How to Apply

New Pharmacist Application

The licensing process is different if you are a new Samford/Auburn grad, new out-of-state grad, reciprocating, or foreign graduate. Please read the instructions below that pertain to you.


If you are a NEW Samford or Auburn grad:

  1. Go to the NABP website and download the Candidate Registration Bulletin.  This bulletin will tell you how to create your profile on the NABP website and how to register for the NAPLEX and MPJE.  Register for each of these tests.
  2. Complete the online pharmacist application on our website. Select “Samford/Auburn graduate” when filling out the application.
    • You will need to upload your birth certificate (or US passport if not born in the United States), driver’s license, and college affidavit.
    • The college affidavit can be found on our website here. It may be sent via mail or email by either your school of pharmacy or yourself directly (as long as it has the seal of your school).
    • If you plan to work in a pharmacy that handles controlled substances, you will also need to pay $100 for your controlled substance registration. It is required to have this if you work with controlled substances.
  3. Once we receive everything above and you graduate, the Board will send a notice to NABP stating that you are approved for testing (aka grant you eligibility).  NABP will then send you an Authorization to Test (ATT) number.  With the ATT number, you may contact the testing company and set up a time for your exams.  
  4. Board members will come to your pharmacy school to interview the P4 class as a whole. So, when you have passed both tests and have met with the Board, we will mail your license to you. 

If you are a NEW grad from an out-of-state pharmacy school:

  1. Go to the NABP website and download the Candidate Registration Bulletin.  This bulletin will tell you how to create your profile on the NABP website and how to register for the NAPLEX and MPJE.
    • If you plan for Alabama to be your primary license, register for the NAPLEX plus MPJE. If you don’t plan for Alabama to be your primary license, only register for the MPJE.
  2. Complete the online pharmacist application on our website. Select “Out-of-State/ Score Transfer” when filling out the application.
    • You will need to upload your birth certificate (or US passport if not born in the United States), driver’s license, and college affidavit.
    • The college affidavit can be found on our website under Pharmacist -> Forms. It may be sent via mail or email by either your school of pharmacy or yourself directly (as long as it has the seal of your school).
    • If you have not taken your NAPLEX yet but our application is requiring you to put a score down, just put N/A in the NAPLEX field or whatever allows you to proceed through the application. We will edit that on our end once you actually take your exam.
    • If you plan to work in a pharmacy that handles controlled substances, you will also need to pay $100 for your controlled substance registration. It is required to have this if you work with controlled substances.
  3. Once we receive everything above and you graduate, the Board will send a notice to NABP stating that you are approved for testing (aka grant you eligibility).  NABP will then send you an ATT number.  With the ATT, you may contact the testing company and set up a time for your NAPLEX and/or MPJE exam(s). 
  4. Once you have passed your exam(s), we will send you the date and time for your interview. 
  5. When you have passed your exam(s) and completed your interview, we will mail your license to you. 

Reciprocity – Follow these instructions if you are already a licensed pharmacist in another state.

  1. Go to the NABP website and complete the e-LTP application.
    • Save this application when you complete it, as it is required documentation to upload on the ALBOP pharmacist application.
  2. Go to the NABP website and apply to take the AL MPJE.
    • This is a separate form/application from the e-LTP. We will not be able to grant you eligibility until both of these are completed on NABP’s website.
  3. Complete the online pharmacist application on our website. Select “Reciprocity” when filling out the application.
    • You will need to upload your birth certificate (or US passport if not born in the United States), driver’s license, and NABP Reciprocity Application.
    • The confirmation email for the Reciprocity Application is not acceptable documentation. If you do not upload the actual e-LTP, this may delay processing your pharmacist application, as we will need to wait for NABP to upload that document into your profile.
    • If you plan to work in a pharmacy that handles controlled substances, you will also need to pay $100 for your controlled substance registration. It is required to have this if you work with controlled substances.
  4. Once you have completed both steps on NABP and have applied on the ALBOP website, your name will generate on NABP’s list of candidates requesting eligibility to take the exam.
  5. Once your eligibility is granted by ALBOP, NABP will send you an ATT number.  With the ATT, you may contact the testing company and set up a time for the MPJE exam. 
  6. Once you pass the MPJE, we will send you the date and time for your interview.
  7. When you have passed your exam and have met with the Board, we will mail your license to you. 

If you are a foreign graduate:

NOTICE:

  • Alabama law mandates that each applicant must be a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen, must be legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government. Code of Alabama 34-23-51.
  • All foreign graduates must have completed the FPGEC certification through NABP before applying for licensure in Alabama.

TO BEGIN:

  1. Complete the Pharmacist Application on our website.
  2. Go to NABP to apply for the exams. You will receive an authorization to test form from NABP.
  3. Call and set up appointment with the testing center.
  4. Pass the NAPLEX and MPJE
  5. You can then register for an intern/extern application on our website.
  6. Once given an intern number, you will be issued an intern license.
  7. When all hours are received, we will schedule you for an interview with the Board for licensure.

Reinstate

Pharmacists renew their licenses on even-numbered years. The deadline to renew your pharmacist license on time is December 31 of even-numbered years. Between January 1 and 31 of the following year, your renewal will be considered late, but you can still renew online. After January 31, the online renewal window will close, and you will need to email rtindle@albop.com for a reinstatement application.

Log in to Profile

Updating name? Please email rtindle@albop.com if you wish to change your name, along with supporting court documentation and either your driver’s license or social security card illustrating your official name change.

Duplicate License Request

When you first obtain your pharmacist license, you receive two forms of documentation.

  1. Your wall display license with expiration date and QR code. This one document serves as your pharmacist license and controlled substance permit (if purchased). It also contains a detachable mini pocket license. To request a duplicate copy of this license click here.
  2. Your engraved license is signed by each of our Board Members and is for decorative purposes only as it does not contain an expiration date. If you lose your engraved license unexpectedly, please use the same link above and type “engraved license” in the address field to request a duplicate copy. Please note, this license may take several weeks to arrive.

Certifications

Consultant

CLICK HERE FOR CONSULTANT CERTIFICATION APPLICATION

All persons serving as consultants shall be a pharmacist registered and licensed by the Alabama Board of Pharmacy. The consultant certification must be renewed every 2 years in alignment with your pharmacist license.

Initial course: Pharmacists must have taken the initial consultant certification course and have successfully completed an examination with a passing score of 75. The initial certification course shall be an 8-hour approved course consisting of the following subject matters:

  • Regulations and laws, both state and federal, pertaining to services provided by consultant pharmacists.
  • Policy and Procedures.
  • Administrative Responsibilities.
  • Professional Responsibilities.
  • Consultant Pharmacy Opportunities
  • History and Overview.
  • Drug Regimen Review.
  • Ethics in Consultant Pharmacy.
  • Impact of Consultant Pharmacy on the Total Healthcare System.
  • Drug Therapy/Disease State Monitoring.

Consultant CE Requirements: Consultants are required to complete 8 live hours that have been previously approved by the Board each renewal cycle.


Nuclear

CLICK HERE FOR NUCLEAR CERTIFICATION APPLICATION

All pharmacists engaged in the practice of nuclear pharmacy shall have training or shall have demonstrated previous training in the safe handling of radioactive pharmaceuticals. They must be registered with and certified by the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy. The nuclear certification must be renewed every 2 years in alignment with your pharmacist license.

A licensed pharmacist seeking to practice nuclear pharmacy in this state shall submit to ALBOP a certificate of training and a course outline from an accredited college of pharmacy, or other program recognized by the State of Alabama Department of Public Health, Radiological Health Branch and the Alabama Board of Pharmacy, and a certificate of such training which provides a minimum of 200 clock hours of formal didactic training. To satisfy the basic instruction requirement, 200 hours of classroom and laboratory training shall include:

  1. Radiation physics and instrumentation
  2. Radiation protection
  3. Mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity
  4. Radiation biology
  5. Radiopharmaceutical chemistry

The minimum on-the-job training which shall be included in a radio pharmacy internship is 500 hours of training and experience in the handling of unsealed radioactive material under the supervision of a licensed nuclear pharmacist. The training and experience shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

  1. Ordering, receiving and un-packaging radioactive material safely, including performing related radiation surveys.
  2. Calibrating dose calibrators, scintillation detectors, and radiation monitoring equipment.
  3. Calculating, preparing and verifying patient doses while maintaining radiation safety standards of shielding.
  4. Following appropriate internal control procedures to prevent mislabeling.
  5. Learning emergency procedures to handle and contain spilled materials safely, including related decontamination procedures and surveys.
  6. Eluting Technetium-99 from generator systems, assaying the eluate for technetium-99m, for molybdenum-99 contamination, and processing the eluate with reagent radiopharmaceuticals.
  7. Clinical practice concepts

Nuclear CE: Satisfactory completion of no less than 2 hours of CE prior to recertification earned in the previous calendar year related to nuclear pharmacy shall be required.


Parenteral

CLICK HERE FOR PARENTERAL CERTIFICATION APPLICATION

Who needs a parenteral certification?

All pharmacists licensed in Alabama engaged in compounding and dispensing of product which should be sterile, including cytotoxic agents, shall register each renewal cycle with the Board of Pharmacy in accordance with Code of Alabama §34-23-51,52 and AL Admin Rule 680-X-2-.19. After January 1, 1994, pharmacists who have not successfully completed a certifying course for sterile compounding approved by the Board, will not be registered as sterile compounding pharmacists until they have completed said certifying course.

What are the initial training requirements to obtain a parenteral certification?

Initial training: Programs submitted for certification shall be a minimum of 8 contact hours, including didactic and hands on experience. All programs certified by the Board shall require a written exam as a part of the training.

High risk: Pharmacists performing high risk sterile compounding shall complete an additional 4-hour Board approved high risk program.

What are the renewal training requirements to maintain my parenteral certification?

Renewal CE: All pharmacists approved by ALBOP as parenteral pharmacists must successfully complete 2 hours of CE approved by the Board, including didactic and hands on training each renewal cycle.

Who is responsible for making sure all employees have the correct parenteral certification, if required?

It shall be the responsibility of the supervising pharmacist to verify the parenteral certification of pharmacists involved in the preparation of parenteral products.

Once I’ve completed my renewal training, do I have to send it to ALBOP?

NO. You need to maintain documentation you completed your CE, but do not send it to ALBOP unless requested to provide it in the even you are selected for a CE audit (same process as general pharmacist CE).

How do I know what initial and renewal parenteral programs are Board approved?

To have your initial or renewal program approved, please email parenteral@albop.com with the subject line indicating facility name and whether you’re submitting for initial training or renewal training approval.

Below is the list of already approved training programs.

Initial:

  • American College of Apothecaries Comprehensive Sterile Compounding
  • Ascension St. Vincent’s East
  • ASHP Sterile Product Preparation Certificate Program (didactic only)
  • ASHP Practical Training in Compounding Sterile Preparations (didactic + hands-on)
  • Auburn HCOP
  • Austin Community College
  • Baptist Health
  • Cardinal Health
  • Children’s of Alabama
  • ContinuumRx
  • Crestwood Medical Center
  • Critical Point Sterile Compounding eLearning Curriculum (32 eLessons; didactic only; includes high risk)
  • DCH
  • DeKalb RMC
  • Diabetic Care Rx
  • East Alabama Health
  • Gadsden RMC
  • Georgia Board of Pharmacy Practical Exam (hands-on only)
  • Huntsville Hospital
  • Infirmary Health System
  • Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital
  • KPIC Aseptic Technique
  • Lakeland Community Hospital
  • LP3 Network | Achieving Best Practices: Sterile Compounding (includes high risk)
  • North Alabama Medical Center
  • North Alabama Specialty Hospital
  • Option Care
  • Optum
  • PCCA Sterility Assurance
  • Providence Hospital (Mobile, AL)
  • Riverview RMC
  • Samford University didactic + hands-on program (includes high risk)
  • Samford University hands-on program only
  • Southeast Health
  • Springhill Medical Center
  • Stokes Pharmacy
  • Pharmacy Education Resources National Sterile Compounding Course (partner with TSHP)
  • UAB
  • USA Health

Renewal:

  • ALSHP Annual Conference (didactic only)
  • Ascension St. Vincent’s Birmingham
  • Ascension SVHS
  • ASHP Compounding Sterile Preparations Competency Library (didactic only)
  • Athens Limestone Hospital
  • Auburn HCOP
  • Baptist Health
  • Brindley’s Vital Care
  • Brookwood Baptist Medical Center
  • Brookwood Princeton
  • Cardinal Health
  • Chemoteq Hazardous Compounding Aseptic Technique Verification Kit
  • Children’s of Alabama
  • ContinuumRx
  • Coram
  • Crestwood Medical Center
  • Cullman RMC
  • DCH RMC
  • Decatur Morgan Hospital (employees only)
  • DeKalb RMC
  • Diabetic Care Rx
  • EAMC Lanier
  • East Alabama Health
  • Evergreen Medical Center
  • FreeCE “Compounding Sterile Preparations- 2020 Update” (didactic only)
  • FreeCE “A Great Compounder is a Great Documenter” (didactic only)
  • FreeCE PharmCon “Make Sure it Adds Up! Basic Calculations for Sterile Compounding” (didactic only)
  • FreeCE PharmCon “Sterile Compounding- Navigating Revised USP <797>” (didactic only)
  • FreeCE PharmCon “USP 800: Where is it Bringing Us? And How Sterile are We Now?” (didactic only)
  • Flowers Hospital
  • Gadsden RMC
  • Helen Keller Hospital
  • Huntsville Hospital
  • Infirmary Health System
  • Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital
  • Jackson Hospital & Clinic
  • KabaFusion
  • Lakeland Community Hospital
  • Lawrence Medical Center
  • Marshall Medical Center
  • Medical Center Enterprise
  • North Alabama Medical Center
  • North Alabama Specialty Hospital
  • Northeast Alabama RMC
  • Northwest Regional Health
  • Omnicare of Huntsville
  • Omnicare of Prattville
  • Option Care Health
  • Optum
  • PharMerica Daphne
  • Providence Hospital (Mobile, AL)
  • Purdue University College of Pharmacy “USP General Chapter <825>” (didactic only, nuclear)
  • Renewal training led by Steve Milstead
  • Riverview RMC
  • Samford University
  • SeniorCare Pharmacy
  • Shelby Baptist Medical Center
  • Soleo Health
  • Southeast Health
  • Springhill Medical Center
  • Steve Milstead
  • Stokes Pharmacy
  • Stringfellow Memorial Hospital
  • TRC Healthcare (CriticalPoint and Pharmacist’s Letter)- didactic only
  • UAB
  • UAB Callahan Eye
  • Walker Baptist Medical Center

Preceptor

CLICK HERE FOR PRECEPTOR CERTIFICATION APPLICATION

In accordance with Section 34-23-73, in order to be approved as a preceptor, a Pharmacist must have been licensed to practice pharmacy for a minimum of 2 years and complete an initial 2-hour board approved preceptor training program.

All pharmacists who have been approved by ALBOP as a preceptor must complete a 2-hour training seminar for preceptors each renewal cycle or be approved by the School of Pharmacy for curriculum hours (a full-time faculty member of a school of pharmacy). Such training seminar shall have prior approval of the Board.

Please note that externship/internship may be acquired only under the supervision of a preceptor who may supervise no more than three (3) externs/interns at any one time.

Change of Supervising Pharmacist

Click here to submit change of supervising pharmacist. Note this must be completed by both incoming and outgoing pharmacist. Please use a desktop to complete the form, as it is not compatible with mobile devices.

Collaborative Practice

Looking to do test-to-treat at your pharmacy?

Review the test-to-treat protocol and submit any questions to anolen@albop.com.

Know Before You Collaborate

  • The Board of Pharmacy and Board of Medical Examiners (BME) jointly approve applications for collaborative practice between physicians and pharmacists.
  • The collaborative practice agreement specifies the duties to be performed, documentation & communication between providers, quality assurance plans, and other details.
  • ALBOP and BME have jointly created both a standard protocol and standard formulary that outline typical care and services to be provided by a physician/pharmacist collaboration.
  • If a submitted CPA lists care and services that fall outside the standard protocol or standard formulary, that CPA will be sent to the Joint Committee for recommendation of approval. The Joint Committee is comprised of two ALBOP Board members and two BME Board members. The collaborative practice managers of each Board will also be present during Joint Committee meetings but will not be voting members.
  • CPAs are to be renewed every 2 years, and notification of termination is required within 10 days.
  • Amendments to the Authorized Care and Services section (which establish substantive additions or reductions to the scope of patient care services provided under the Agreement, including new therapeutic classes of drugs added to the authorized Formulary) must be provided to ALBOP and BME no later than 10 days from the date the amendment is signed by the parties.
  • No retail pharmacy may employ a physician for the purpose of maintaining, establishing, or entering into a collaborative practice agreement. Nothing shall prohibit a retail pharmacy from hiring a physician or licensed medical practitioner for the purpose of conducting quality assurance reviews of its pharmacists that are engaged in the practice of collaborative drug therapy.

How to Apply

  • To submit a CPA, please complete the Collaborative Practice Application located under Forms.
  • The Collaborative Practice Application includes a coversheet of all required items to submit, the standard protocol, and standard formulary. The protocol will walk you through the necessary steps if the pharmacist’s scope of practice falls outside the standard protocol/formulary.

Qualifications

  • Qualifications for Pharmacists
    • Active, unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in Alabama
    • Active, unrestricted Alabama Controlled Substance certificate issued by ALBOP
    • If the pharmacist is providing services in a facility permitted pursuant to § 34-23-30 only, the pharmacy must maintain an active unrestricted pharmacy permit and DEA registration
    • Paid all collaborative practice fees
  • Qualifications for Physicians
    • Active, unrestricted license to practice medicine in Alabama
    • Active, unrestricted Alabama Controlled Substance certificate issued by BME
    • Shall have practiced medicine for at least 3 years OR 1 year if the physician is certified by a specialty board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (AOABOS)
    • Paid all collaborative practice fees

Forms


Fees

  • The fee for a new CPA is $300 to BME and $100 to ALBOP.
  • The fee for renewing a CPA is $200 to BME and $50 to ALBOP.

Continuing Education

Pharmacists are required to obtain 30 hours of CE each renewal cycle, with 6 of those 30 hours being live. “Live” means it can be in-person or virtual, but it cannot be a pre-recorded CE.  In order to receive credit, the CE shall be previously approved by the Board or be ACPE-approved. Any requests for approval of CE shall be submitted to the Board no less than thirty (30) calendar days prior to offering of the CE. A condition of approval shall be that the CE is pertinent to the practice of pharmacy. However, this requirement shall not apply to ACPE or ACCME approved continuing education courses for which a program number is available.

If you obtain your initial license in 2023, you are required to obtain 15 hours (3 of those 15 being live). If you obtain your initial license in 2024, you are NOT required to obtain any CE for that renewal cycle.

Attendees of board meetings, in person or virtually, may now receive CE credit. Please see process below to submit for credit.

  • Full name must be displayed on Webex, and you must sign in individually.
  • To claim your credit, you will need to complete a SignUpGenius survey. SignUpGenius link can be found on the website under About Us → Board Meetings → Claim CE Credit.
  • The passcode will be available during executive session and CLOSE at 11:59 pm the day after the board meeting.
  • Once SignUpGenius is completed, you will receive a confirmation email with details. Please retain this email for your CE records.
  • Each meeting is worth 1 live hour. You must be present the entirety of the meeting in order to claim credit.
  • Pharmacists can receive a max of 3 live hours/year for attending a Board meeting.
  • Technicians can receive a max of 1 live hour/year for attending a Board meeting.

Proof of US and Non-US Citizenship

If you ARE a U.S. Citizen

ONE of these items listed below.

  • Alabama Driver’s License or Identification
  • Driver’s License from other state that required proof of lawful presence
  • Birth Certificate indicating US birth
  • Valid US Passport
  • Military Identification showing US as place of birth
  • Naturalization documents
  • Certificate of citizenship
  • Consular report of birth abroad of US citizen
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs identification
  • American Indian Card issued by Homeland Security
  • Final adoption decree showing person’s name and place of US birth
  • A valid Uniformed Services Privileges and Identification Card
  • Extract from a United States hospital record of birth created at the time of person’s birth
  • Indicating the place of birth in the United States
  • Certification of birth issued by US Department of State

If you are NOT a U.S Citizen

ONE of these items listed below.

  • I-327 Re-entry Permit
  • I-551 Refugee Resident Card (copy front and back)
  • I-571 Refugee Travel Document
  • I-766 Employment Authorization Card (copy front and back)
  • I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
  • Unexpired Foreign Passport
  • Temporary I-551 Stamp (on passport or I-94)
  • i-20 Certificate of Eligibility for non-immigrant (F-1) student status
  • DS 2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) status
  • Machine-readable immigrant VISA (with temporary I-551 language