What is a Pharmacy Technician?

IC 25-26-19:  Regulation of Pharmacy Technicians
856 IAC 1-35:  Pharmacy Technicians

A pharmacy technician is an individual, licensed by the Indiana Board of Pharmacy, who works under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist and assists the pharmacist in the technical and nonjudgmental functions related to the practice of pharmacy in the processing of prescriptions and drug orders.  The pharmacist is responsible for the work performed by the pharmacy technician. 

A pharmacy technician cannot legally work in the State of Indiana unless they have received their “blue card” license from the Board; an individual who knowingly practices as a pharmacy technician without being licensed commits a Class D felony.

Prohibited activities

1. providing advice or consultation with the prescribing practitioner regarding the patient or the interpretation and application of information contained in the prescription or drug order, medical record, or patient profile;
2. providing advice or consultation with the patient regarding the interpretation of the prescription or the application of information contained in the patient profile or medical record;
3. dispensing prescription drug information to the patient;
4. final check on all aspects of completed prescription, including appropriateness of drug and accuracy of the drug dispensed, strength of the drug dispensed, and labeling of the prescription; 
5. receiving a new prescription over telephone or electronically unless original information is recorded so a pharmacist may review it (refill approval or denial is OK);
6. any activity required by law to be performed only by a pharmacist;
7. any activity that requires clinical judgment of a pharmacist.

Identification in Pharmacy

The public must be able to distinguish between a pharmacist and pharmacy technician.  A pharmacy technician shall wear identification stating they are a pharmacy technician and they must identify themselves verbally in any telephone or electronic communication as a pharmacy technician. The pharmacy technician is required to also post their license ("blue card") in the same location as the pharmacists’ licenses.

Records Required

A record of the pharmacy technician training and education must be maintained in the pharmacy where the technician is employed and shall include the following:

1. the name of the technician; 
2. the starting date of employment as a pharmacy technician;
3. the starting date of the technician training program;
4. the completion date of the training program or proof of passing the board approved certification examination, if successfully completed;
5. a copy of the training manual, if on-the-job training is used by the employer, or certificate of successful completion of another approved program, or other training program completed prior to employment.

The Technician Training Program

The contents of the training program include specific training in duties required to assist a pharmacist in the technical functions associated with the practice of pharmacy, and shall include, at a minimum, the following:

1. understanding the duties and responsibilities of the technician and the pharmacist, including the standards of patient confidentiality and ethics governing pharmacy practice;
2. tasks and technical skills, policies, and procedures related to the technician's position;
3. working knowledge of the pharmaceutical-medical terminology, abbreviations, and symbols commonly used in prescriptions and drug orders;
4. working knowledge of the general storage, packaging, and labeling requirements of drugs, prescriptions, or drug orders;
5. ability to perform the arithmetic calculations required for the usual dosage determinations;
6. working knowledge and understanding of the essential functions related to drug purchasing and inventory control; and
7. the record keeping functions associated with prescriptions and drug orders.