1. (a)

   1. (1) A pharmacy technician may assist the pharmacist in performing the following specific tasks in accordance with specific written policy and procedures established by the pharmacist-in-charge covering the areas described in this section.
   2. (2) The supervising pharmacist is responsible for all tasks performed by the pharmacy technician.
   3. (3) All tasks performed by the pharmacy technician must be supervised, checked, and approved by the supervising pharmacist.
   4. (4) If the pharmacy technician performs any other task that is defined as the practice of pharmacy, it will be considered a violation.

2. (b) Approved tasks:

   1. (1)

      1. (A) Placing, packing, pouring, or putting in a container for dispensing, sale, distribution, transferring possession of, vending, or bartering any drug, medicine, poison, or chemical that, under the laws of the United States or the State of Arkansas, may be sold or dispensed only on the prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe:

3. (i) Drugs;

   1. (ii) Medicines;

      1. (iii) Poisons; or

         1. (iv) Chemicals.
      2. (B) This shall also include the adding of water for reconstitution of oral antibiotic liquids;

   2. (2) Placing in or affixing upon any container described in this part a label required to be placed upon drugs, medicines, poisons, or chemicals sold or dispensed upon prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe those:

      1. (A) Drugs;
      2. (B) Medicines;
      3. (C) Poisons; or
      4. (D) Chemicals;
   3. (3) Selecting, taking from, and replacing upon shelves in the prescription department of a pharmacy or apothecary drugs, medicines, chemicals, or poisons that are required by the law of the United States or the State of Arkansas to be sold or dispensed only on prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe them;

   4. (4)

      1. (A) In a manual system, preparing, typing, or writing labels to be placed or affixed on any container described in Arkansas Code § 17-92-101 on which a label is required to be placed upon drugs, medicines, poisons, or chemicals sold or dispensed upon prescription of a practitioner authorized by law to prescribe those:

         1. (i) Drugs;
         2. (ii) Medicines;
         3. (iii) Poisons; or
         4. (iv) Chemicals.

      2. (B)

         1. (i) In a computer system, a pharmacy technician may enter information into the pharmacy computer.
         2. (ii) The pharmacy technician shall not make any judgment decisions that could affect patient care.
         3. (iii) The final verification of prescription information entered into the computer shall be made by the supervising pharmacist prior to dispensing, who is then totally responsible for all aspects of the data and data entry;

   5. (5)

      1. (A) A pharmacy technician may obtain prescriber authorization for prescription refills provided that nothing about the prescription is changed.
      2. (B) A pharmacy technician shall not receive prescriber authorization for a new prescription by telephone or by other verbal communication;

   6. (6)

      1. (A) Prepackaging and labeling of multi-dose and unit dose packages of medication.

      2. (B) The pharmacist must:

         1. (i) Establish the procedures, including selection of:
4. (a) (a) Containers;

5. (b) (b) Labels; and

   1. (c) (c) Lot numbers; and

      1. (ii) Check the finished task;
   2. (7) Dose-picking for unit dose cart fill for a hospital or for a nursing home patient;

   3. (8)

      1. (A) Nursing unit checks in a hospital or nursing home.
      2. (B) Pharmacy technicians may check nursing units for proper medication storage and other related floor stock medication issues.
      3. (C) Any related medication storage problems or concerns shall be documented and initialed by a pharmacist;
   4. (9) Patient and medication records. The recording of patient or medication information in a manual or electronic system for later validation by the pharmacist may be performed by pharmacy technicians; and

   5. (10) The pharmacy technician shall not make any judgment decisions that could affect patient care.

      1. (c)

   6. (1) A pharmacy technician may assist in the following tasks when the pharmacist-in-charge has established a specific written policy and procedure for reconstitution of prefabricated noninjectable medication, bulk compounding, and/or preparation of parenteral products that establishes the:

      1. (A) Order of addition of ingredients; and

      2. (B) Point at which the ingredients will be checked by the pharmacist, and the point at which the final product will be checked for:

         1. (i) Integrity;
         2. (ii) Correctness; and
         3. (iii) Pharmaceutical elegance.

   7. (2)

      1. (A) Prior to any of these tasks being carried out by a pharmacy technician:

         1. (i) The technician shall successfully complete an initial training, assessment of skills program, and test pursuant to a written training and assessment procedure established by the pharmacist-in-charge as provided in 17 CAR § 160-906; and
         2. (ii) The pharmacist supervising a technician who engages in the above-referenced reconstitution, bulk compounding, and/or preparation of parenteral product shall:
6. (a) (a) Perform all calculations of ingredients; and

7. (b) (b) Provide written directions for measurement of ingredients by the technician.

   1. (B) Prior to dispensing any of said products for administration, the supervising pharmacist shall verify and approve in written form all ingredients as well as the final product.

      1. (d)
   2. (1) Bulk reconstitution of prefabricated noninjectable medication may include addition of multiple additives.
   3. (2) Bulk compounding may include such items as sterile bulk solutions for small volume injectables, sterile irrigating solutions, products prepared in relatively large volume for internal or external use by patients, and reagents or other products for the pharmacy or other departments of the facility.
   4. (3) Preparation of parenteral products.

   5. (4) Pharmacy technicians may:

      1. (A) Reconstitute and withdraw any amount, i.e., partial or entire amount, of an injectable medication to be administered to a patient; and
      2. (B) Reconstitute, withdraw, and add any amount, i.e., partial or entire amount, of one (1) or more injectable products to an IV solution to be administered to a patient.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: “(Revised 10/12/99, 11/152003, and 8/1/2020)" "IV" means intravenous therapy.