Notice of Further Extension of Deadline for Registration as a Pharmacy Technician

Take notice that N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6(b) provides that by March 2, 2008, a pharmacy shall employ a person as a pharmacy technician only if that person has been registered with the Board or if that person has been designated a pharmacy technician applicant pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6(c). N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6(e) provides that by March 2, 2008, any person who is hired as a pharmacy technician who is not registered shall be designated a pharmacy technician applicant. This designation shall only be valid for a period of 180 days, after which time the applicant shall cease performing pharmacy technician functions. N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6(d) provides that all persons who are employed as pharmacy technicians on September 4, 2007 shall be registered with the Board by March 2, 2008. The March 2, 2008 deadline in N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6(b), (c) and (d) was established by the Board with the adoption of the new rule, which became effective on September 4, 2007 with the publication of the notice of adoption in the New Jersey Register at 39 N.J.R. 3774(b). Because of production delays, the March 2, 2008 deadline was extended by the Board to December 1, 2008, notice of which was published in the New Jersey Register on February 19, 2008 at 40 N.J.R. 900(a). The Board has registered 4,400 technicians. An additional 4,200 applications are in the process of being registered. The Board continues to receive over a hundred new applications daily, many of which are deficient. Further, pharmacy technicians are health care professionals and must undergo a criminal history record background check, which involves processing by outside third parties. The Board has been approached by pharmacies, pharmacy organizations and potential applicants asking for additional time to comply with the registration requirements.

Take further notice that, for the reasons stated above, the Board is granting a further extension of the December 1, 2008 deadline for registration as a pharmacy technician to December 31, 2008. Consistent with this extension, the registration requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.6(b), (c) and (d) will be as follows: as of December 31, 2008, a pharmacy shall employ only registered pharmacy technicians or pharmacy technician applicants; all persons who were employed as pharmacy technicians on September 4, 2007 shall be required to be registered with the Board by December 31, 2008; all persons who were hired as pharmacy technicians after September 4, 2007 and before December 31, 2008 who are not registered with the Board shall be designated a pharmacy technician applicant and are required to be registered by June 29, 2009; and persons who are hired as pharmacy technicians after December 31, 2008 who are not registered with the Board shall be designated a pharmacy technician applicant and are required to be registered within 180 days of the date they are hired.