensee that has not completed and retained the required evidence of all required continuing education shall complete any outstanding continuing education and pay a delinquent fee as provided by this rule and may be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to section 338.055, RSMo. The board may also audit past renewal periods and/or require that proof of continuing education credits be submitted with the licensee’s renewal application. (B) The following continuing education delinquent fees are applicable: 1. Less than one (1) hour missing one hundred dollars AND INSURANCE ($100); 2. Two (2) to ten (10) hours missing five hundred dollars ($ 500); 3. Eleven (11) to fifteen (15) hours missing seven hundred fifty dollars ($750); or 4. Sixteen (16) or more hours missing one thousand dollars ($1,000). AUTHORITY: sections 338.020, 338.060, and 338.070, RSMo 2016, and section 338.140, RSMo Supp. 2019.* Original rule filed Jan. 10, 2013, effective Aug. 30, 2013. Amended: Filed May 6, 2019, effective Nov. 30, 2019. ** *Original authority: 338.020, RSMo 1939, amended 1947, 1949, 1981, 1990, 2014; 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 21-07, 20 CSR 2220-7.080, section (2) was suspended from July 13, 2020 through August 5, 2021.