Are you a pharmacy technician already in the state of Florida? Are you planning to renew your license? But, are you confused about the steps involved in pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida? Wondering about the continuing education requirements set by the state to apply for license renewal? Well, you are at the right place.
In this article, you will learn about the steps involved in the pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida. You will also learn about the continuing education requirements set by the state to begin the renewal process.
Before we start to talk about your pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida, let’s discuss the steps to continue your education as a pharmacy technician in the state of Florida.
Steps to Continue Your Education in Pharmacy Technician in the State of Florida
If you have been considering applying for a pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida, the very first step you should take is to complete the required CE hours. In the U.S., pharmacy technicians are required to complete the required CE hours to be able to proceed with the pharmacy technician license renewal.
The required CE hours vary from one state to another, and it is required for a pharmacy technician to complete their CE hours and renew their license at regular intervals. Continuing education helps pharmacy technicians stay updated on new activities, practices, and information regarding the field of pharmacy.
Generally, pharmacy technicians have the option of completing their continuing education both online and offline. CE offers them the opportunity to learn and equip themselves with the required skills and knowledge every 1 or 2 years.
STEP 1: VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY
Before you begin the continuing education process, the first step is to verify your eligibility with the respective board or department in the state. The eligibility criteria for pharmacy technicians set for continuing education in Florida are as follows:
- Candidates must have obtained at least 12 hours of continuing education. Out of those 12 hours, if you are licensed for more than 12 months. 2 hours must be via live presentation, 2 hours must be related to prevention of medication error, and 1 hour must be in HIV or Aids education.
- If you are licensed for a period of less than 12 months, you only need to obtain 1 contact hour in the prevention of Aids or HIV.
- The license has to be renewed in a cycle of 2 years.
- Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) requires pharmacy technicians to have completed their CE hours related to their professional work and practice as a pharmacy technician.
- The continuing education must be approved by the respective state.
STEP 2: RECORD YOUR CE HOURS
Once you have verified your eligibility with the Florida Board of Pharmacy, the next step is to record your continuing education hours. It is essential to keep track of, and record, your continuing education hours as it will help you at the time of your pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida.
It is not necessary for candidates to have a professional account to record and keep track of their continuing education hours. You can have a basic account and still manage to record your CE hours by just using a free account.
You can make use of CE tracking tools, such as NABP and CEBroker, to track and record your continuing education hours.
If you take the continuing education course from a provider approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy, the board is responsible to report on your behalf. If you take a course from a National organization, it is your responsibility to report the completion of the course to the respective board.
STEP 3: APPLY FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION
After you have recorded your continuing education hours, the next step is to apply for continuing education. Make sure that the continuing education provider is approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy. As a pharmacy technician, make sure to verify the following details before you enroll for continuing education with a specific provider.
- The continuing education provider must be approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy. Also, the provider must be accredited by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
- The continuing education providers with target audience designations ‘T’ (Technician-specific) and ‘P’ (Pharmacist-specific) are accepted.
To find free continuing education programs and complete CE more easily, you can check out the PTCB’s CE Directory.
At the time of application for continuing education, candidates are required to pay a requisite fee of $40 every 2 years.
STEP 4: RENEW YOUR LICENSE WITH CONTINUING EDUCATION
The final step in pharmacy technician continuing education is to apply for the pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida with the CE hours you have completed. Some of the steps you must follow at the time of application for pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida are as follows:
- The continuing education program must be approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy.
- Candidates must have completed a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education.
- Before you begin the license renewal application process, make sure that you meet the requirements set by the state to renew your pharmacy technician license.
- Complete the CE hours, record, and report it using the required tracking system.
- Make sure to apply for a pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida every 2 years.
- Submit all the required fees to further process your application to renew your pharmacy technician license.
Now that you are aware of the steps involved in earning the required continuing education hours in the state of Florida, let’s now discuss the steps involved in pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida.
Steps Involved in Pharmacy Technician License Renewal in Florida
In the state of Florida, a pharmacy technician’s license must be renewed once in every 2 years by completing the required continuing education hours from a board-approved provider. Let’s now discuss in detail about applying for the pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida.
STEP 1: VERIFY YOUR ELIGIBILITY
Before you begin the application process for a pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida, the very first step is to verify if you are eligible for the license renewal. Here are a few things you must consider before you apply for license renewal in Florida. They are,
- Candidates must make sure that their pharmacy technician license is active at the time they apply for license renewal.
- Before you begin with the application process, you must ensure that all the requirements set by the state of Florida for license renewal are met.
STEP 2: ELIGIBILITY FOR RENEWAL
Here are some of the eligibility requirements set by the state for the pharmacy technician license renewal:
- Candidates must have completed a minimum of 12 contact hours of continuing education in a board-approved place.
- Licensees must have completed their continuing education hours relevant to their professional work and practice as a pharmacy technician. It is a requirement set by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB).
- Applicants must ensure that their CE hours are correctly recorded and reported to the respective board in the state.
- Pharmacy technicians must renew their license regularly. If they fail to renew, their license will be placed in delinquent status. They will have to pay an additional fee to reactivate their licensure.
STEP 3: APPLY FOR RENEWAL
Once you have verified your eligibility, the next step is to apply for the pharmacy technician license renewal. Some steps to getting your pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida are as follows:
- You must visit the official website of the Florida Health Medical Quality Assurance, and go to the renew a license section.
- In the renew a license section, you will have to create an account by registering if you are a new user. If you are an existing user, you will have to login by providing all the necessary information correctly.
- After you have logged in, you will now be able to apply for a pharmacy technician license renewal on the official website.
- You must apply for a pharmacy technician license renewal at least 90 days prior to the expiration date.
STEP 4: PAY YOUR RENEWAL FEES
The next step is to pay all the required fees for the board to process your pharmacy technician license renewal application further. The fee details for a pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida are as follows:
- Active requesting inactive fee – $55.
- Active renewing active fee – $55.
- Inactive requesting active fee – $105.
- Inactive requesting inactive fee is $55.
STEP 5: RECEIVE YOUR RENEWED LICENSE
The last and final step to getting a pharmacy technician license renewal in Florida is to receive your renewed license. To check the status of your pharmacy technician license in the state of Florida, you must visit the license lookup page on the official website to learn more about your license status.
In general, the process of renewing your pharmacy technician license is that the printed license is sent via mail to your mailing address mentioned on the application. It takes about 7 to 10 business days for you to receive your renewed license.
Wrapping Up
CE helps all pharmacy technicians to learn and equip the skills and knowledge required to perform well at work. It also helps you stand out among your coworkers. You must make sure to record and keep track of your CE before you apply for license renewal. CE helps pharmacy technicians educate themselves with new information and practices being used in the pharmacy technician industry.
If you are interested in taking the PTCB exam or know someone who is planning to take the PTCB exam, make sure to refer to our free practice test to help you prepare.
