Colorado Will Now Require Certification for Pharmacy Technicians

Written by Jessica Langley | July 2019

In June of this year, the Governor of Colorado signed into law new pharmacy technician requirements. Pharmacy technicians practicing in Colorado on or after March 30, 2020, will be required to obtain certification from the State Board of Pharmacy (the “Board”). To be approved by the Board, a pharmacy technician must:

(a) be certified by a board-approved, nationally recognized certification organization

and

(b) pass a criminal history records check

To allow time to meet the requirements, the Board may grant a one-time provisional certification of up to 18 months to an applicant who has not satisfied certain requirements for certification. Accordingly, as of Mach 30, 2020, only pharmacy technician that meet and have completed the Board’s process or have a provisional certification from the Board may practice in Colorado.

Pursuant to Board Policy 40-6, a “nationally recognized certification board” for pharmacy technicians as those certification boards that are approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) or the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA).¹The ExCPT has been approved by both the NABP and NCCA.

For additional information on the certification process, please visit the Colorado State Board of Pharmacy website.

¹Although the new law refers to “certification organization” instead of “certification board”, we expect that the that the Board will follow Policy 40-6 and will work with the Board throughout its implementation of the new law.

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