1. A. Minimum Standards.

   1. (1) Pharmacy technician training programs shall, at a minimum, cover the following areas of pharmacy practice:

      1. (a) Roles and responsibilities of the pharmacy technician;
      2. (b) Knowledge of prescription medications;
      3. (c) Knowledge of strengths or dose, dosage forms, physical appearance, routes of administration, and duration of drug therapy;
      4. (d) The dispensing process;
      5. (e) Pharmaceutical calculations;
      6. (f) Interacting with patients;
      7. (g) Third party prescriptions;
      8. (h) Extemporaneous compounding;

      9. (i) Requirements and professional standards for:

         1. (i) Preparing;
         2. (ii) Labeling;
         3. (iii) Dispensing;
         4. (iv) Storing;
         5. (v) Prepackaging;
         6. (vi) Distributing; and
         7. (vii) How medications are administered;
      10. (j) Confidentiality;

      11. (k) Drugs used to treat the following indications:

          1. (i) Hypertension;
          2. (ii) Antihyperlipidemia;
          3. (iii) Diabetes mellitus;
          4. (iv) Arthritis;
          5. (v) Gastrointestinal disorders;
          6. (vi) Asthma and allergy; and
          7. (vii) Infectious diseases;
      12. (l) Federal and State laws and regulations governing the practice of pharmacy; and
      13. (m) Knowledge of special dosing considerations for pediatric and geriatric populations.

   2. (2) Pharmacy technician training programs may be offered by:

      1. (a) Pharmacy employers;
      2. (b) Nationally recognized pharmacy technician training programs;
      3. (c) Accredited educational institutions pharmacy technician programs;
      4. (d) Pharmacy technician programs approved by the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Higher Education Commission; and
      5. (e) Pharmacy technician training programs offered by the U.S. Armed Forces.
   3. (3) Training programs may not be longer than 6 months.
   4. (4) Training programs shall include 160 hours of work experience, which shall be completed within 6 months of the date of the pharmacy technician trainee’s enrollment in the program.

2. B. Board Approval of Pharmacy Technician Training Programs.

   1. (1) A program shall submit an application on a form provided by the Board.
   2. (2) A program shall provide the Board with the course outline and any other information requested by the Board.
   3. (3) A pharmacy that pairs 160 hours of on-site work experience with a pharmacy technician training program that is Board-approved for its didactic content only shall obtain independent Board approval as a pharmacy technician training program prior to the delegation of any pharmacy act to a pharmacy technician trainee.
   4. (4) Any changes in course content shall require notification and approval from the Board.
   5. (5) The Board shall have final approval of a pharmacy technician training program.
   6. (6) The Board may withdraw approval of a program if the Board finds that the program is in violation of this chapter.
   7. (7) The Board shall approve pharmacy technician training programs offered by the U.S. Armed Forces.

Authority: Health-Occupations Article, §§12-101, 12-205, 12-206, 12-315—12-317, 12-319, 12-320, 12-403, 12-505, 12-707, and 12-6B-01—12-6B-14, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: January 28, 2008 (35:2 Md. R. 127)

Regulation .05 amended effective July 1, 2015 (42:7 Md. R. 569); February 12, 2018 (45:3 Md. R. 157)

Chapter revised effective January 28, 2024 (50:26 Md. R. 1132)

Regulation .02B amended effective November 11, 2024 (51:22 Md. R. 963)

Regulation .03 amended effective November 11, 2024 (51:22 Md. R. 963)

Regulation .07 amended effective November 11, 2024 (51:22 Md. R. 963)

Regulation .10A amended effective November 11, 2024 (51:22 Md. R. 963)