Connecticut General Statutes 20-600 – Continuing education: Requirements; renewal of licenses; regulations
(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), (f) and (g) of this section, the commission shall not authorize the department to renew a license to practice pharmacy as a pharmacist unless the pharmacist applying for the renewal submits a statement signed under the penalty of false statement that the pharmacist has satisfactorily completed not less than fifteen contact hours of accredited continuing professional education in the previous calendar year immediately preceding expiration of the license. Not less than five contact hours of the annual continuing education requirement shall be earned by attendance at a live presentation of an accredited continuing professional education program. At least one of the fifteen contact hours shall be on the subject matter of pharmacy law or drug law.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 20-600
- Commission: means the Commission of Pharmacy appointed under the provisions of section 20-572. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Consumer Protection. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
- Department: means the Department of Consumer Protection. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
- Drug: means (A) an article recognized in the official United States Pharmacopoeia, official Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States or official National Formulary, or any supplement to any of them, (B) an article intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease in humans or other animals, (C) an article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or any other animal, and (D) an article intended for use as a component of any article specified in this subdivision, but does not include a device. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
- Pharmacist: means an individual who is licensed to practice pharmacy under the provisions of section 20-590, 20-591, 20-592 or 20-593, and who is thereby recognized as a health care provider by the state of Connecticut. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
- Pharmacy: means a place of business where drugs and devices may be sold at retail and for which a pharmacy license has been issued to an applicant under the provisions of section 20-594. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
- to practice pharmacy: means the sum total of knowledge, understanding, judgments, procedures, securities, controls and ethics used by a pharmacist to assure optimal safety and accuracy in the distributing, dispensing and use of drugs and devices. See Connecticut General Statutes 20-571
(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a pharmacist who applies for the first year of a license to practice pharmacy.
(c) A pharmacist submitting an application for renewal of a license to practice pharmacy, whose license has lapsed and who has not held a license authorized by the commission and issued by the department for more than two years, shall submit a statement signed under the penalty of false statement that the pharmacist has satisfactorily completed the requirements of this section in each of the years in the two-year period prior to the year of the application for renewal.
(d) A pharmacist who applies for renewal of a license to practice pharmacy shall retain all certificates of approved continuing education units for a period of not less than three years after the date on which such license is renewed. A pharmacist shall, upon the request of the department, and to satisfy the results of a random audit, make such certificates available to the department for purposes of verification.
(e) Continuing education units earned in one calendar year shall not be carried forward into the next calendar year for the purpose of fulfilling the subsequent year’s accredited continuing professional education requirement for license renewal.
(f) A pharmacist who was unable to comply with the requirements of this section for reasons such as illness, incapacity or other extenuating circumstances may apply for a waiver of the requirements of this section or for an extension of time to fulfill the requirements of this section. A pharmacist who requests such a waiver or extension of time shall submit the request, in writing, to the department with the license renewal application. The department shall forward such a request to the commission for its consideration. If the commission waives the requirements of this section, the commission shall authorize the department to renew the license of such a pharmacist. If the commission extends the time for compliance with the requirements of this section, the commission shall authorize the department to renew the license, subject to the pharmacist’s complying with the requirements of this section within the extended time period. If the pharmacist fails to comply with such requirements within the extended time period, the commission shall revoke or suspend the license.
(g) The commission may authorize the department to waive the requirements of this section and renew the license of a retired pharmacist provided the license is designated as an inactive license. A retired pharmacist holding an inactive license shall be required to obtain thirty hours of continuing education, not less than ten hours of which shall be earned by attendance at a live presentation, and apply for and receive a license to practice pharmacy issued pursuant to sections 20-570 to 20-630, inclusive, before the retired pharmacist reenters the active practice of pharmacy.
(h) The commissioner, with the advice and assistance of the commission, may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to carry out the provisions of this section.