2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 131
BY SENATOR MILLS
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 37:1202(A), (B)(4), and (C) and 1203(A) and to enact R.S.
3 37:1202(D), relative to licensing requirements for pharmacists; to provide for
4 qualifications to obtain a license; to provide for the expiration of examination scores;
5 to provide for a timeline to issue a license; to provide for qualifications for
6 reciprocity; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 37:1202(A), (B)(4), and (C) and 1203(A) are hereby amended and
9 reenacted and R.S. 37:1202(D) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §1202. Qualifications for licensure by examination
11 A. Qualifications. To obtain a license to engage in the practice of pharmacy,
12 an applicant for licensure by examination shall:
13 (1) Be at least twenty-one years of age.
14 (2) Be of good moral character and temperate habits.
15 (3) Meet one of the following educational requirements:
16 (a) Have graduated and received a professional degree from an approved
17 college of pharmacy.
18 (b) Have graduated from a foreign college of pharmacy, completed a
19 transcript verification program, taken and passed a college of pharmacy equivalency
20 examination program, and completed a process of communication ability testing as
21 defined by the board in order to assure that the applicant meets the standards
ACT No. 31
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1 necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare.
2 (4) Supply proof, substantiated by proper affidavits, of Have completed a
3 minimum of one year of service and professional experience through an internship
4 or other program that has been approved by the board under the supervision of a
5 licensed pharmacist, which service shall be predominantly related to the provision
6 of pharmacy primary care and the dispensing of drugs and medical supplies, the
7 compounding of prescriptions, and the keeping of records and the making of reports
8 as required under state and federal law.
9 (5) Have submitted to the board an application, in the time frame and form
10 prescribed by the board by regulation. Have passed all examinations required by
11 the board.
12 (6) Have paid fees specified by the board for the examination, and issuance
13 of the license, certificate, or registration and any related materials.
14 (7) Have passed an examination or examinations required by the board.
15 Have submitted to the board a completed application form supplied by the
16 board.
17 (8) Have completed a criminal history record check as authorized by R.S.
18 37:1216.
19 B. Examinations.
20 * * *
21 (4) An applicant who takes and satisfactorily completes any board required
22 examinations shall become licensed within one year of the examination dates or the
23 results of the examinations shall become invalid. Examination scores shall expire
24 one year after the date of the examination. Expired scores shall not be valid for
25 licensure.
26 * * *
27 C. Internship and other training programs.
28 (1) All applicants for licensure by examination shall obtain practical
29 professional experience in the practice of pharmacy concurrent with attending or
30 after graduation from an approved college of pharmacy, or both, under such terms
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1 and conditions as determined by regulation.
2 (2) The board shall establish such licensure requirements for pharmacy
3 interns and standards for internship, or any other experiential program necessary to
4 qualify an applicant for the licensure examination, and shall also determine the
5 qualifications of preceptors pharmacists or other practitioners used in practical
6 professional experience programs as determined by regulation.
7 D. Upon successful completion of the requirements of Subsections A, B,
8 and C of this Section, the board shall issue a license to the pharmacist within
9 fourteen working days.
10 §1203. Qualifications for reciprocity
11 A. In order for a pharmacist currently licensed in another jurisdiction to
12 obtain a license as a pharmacist by reciprocity in this state, an applicant shall:
13 (1) Have attained the age of twenty-one years.
14 (2) Have good moral character and be of temperate habits.
15 (3) Have possessed at the time of initial licensure as a pharmacist all
16 qualifications necessary to have been eligible for licensure at that time in this state.
17 (4) Have engaged in the practice of pharmacy for a period of at least one year
18 or have met the internship requirements of this state within the one year period
19 immediately previous to the date of such application.
20 (5) Have submitted an application in the form prescribed by the board.
21 (6) Have presented to the board evidence of initial licensure by examination
22 and evidence that such license is in good standing active status.
23 (7)(5) Have presented to the board evidence of any disciplinary, criminal, or
24 other adverse action, including arrests taken against him by another licensing
25 jurisdiction, government agency, law enforcement agency, or court. Such action may
26 serve as grounds for the denial of reciprocity to an applicant.
27 (6) Have passed all examinations required by the board.
28 (8)(7) Have paid the fees specified by the board to defray the expenses of
29 making an investigation of his character, general reputation, and licensure the status
30 in the state in which he has resided of his original and all subsequently acquired
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1 pharmacist licenses.
2 (9)(8) Have passed all examinations required by the board. Have submitted
3 a completed application form supplied by the board.
4 * * *
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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