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NPA President Dr. Kay Lynn Bowman gave a brief history of legislation surrounding the pharmacist-to-technician ratio:

The last proposal for the Regulation to increase the ratio was heard and a survey was conducted in October 2018...From January 2019 - September 2019: Public comment was heard by the Board of Pharmacy in March, April, June and July, and a final motion for a 4:1 ratio was denied.

COVID-19: May 5, 2020 a Partial Emergency Waiver for COVID-19 allowed for a 6:1 pharmacy technician:pharmacist ratio. Waiver ended 7/20/2022.

Current Tech/Pharmacist Ratio is 3:1.

In September 2022, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy was asked to adopt an emergency regulation to raise the ratio. The Board of Pharmacy determined that the situation was not an emergency but they mentioned that they may consider discussing this topic in a future board meeting...READ MORE

CVS Health is pushing for pharmacy technicians to be allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccines...The healthcare giant is hiring more than 10,000 full- and part-time pharmacy technicians in Q4 in anticipation of flu season, and urging for them to have an expanded scope of practice that would allow them to vaccinate patients for the novel coronavirus under supervision from an immunization-certified pharmacist...CVS said that allowing technicians to administer vaccines would "help fill the urgent need to safely and quickly scale distribution of a vaccine and extend the capacity of the health care workforce to address the pandemic."...READ MORE

Penn Foster announced...that its unique upskilling platform for health care has been selected by Walmart as part of an ambitious initiative designed to prepare workers for opportunities in high-demand health professional fields. A pioneer in middle-skills training, Penn Foster’s digital platform enables employers to deliver on-demand, career-specific coursework through a blended online and work-based learning skills development program...Walmart’s 1.5 million associates in the U.S. will now be able pursue roles as opticians or pharmacy technicians through a flexible, online curriculum that costs learners just $1 per day...READ MORE

The role of pharmacy technicians in immunizations has evolved rapidly, particularly over the past 2 years because of COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, pharmacy technicians for the most part were limited to assisting pharmacists in basic tasks related to immunizations. These included screening patients, preparing for the immunization, and performing administrative tasks required for immunization programs...In 2016, Idaho led the way in expanding the role of pharmacy technicians to include administering immunizations...the results were clear: All pharmacy technicians taking part in the study passed their assessments on the first attempt...The momentum for pharmacy technician-administered immunizations continued in Michigan, Washington state, Rhode Island, Utah, and Nevada...READ MORE

October is American Pharmacists Month. This celebration—recognizing pharmacists’ contributions to health care and all they do for their communities—includes Women Pharmacist Day (October 12); Pharmacy Week (October 18-24), acknowledging the invaluable contributions of pharmacists and technicians to patient care; and Pharmacy Technician Day (October 20)...Pharmacists are busier than ever with flu season and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, making it particularly important this year to take the time to celebrate and acknowledge our pharmacy staff’s contributions...Let’s take a look at a few ways that pharmacists are celebrating the value of the profession this month...READ MORE

As a new Idaho law allowing pharmacy technicians to prescribe naloxone takes effect, Albertsons announced that its Boise-area pharmacy technicians are the first in the state who have been trained to do so...The law, signed in February, makes Idaho the first state in the nation to add pharmacy technicians to the ranks of pharmacists, physicians and nurse practitioners in being able to prescribe the opioid overdose reversal drug. Idaho Gov. Brad Little also issued an executive order creating an advisory group in the state to guide healthcare decisions and strategies related to opioid misuse...“Idaho is leading other states in the steps we are taking to expand access to this critical medication and in our efforts to address the opioid crisis,” Little said. “Training pharmacy technicians and all health professionals to prescribe naloxone further reaches our underserved and rural communities. Albertsons has been a key partner in increasing the scope of practice for both pharmacists and technicians to continue improving access to beneficial and lifesaving medications.”...READ MORE

Dozens of pharmacy chains and grocery stores with pharmacy counters are slated to start offering COVID-19 vaccinations this week, creating a wealth of employment opportunities. The companies are vying with one another—offering lucrative signing bonuses, in some cases—to hire established pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, student pharmacists, nurses, and other help. CVS Health is working toward 15,000 new vaccine-related hires, Walgreens has targeted 9,000, Kroger plans to recruit nearly 1,000 health care workers, and Rite Aid is looking to fill more than 2,000 pharmacy jobs...READ MORE

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.