2024 West Virginia Code
Chapter 30. Professions and Occupations
Article 5. Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Interns and Pharmacies
§30-5-12. Scope Practice for Registered Pharmacy Technician
(a) A registered pharmacy technician shall, under the direct supervision of the licensed pharmacist, perform at a minimum the following:
(1) Assist in the dispensing process;
(2) Receive new written or electronic prescription drug orders;
(3) Compound;
(4) Stock medications;
(5) Complete a list of a patients current prescription and nonprescription medications to provide for medication reconciliation;
(6) Supervise registered pharmacy technicians and pharmacy technician trainees;
(7) Medical records screening;
(8) Administer immunizations, as provided by legislative rule; and
(9) Perform pharmacy technician product verification, where no clinical judgment is necessary and the pharmacist makes the final verification; if the registered pharmacy technician furnishes to the Board an affidavit signed and dated by the supervising pharmacist-in-charge of the facility which will employee the applicant attesting to the applicants competency in the advanced areas of practice that he or she will practice; and has either:
(A) Worked as a full-time registered pharmacy technician holding a pharmacy technician endorsement in West Virginia for at least the previous two years; or
(B) Worked as a full-time registered pharmacy technician holding a pharmacy technician license in good standing in another jurisdiction for at least the previous two years.
(b) A registered pharmacy technician may perform the following under indirect supervision of a licensed pharmacist:
(1) Process medical coverage claims; and
(2) Cashier.
(c) A registered pharmacy technician may not perform the following:
(1) Drug regimen review;
(2) Clinical conflict resolution;
(3) Contact a prescriber concerning prescription drug order clarification or therapy modification;
(4) Patient counseling;
(5) Dispense process validation;
(6) Prescription transfer;
(7) Receive new oral prescription drug orders;
(8) An act within the practice of pharmacist care that involves discretion or independent professional judgment; or
(9) A function which the registrant has not been trained and the function has not been specified in a written protocol with competency established.
(d) Indirect supervision of a registered pharmacy technician is permitted to allow a pharmacist to take one break of no more than 30 minutes during any contiguous eight-hour period. The pharmacist may leave the pharmacy area but may not leave the building during the break. When a pharmacist is on break, a pharmacy technician may continue to prepare prescriptions for the pharmacist(s verification. A prescription may not be delivered until the pharmacist has verified the accuracy of the prescription, and counseling, if required, has been provided to or refused by the patient.
(e) A pharmacy that permits indirect supervision of a pharmacy technician during a pharmacist(s break shall have either an interactive voice response system or a voice mail system installed on the pharmacy phone line in order to receive new prescription orders and refill authorizations during the break.
(f) The pharmacy shall establish protocols that require a registered pharmacy technician to interrupt the pharmacists break if an emergency arises.
(g) A registered pharmacy technician who has obtained a nuclear pharmacy technician endorsement, may under the direct supervision of the licensed nuclear pharmacist, perform the following:
(1) Assist in the dispensing process;
(2) Receive new written or electronic prescription drug orders;
(3) Mix compound ingredients for liquid products, suspensions, ointments, mixes, or blend for tablet granulations and capsule powders;
(4) Prepare radiopharmaceuticals;
(5) Record keeping;
(6) File and organize prescriptions;
(7) Create reports;
(8) Inventory tasks;
(9) Handle raw materials and intermediate or finished products;
(10) Perform general maintenance as required on pumps, homogenizers, filter presses, tablet compression machines, and other like machines;
(11) Perform standard operating procedures to meet current good manufacturing practices (GMP);
(12) Maintain records;
(13) Monitor and verify quality in accordance with statistical process or other control procedures; and
(14) Stock medications.
(h) A registered pharmacy technician who has obtained a nuclear pharmacy technician endorsement may not perform the following:
(1) Drug regimen review;
(2) Clinical conflict resolution;
(3) Contact a prescriber concerning prescription drug order clarification or therapy modification;
(4) Receive new oral prescription drug orders.
