Alabama Board of Pharmacy Approved Continuing Education Details

PLEASE NOTE: Effective January 1, 2011, ONLY ACPE programs or courses may be used to satisfy Continuing Education requirements. This includes programs for Pharmacists and Technicians. Consultant, Preceptor, and Parenteral Certification require training that has been approved by the Board prior to the event and may be submitted to obtain or renew the certificate whether ACPE approved or not. However, unless ACPE approves the program it cannot count toward mandatory CE hours.

CPE Monitor Service

Electronic transmission of continuing pharmacy education (CPE) data is now live through the CPE Monitor™ service. Nearly 50 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)accredited CPE providers have already transitioned their systems to transmit data and are now requiring licensees to submit their National Association ofBoards ofPharmacy® (NABp®) e-Profile ID and date of birth (MMDD) in order to obtain CPE credit.

The CPE data exchange currently occurs several times a day between NABP and ACPE in order to update records in the NABP e-Profiles to coincide with the data uploaded by the CPE providers. As additional ACPE-accredited providers transition their systems, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will be able to begin viewing their CPE contact hours online through their NABP e-Profile. It is important that licensees set up their e-Profiles and obtain their e-Profile IDs if they have not done so already in order to avoid delays in CPE recording and ensure a seamless transition to electronic tracking. Soon all ACPE-accredited CPE providers will require the eProfile ID along with each licensee’s date of birth (MMDD) in order to receive credit for ACPE accredited CPE activities.

The streamlined CPE Monitor process will eventually eliminate the need for hard-copy statements ofCPE credit for activities taken from ACPE-accredited providers. Anticipated to be operational in 2013, this paperless process will give the state boards of pharmacy access to an online registry of their licensees’ completed CPE credits allowing them to conduct their audits electronically, and will enable the boards, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians to more easily monitor compliance with CPE requirements. Licensees will also have the capability to print a statement from their NABP e-Profile containing the CPE data transmitted to NABP by ACPE for licensing jurisdictions that may require paper documentation to be submitted.

To date, more than 142,000 pharmacists and 62,000 pharmacy technicians have set up their NABP e-Profiles to prepare for the shift to electronic tracking of all ACPE-accredited CPE units. Individuals can find more information on CPE Monitor and set up their e-Profiles by visiting www.MyCPEmonitor.net.

Continuing Education Requirements

(CE) Continuing Education must meet the following requirements:Technicians

  • CE must be approved by ACPE.
  • 3 CE Hours for 2012 and 3 CE Hours for 2013; A Technician must complete at least one (1) hour of “Live” CE through attendance at a course(s) every year. Attendance shall mean participation in any course where real-time interaction with the presenter is possible. Technicians must also complete two (2) non-live hours approved by ACPE every year.
  • The ACPE code must end in the letter “T” to be accepted. If it ends in the letter “P” this is for PHARMACISTS, NOT TECHNICIANS and will not count towards the required hours. If it is a “Live” CE it must have an “L” in the approval code as shown in the example below.
    Example: 000-000-00-000- L05-T

Pharmacists

  • CE must be approved by ACPE.
  • A Pharmacist must complete at least 15 CE Hours per year. A minimum of three (3) of the 15 hours every year must be “Live CE” through attendance at a course(s). Attendance shall mean participation in any course where real-time interaction with the presenter is possible. The remaining (12) hours may be either live or self-study continuing education.
  • The ACPE code must end in the letter “P” to be accepted. If it ends in the letter “T” this is for TECHNICIANS, NOT PHARMACISTS and will not count towards the required hours. If it is a “Live” CE it must have an “L” in the approval code as shown in the example below.
    Example: 000-000-00-000- L05-P

ACPE Program Update

PLEASE NOTE: Effective January 1, 2011, ONLY ACPE programs or courses may be used to satisfy Continuing Education requirements. This includes programs for Pharmacists and Technicians. Consultant, Preceptor, and Parenteral Certification require training that has been approved by the Board prior to the event and may be submitted to obtain or renew the certificate whether ACPE approved or not. However, unless ACPE approves the program it cannot count toward mandatory CE hours.

External Links For Continuing Education

  • www.pharmacy.auburn.edu – Auburn University. Harrison School of Pharmacy Continuing Education Opportunities.
  • www.samford.edu – Samford University, McWhorter School of Pharmacy Continuing Education Continuing education is an important aspect of any pharmacist’s career. The McWhorter School of Pharmacy offers CE courses in person and online.
  • www.FreeCe.com – Provides free, live, ACPE provider approved webinars on various topics, which fulfills requirements for live continuing education credit. This site also has written CE monographs and archived CE programs for home study credit for pharmacists and technicians.
  • www.aparx.org – Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA), offers continuing education programs for pharmacists and technicians, and members take a leading role in lobbying for pharmacy at the state and national level. The APA was established in 1881 and is the oldest professional organization for pharmacy in the state.
  • www.rxschool.com – Opportunities for free, live, ACPE approved continuing education.
  • www.adph.org/pharmacyunit – Alabama Department of Public Health Pharmacy Division
  • www.ncpanet.org – Contains continuing education from America’s Pharmacist. Allows for electronic submission or you can download the information and fax or mail it to them.
  • www.drugtopics.com – Provides continuing education from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. Allows for electronic filing or the material may be printed off and mailed or faxed. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for downloading.
  • www.pharmacytimes.com/continuing-education -Accredited by ACPE, Pharmacy Times Office of Continuing Professional Education (PTOCPE) provides accredited live and home-study CE activities. Many of PTOCPE’s activities are no fee and cover a wide range of topics. Sign up for a PTOCPE account and receive monthly updates to help keep you informed of the latest information for today’s practicing pharmacist.
  • www.coreynahman.com – Provides links to various free and for a fee continuing education.
  • www.rxconsultant.com – Save time, stay current, and earn CE. You can rely on The Rx Consultant to deliver practical easy-reading updates on drugs & therapy for front-line pharmacists and nurses.
  • www.betterdiabetescare.nih.gov/CE.htm – The National Diabetes Education Program is now offering continuing education credits for healthcare professionals through the Better Diabetes Care website. It is excellent information and a great opportunity. A $10 fee will cover up to 10 CE/CME per year.
  • https://webapp.walgreens.com/cePharmacy/ – Walgreens and Walgreens Health Initiatives are dedicated to the ongoing training of pharmacists and technicians. We are pleased to offer you a variety of online opportunities to earn FREE continuing education (CE) credit hours that meet the approval of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
  • http://www.acpe-accredit.org/pdfwebtool/plan/SearchPLAN.aspx – American Council on Pharmaceutical Education State Search.
  • www.pharmacistletter.com – Provide ACPE accredited CE for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the U.S. and Canada.