Immunization Administration Certification

The requirements are as follows and can be found in Section 465.189, Florida Statute.

Requirements for Pharmacist Immunization Administration Certification.

To become certified to administer immunizations and epinephrine, a PHARMACIST must meet the following requirements:

1. Must hold a Florida pharmacist license that is active and in good standing.
2. Must successfully complete an immunization administration certification program of no fewer than 20 hours, approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy.
3. Must enter into a protocol under a supervisory practitioner who is a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, F.S.
4. Must maintain at least $200,000 of professional liability insurance.
5. Must obtain written permission from the pharmacy owner, if the applicant is to administer immunizations while acting as an employee of a pharmacy.
6. Once certified, must report immunizations administered to the state registry of immunization information, Florida SHOTS.

For information on how to batch upload this data, please visit the Florida SHOTS website.

Requirements for Registered Pharmacy Intern Immunization Administration Certification.

To become certified to administer immunizations and epinephrine, a REGISTERED PHARMACY INTERN must meet the following requirements:

1. Must hold a pharmacy intern registration that is active and in good standing.
2. Must successfully complete an immunization administration certification program of no fewer than 20 hours, approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy.
3. Must be directly supervised by a licensed pharmacist whose license is clear and active and who is also certified to administer vaccines. The supervision must be on a ratio of one pharmacist to a maximum of five registered interns or registered pharmacy technicians or a combination thereof.

• Interns please be advised the Immunization Administration Certification will be added to your Registered Pharmacy Intern license and will not automatically transfer over to your Pharmacist license.
• You will be required to submit a new Immunization Administration Certification application, fee, and all required supporting documentation in order to administer vaccines as a licensed pharmacist.

Requirements for Registered Pharmacy Technician Immunization Administration Certification

To become certified to administer immunizations and epinephrine, a REGISTERED PHARMACY TECHNICIAN must meet the following requirements:

1. Must hold a registered pharmacy technician license that is active and in good standing.
2. Must successfully complete an immunization administration certification program of no fewer than 6 hours, approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy.
3. Must be directly supervised by a licensed pharmacist whose license is clear and active and who is also certified to administer vaccines. The supervision must be on a ratio of one pharmacist to a maximum of five registered interns or registered pharmacy technicians or a combination thereof.

Links

• CE Broker
• Adult Immunization Schedule – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Florida SHOTS

Applicants for initial licensure must use a Livescan service provider to submit a set of fingerprints to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for the purpose of conducting a search for any Florida and national criminal history records that may pertain to applicant. The results of the search will be returned to the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse and made available to the Department for consideration during the licensure process. The fingerprints submitted by the applicant will be retained by FDLE and the Clearinghouse. All costs for conducting a criminal history background screening are borne by the applicant.

It is important to use the correct Originating Agency Identification (ORI) when submitting fingerprints. If you do not provide an ORI number or if you provide an incorrect ORI number to the service provider, the board office will not receive your fingerprint results, so it is extremely important to use the correct ORI when having your fingerprints scanned.

Applicants can use any FDLE approved Livescan service provider to submit their fingerprints. The applicant is fully responsible for selecting the service provider and ensuring the results are reported to the Department.  If you are applying for initial licensure after December 15, 2012, You must print this form and take it with you to a Livescan service provider. For more information, FAQs, and a list of all approved Livescan service providers please visit the Department’s website at: FLHealthSource.gov/Background-Screening.