Registered Pharmacy Technician

To obtain a Registered Pharmacy Technician license in Florida, an individual must meet the following requirements pursuant to Section 465.014, Florida Statutes:

1. Board-Approved Training Program: Applicants must have completed a Board of Pharmacy approved pharmacy technician training program. Please note that the completion of a Board-approved training program is statutorily required. Statutory requirements cannot be waived or petitioned.
2. Age: Applicants must be at least seventeen (17) years of age.

The following entities offer Board of Pharmacy approved pharmacy technician training programs. Below are links to external websites of these approved programs for your reference. For questions about navigating the listed websites and the programs that have been accredited or approved by one of the following, please contact the organization directly.

• Pharmacy technician training program accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency; a regional or national institutional accrediting agency; or a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of the United States Department of Education;
• Pharmacy technician training program accredited by an accrediting agency whose accreditation establishes eligibility to participate in the Title IV student financial assistance program administered by United States Department of Education
• Pharmacy technician training programs within the public-school system of the State of Florida that comply with the Florida Department of Education Curriculum Framework for Pharmacy Technician (2018-2019), program number H170500; which is incorporated herein by reference and which can be obtained at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-10356 or https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/18567/urlt/H170500-1819.rtf.

• Pharmacy technician training program provided by a branch of the federal armed services shall be whether the curriculum of such course was developed on or before June 1, 2018.
• Pharmacy technician training programs accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
• Pharmacy technician training programs at institutions accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
• Pharmacy technician training programs at institutions accredited by the Council on Occupational Education.
• Pharmacy technician training programs approved by the Florida Commission for Independent Education (CIE).

Many employer-based and non-employer-based programs are also Board approved. You may verify the status of your employer-based or non-employer-based Registered Pharmacy Technician Training Program by visiting  www.flhealthsource.gov and performing the license verification search function.

Please note that the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) certification cannot be used in lieu of the completion of a Board-approved training program.

Applicants with prior disciplinary actions are required to submit the following:

Board Actions – Certified copies of document(s), i.e. Final Order and Administrative Complaint, relative to any disciplinary action taken against any license. The documents must come from the agency that took the disciplinary action and must be certified by that agency.

Self-Explanation – A detailed description of the circumstances surrounding your disciplinary action and a thorough description of the rehabilitative changes in your lifestyle since the time of the disciplinary action which would enable you to avoid future occurrences. It would be helpful to include factors in your life, which you feel may have contributed to your disciplinary action, what you have learned about yourself since that time, and the changes you have made that support your rehabilitation.

If a “Yes” response was provided to any of the questions in this section, provide the following documents directly to the board office:

A letter from a licensed health care practitioner, who is qualified by skill and training to address the condition identified, which explains the impact the condition may have on the ability to practice the profession with reasonable skill and safety. The letter must specify that the applicant is safe to practice the profession without restrictions or specifically indicate the restrictions that are necessary. Documentation provided must be dated within one year of the application date.

A written self-explanation, identifying the medical condition(s) or occurrence(s); and current status.

Applicants with prior criminal convictions are required to submit the following:

Final Dispositions/Arrest Records – Final disposition records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Completion of Probation/Parole/Sanctions – Probation and financial sanction records for offenses can be obtained at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. Parole records for offenses can be obtained from the Department of Corrections or at the clerk of the court in the arresting jurisdiction. If the records are not available, you must have a letter on court letterhead sent from the clerk of the court attesting to their unavailability.

Self-Explanation – Applicants who have listed offenses on the application must submit a letter in their own words describing the circumstances of the offense. Include in your letter the date of the original offense, the charge, and the jurisdiction where it occurred.

To review the conviction record guidelines adopted by the Board, click here.

Effective July 1, 2012, Section 456.0635, Florida Statutes (F.S.), provides that health care boards or the department shall refuse to issue a license, certificate or registration and shall refuse to admit a candidate for examination if the applicant:

1. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under Chapter 409, F.S., (relating to social and economic assistance), Chapter 817, F.S., (relating to fraudulent practices), Chapter 893, F.S., (relating to drug abuse prevention and control) or a similar felony offense(s) in another state or jurisdiction unless the candidate or applicant has successfully completed a drug court program for that felony and provides proof that the plea has been withdrawn or the charges have been dismissed. Any such conviction or plea shall exclude the applicant or candidate from licensure, examination, certification, or registration, unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or plea ended:
   1. For the felonies of the first or second degree, more than 15 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
   2. For the felonies of the third degree, more than 10 years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
   3. For the felonies of the third degree under section 893.13(6)(a), F.S., more than five years from the date of the plea, sentence and completion of any subsequent probation;
2. Has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a felony under 21 U.S.C. ss. 801-970 (relating to controlled substances) or 42 U.S.C. ss. 1395-1396 (relating to public health, welfare, Medicare and Medicaid issues), unless the sentence and any subsequent period of probation for such conviction or pleas ended more than 15 years prior to the date of the application;
3. Has been terminated for cause from the Florida Medicaid program pursuant to section 409.913, F.S., unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with the Florida Medicaid program for the most recent five years;
4. Has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the appeals procedures established by the state or Federal Government, from any other state Medicaid program, unless the candidate or applicant has been in good standing with a state Medicaid program for the most recent five years and the termination occurred at least 20 years before the date of the application;
5. Is currently listed on the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities. The section above does not apply to candidates or applicants for initial licensure or certification who were enrolled in an educational or training program on or before July 1, 2009, which was recognized by a board or, if there is no board, recognized by the department, and who applied for licensure after July 1, 2012.

Current licenses will expire at midnight, Eastern Time, on December 31, 2024.

To ensure you receive your renewal notification from the department, your current mailing address must be on file. Failure to renew an active or inactive license by the expiration date will result in the license being placed in delinquent status. Failure by a delinquent licensee to become clear and active or clear and inactive before the expiration of the current licensure cycle renders the license null and void without any further action by the board or the department.

Licensees requesting to reactivate their license from inactive or retired status are required to pay additional fees and comply with specific continuing education requirements. Please contact the board office at info@floridaspharmacy.gov to request your reactivation requirements.

A licensee who remains on inactive status for more than two consecutive biennial licensure cycles and who wishes to reactivate the license may be required to demonstrate the competency to resume active practice by sitting for a special purpose examination or by completing other reactivation requirements.

The department will renew your license upon receipt of:

1. Completed CE requirements – reported to CE Broker
2. Completed renewal application
3. Required fees

To receive an exemption from the renewal requirements, please provide a copy of your orders which provides the beginning and end date of your current enlistment or a copy of your spouse’s orders. If you are a Commissioned Officer, you may provide a letter from your commanding officer that reflects the length of your contract with a beginning and end date to fulfill this requirement.

1. Retire – If you are not practicing in Florida and wish to place your license in “retired” status during the renewal period, you may do so online through the MQA Services Portal by submitting an application and paying a one-time $55 fee. The retired license will remain in a dormant state and can be reactivated by the licensee if needed.
2. Voluntarily Relinquish – If you no longer wish to hold your license, you may request to voluntarily relinquish your license. Submit a formal request in writing to the Board. After the relinquishment of the license, the license number is discontinued and cannot be reactivated.
3. Delinquent & Null/Void – If no action (renewal application and fees paid) is taken on your license prior to the expiration date, your license will be placed in “delinquent, active” state. After not renewing for two cycles, your license will be deemed null and void. Once a license is null and void, the license cannot be reactivated.