Miss. Code. tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. III

Current through August 17, 2024
Article III - PHARMACY EXTERN/INTERN REGISTRATION AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT
1. Every person enrolled in the professional curriculum of a school of pharmacy and pursuing either a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree or a Doctor of Pharmacy degree must obtain an extern/intern registration from the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy prior to enrolling and participating in externship or clerkship rotations or obtaining practical experience in a pharmacy permitted by the Board. The pharmacy extern/intern shall in no manner falsely assume, directly or by inference, to be a pharmacist. To obtain an extern/intern registration, the applicant shall:
A. Have submitted a written application on a form prescribed by the Board;
B. Be of good moral character as evidenced by having undergone and successfully passed a criminal background check conducted by the Board;
C. Have a school of pharmacy that is approved by the Board provide proof of enrollment;
D. Have paid fees as specified by the Board.
2. A pharmacy extern/intern registration which has been issued by the Board shall expire:
A. If the extern/intern is expelled, suspended, withdraws or is dismissed from a school of pharmacy;
B. One (1) year after graduation from a school of pharmacy;
C. One year after being issued by the Board if the extern/intern registration is issued to an applicant for the purpose of obtaining extern/intern hours for reinstatement of a pharmacist license;

An Extern/Intern who is expelled, suspended, dismissed or withdraws from a school of pharmacy may not register as a pharmacy technician until one (1) year from the date his/her extern/intern registration expiration, unless approved by the Board pursuant to a petition.

3. A pharmacy extern/intern may petition the Board for renewal of the registration for a period not to exceed one additional year.
4. The externship/internship practical experience required for licensure is defined as a total of sixteen hundred (1,600) hours of pharmacy experience. The sixteen hundred (1,600) hours of practical experience shall be obtained after the student is enrolled in the professional program of a school of pharmacy. Practical experience hours gained through clerkships and externships, while enrolled in a school of pharmacy whose externship rotations are approved by the Board, may be used to satisfy these requirements. In order for a pharmacy student to be considered as a valid extern in such a program, he/she must be certified by a school of pharmacy as a bona fide student making normal progress toward completion of either a Bachelor of Science or a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in pharmacy.

Any remaining practical experience required for licensure, not obtained by the extern through externship rotations, may be obtained during official vacation periods when the extern is not enrolled as a full-time student or as an intern after graduation. No more than fifty (50) hours per week of practical experience shall be credited during any of these periods.

5. All practical experience gained in Mississippi, which is related to the dispensing of drugs, must be under the direct and immediate supervision of a pharmacist registered in Mississippi and in good standing with the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy. The direct and immediate supervision by the pharmacist requires the physical presence of the supervising pharmacist at all times and includes the constant personal supervision and monitoring of the extern or intern by the supervising pharmacist. The supervising pharmacist shall be responsible for the activities of the extern or intern.
6. No practical experience obtained in this state shall be credited to an extern or intern unless such extern or intern be registered with the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy as a pharmacy extern/intern. Practical experience hours obtained in Mississippi will expire two (2) years after graduation.
7. When a Pharmacy Intern desires to obtain credit for training received in a state other than this State, he/she shall abide by all the provisions of the internship rules in that state, and shall provide evidence from that state's Board of Pharmacy of the number of clock hours of experience actually participated in by the Pharmacy Intern. For practical experience obtained in another state and for which the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy is requested to grant credit toward the experience requirements, the applicant shall:
A. Submit the affidavits certifying the work experience to the Board of Pharmacy in the state in which the experience was obtained; and verification that these hours are currently acceptable for a license in the state where the practical experience was obtained.
B. Request that Board of Pharmacy to send copies of the affidavits to the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy along with certification that the hours of experience claimed are acceptable to that Board.

Upon receipt of copies of the affidavits and the statement of their acceptance by the Board of Pharmacy in the state in which the experience was obtained, the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy may grant the same credit toward practical experience requirements.

For purposes of this Article, the term "practical experience" shall include, but not be limited to, the compounding, dispensing and labeling of drugs, interpreting and evaluating prescriptions, maintaining prescription drug records and any other activity included in the practice of pharmacy.

8. In addition to any other provisions of these regulations, the Board may impose disciplinary action upon an extern/intern for one or more of the following grounds:
A. Fraud or intentional misrepresentation by an extern/intern in securing the issuance of a pharmacy extern/intern registration or failing to report to the Board any adverse action taken by another licensing jurisdiction, government agency, law enforcement agency, or court that would constitute grounds for action;
B. Obtaining practical experience in a pharmacy permitted by the Board without the direct supervision and presence of a pharmacist licensed by the Board;
C. Failure to notify the Board of expulsion, suspension, dismissal or withdrawal from a school of pharmacy;
D. Violation of any university, college, or school of pharmacy policies, rules or regulations thereof.
E. Knowing or suspecting that a Pharmacist or Pharmacy Intern is incapable of engaging in the Practice of Pharmacy or that a Pharmacy Technician is incapable of assisting in the Practice of Pharmacy, with reasonable skill, competence, and safety to the public, is diverting or abusing controlled substances or prescription drugs and failing to report any relevant information to the Board of Pharmacy.
F. The unlawful disclosure of information from the Prescription Monitoring Program or using information obtained from the Prescription Monitoring Program for unlawful or unethical purposes.
9. An Extern/Intern shall notify the Board immediately of any change of residence or change in enrollment status including delayed progression within the program.
10. An Extern/Intern that surrenders his/her registration is no longer eligible to work as an extern/intern without petitioning the Board to re-instate his/her registration.

Miss. Code. tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. III

Amended 8/7/2021
Amended 12/21/2023