1. (1) APRNs who provide greater than a 72-hour supply of prepackaged medications to clients are required to apply for and be issued dispensing authority in Oregon. Dispensing authority is separate and in addition to an APRN’s prescriptive authority and is noted as such on their APRN license verification.

2. (2) An APRN with dispensing authority must follow procedures established by federal and state law for:

   1. (a) Drug dispensing, storage, security and accountability;
   2. (b) Maintenance of all drug records; and
   3. (c) Procedures for procurement of drugs.

3. (3) Dispensing:

   1. (a) Drugs must be prepackaged by a pharmacy or manufacturer registered with the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy, and provide on the label:

      1. (A) The name and strength of the drug. If the drug does not have a brand name, then the generic name of the drug and the drug manufacturer must be on the label;
      2. (B) The quantity of the drug;
      3. (C) Cautionary statements, if any, as required by law;
      4. (D) The name, address, and phone number of the practitioner's practice site; and
      5. (E) The manufacturer's expiration date, or an earlier date if preferable, after which the client should not use the drug.

   2. (b) The APRN must personally dispense drugs that require hand labeling with the following information:

      1. (A) Name of the client;
      2. (B) Directions for use; and
      3. (C) Physical description, including any identification code that may appear on tablets and capsules.

   3. (c) The APRN may delegate dispensing authority to staff, under limited circumstances that do not require prescriptive judgment. Staff must dispense only drugs that are pre-labeled by the dispensing pharmacy with the following information:

      1. (A) Name of the client;
      2. (B) Name of the prescriber;
      3. (C) Directions for use; and
      4. (D) A physical description, including any identification code that may appear on tablets and capsules.
      5. (E) Staff are only authorized to complete and label the drug with the client’s address, date of dispensing, and initials of dispensing personnel and distribute them to the client.
   4. (d) Drugs must be dispensed in containers complying with the federal Poison Prevention Packaging Act unless the client requests a non-complying container.

   5. (e) The APRN must provide a means for clients to receive verbal and written information on drugs dispensed to the client. The written drug information must include:

      1. (A) Drug name and class;
      2. (B) Proper use and storage;
      3. (C) Common side effects;
      4. (D) Precautions and contraindications; and
      5. (E) Significant drug interactions.

4. (4) Drug security, storage and disposal:

   1. (a) In the absence of the person authorized to dispense and prescribe, drugs must be kept in a locked cabinet or drug room which is sufficiently secure to deny access to unauthorized persons.
   2. (b) Controlled substances must be maintained in a secure, locked container at all times.
   3. (c) All drugs must be stored in areas which will assure proper sanitation, temperature, light, ventilation, and moisture control.
   4. (d) Drugs which are outdated, damaged, deteriorated, misbranded, or adulterated must be physically separated from other drugs until they are destroyed or returned to their supplier.
   5. (e) Controlled substances, which are expired, deteriorated, or unwanted, must be disposed of in conformance with current State and Federal Regulations, including but not limited to, 21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1307.21 and OAR 855.

5. (5) Drug records:

   1. (a) A drug dispensing record must be maintained separately from the client record and kept for a minimum of three years. The dispensing record must show, at a minimum, the following:

      1. (A) Name of client;
      2. (B) Brand name of drug, or generic name and manufacturer or distributor;
      3. (C) Date of dispensing; and
      4. (D) Initials of nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist.
   2. (b) A physical copy of the prescription for each medication dispensed must be retained in the client chart and must be produced upon request.
   3. (c) All records required by these rules or by federal or state law must be readily retrievable and available for inspection by the Board and the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy.
   4. (d) A client record must be maintained for all clients to whom the nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist dispenses medications.
6. (6) APRNs with dispensing authority must be responsible for safe storage, distribution, and destruction of all drugs under their authority.
7. (7) APRNs granted dispensing authority under this rule must comply with the labeling and record keeping requirements.
8. (8) A person granted dispensing authority under this rule must have available at the dispensing site a hard copy or electronic version of prescription drug reference works commonly used by professionals authorized to dispense prescription medications.
9. (9) A person granted dispensing authority under this rule must permit representatives of the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy, upon receipt of a complaint about that person’s dispensing practices and notice to the Board of Nursing, to inspect a dispensing site.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 678.150, ORS 678.255, ORS 678.265, ORS 678.275, ORS 678.278, ORS 678.282, ORS 678.285, ORS 678.370, ORS 678.380, ORS 678.390, ORS 678.372 & ORS 678.375

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 678.150, ORS 678.255, ORS 678.265, ORS 678.275, ORS 678.278, ORS 678.282, ORS 678.285, ORS 678.370, ORS 678.380, ORS 678.390, ORS 678.372 & ORS 678.375

History

BN 34-2025, temporary amend filed 11/24/2025, effective 11/24/2025 through 12/31/2025
BN 28-2025, amend filed 11/20/2025, effective 11/20/2025
BN 6-2023, amend filed 09/26/2023, effective 10/01/2023
BN 13-2021, adopt filed 06/24/2021, effective 07/01/2021