657—2.12 (272C) Continuing education requirements.
	 2.12(1) Continuing education program attendance. Continuing education programs that carry the seal of an American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) approved provider will automatically qualify for continuing education credit. Program attendance is mandated in order to receive credit unless the program is a correspondence course that ACPE approved.
	  a.   	 Non-ACPE provider program. A pharmacist requesting individual credit for completing a non-ACPE provider program shall submit a request for approval of the program to the board office no later than the date the program commences. The request shall be made on forms provided by the board office.
	  b.   	 Exemption for health-related graduate studies. A pharmacist who is continuing formal education in health-related graduate programs may be exempted from meeting the continuing education requirements during the period of such enrollment. An applicant for this exemption shall petition the board, as soon as possible following enrollment in the qualifying graduate program, on forms provided by the board office.
	 2.12(2) Continuing education unit required. The nationally accepted measurement of continuing education is referred to as CEU (continuing education unit), and the board of pharmacy employs that measurement. Ten contact hours of approved continuing education are equivalent to one CEU. The board of pharmacy will require 3.0 CEUs each renewal period. For purposes of this rule, “renewal period” means the 27-month period commencing April 1 prior to the previous license expiration and ending June 30, the date of current license expiration. A pharmacist who fails to complete the required CEUs within the renewal period shall be required to complete one and one-half times the number of delinquent CEUs prior to reactivation of the license. CEUs that are used to satisfy the continuing education requirement for one renewal period shall not be used to satisfy the requirement for a subsequent renewal period.
	 2.12(3) Continuing education program attendance certificate.
	  a.   	 An approved provider will be required to make available to an individual pharmacist a certificate that indicates successful completion and participation in a continuing education program. The certificate will carry the following information:
	 (1) 	 Pharmacist’s full name.
	 (2) 	 Pharmacist’s license number.
	 (3) 	 Number of contact hours for program attended.
	 (4) 	 Date and place of continuing education program.
	 (5) 	 Name of program provider.
	 (6) 	 An indicator of the type or category of continuing education program completed.
	  b.   	 A pharmacist must retain certificates in the pharmacist’s personal files for four years.
	 2.12(4) Continuing education program topics. Each pharmacist is required to obtain a minimum of 50 percent of the pharmacist’s required 3.0 CEUs in ACPE-approved courses dealing with drug therapy. Programs qualifying for the drug therapy course requirement will include the ACPE topic designator “01” in the last two digits of the program number.
	 2.12(5) New license holders licensed by examination. After the initial license is issued by examination, the new license holder is exempt from meeting continuing education requirements for the first license renewal. However, if the licensee qualifies as a mandatory abuse reporter, the licensee shall not be exempt from mandatory training for identifying and reporting abuse pursuant to rule 2.16(235B,272C). Regardless of when the license is first issued, the new license holder will be required to obtain, prior to the second renewal, 30 contact hours (3.0 CEUs) of continuing education pursuant to subrules 2.12(1) through 2.12(4).
	 2.12(6) New license holders licensed by license transfer/reciprocity. After the initial license is issued by license transfer, the new license holder will be required to obtain, prior to the first license renewal, 30 contact hours (3.0 CEUs) of continuing education credits pursuant to subrules 2.12(1) through 2.12(4).
	 2.12(7) Reporting continuing education credits.
	  a.   	 A pharmacist shall submit on or with the renewal application form documentation that the continuing education requirements have been met. Documentation shall be in a format that includes the following:
	 (1) 	 The total number of credits accumulated for the renewal period;
	 (2) 	 The individual programs attended;
	 (3) 	 The dates of participation;
	 (4) 	 The credits awarded for each course;
	 (5) 	 The name of the provider of each course; and
	 (6) 	 Identification of the programs completed to comply with the drug therapy course requirements in subrule 2.12(4).
	  b.   	 The board may require a pharmacist to submit the program attendance certificates that document completion of the programs included with or on the renewal application.
	  c.   	 Failure to receive the renewal application shall not relieve the pharmacist of the responsibility of meeting continuing education requirements.
	 2.12(8) Relicensure examination. Nothing in these rules precludes the board from requiring an applicant for renewal to submit to a relicensure examination.
	 2.12(9) Physical disability or illness. The board may, in individual cases involving physical disability or illness, grant waivers of the minimum continuing education requirements or extensions of time within which to fulfill the same or make the required reports. No waiver or extension of time shall be granted unless written application is made and signed by the licensee and the licensee’s physician. The board may grant waivers of the minimum continuing education requirements for physical disability or illness for any period of time not to exceed one renewal period. In the event that the physical disability or illness upon which a waiver has been granted continues beyond the period of the waiver, the licensee must reapply for an extension of the waiver. The board may, as a condition of any waiver granted, require the licensee to make up all or any portion of the waived continuing education requirements by any method prescribed by the board.