64B16-26.303. Nuclear Pharmacist Licensure

(1) A pharmacist licensed to practice pharmacy in this state who performs a radiopharmaceutical service shall, prior to engaging in such specialized practice, be actively licensed as a nuclear pharmacist.

(2) A pharmacist seeking licensure as a nuclear pharmacist in this state shall submit to the Board of Pharmacy the following:

(a) An application for nuclear pharmacist licensure, form DH-5064-MQA 08/2021, Nuclear Pharmacist Application, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and which can be obtained from http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13942, and the Board of Pharmacy, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C04, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3254, or from the website located at http://floridaspharmacy.gov/Applications/app-nuclear-pharmacist-2013.pdf;

(b) An application fee as specified by subsection 64B16-26.1002(3), F.A.C.;

(c) A course outline and certificate of training which document successful completion of the didactic training in compliance with subsection (3), below;

(d) Documentation of successful completion of on-the-job training and experience in compliance with subsection (5), below.

(3) All applicants must complete a minimum of 200 clock hours of formal didactic training from an accredited college of pharmacy or other program recognized by the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Board of Pharmacy as specified by subsection (4), below. All such formal training must include, at a minimum:

(a) Radiation physics and instrumentation (85 hours).

(b) Radiation protection (45 hours).

(c) Mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity (20 hours).

(d) Radiation biology (20 hours).

(e) Radiopharmaceutical chemistry (30 hours).

(4) Programs recognized by the Department and Board shall be determined to be comparable to those offered by accredited colleges of pharmacy for the training of nuclear pharmacists. Such academic training programs will be submitted to the Board of Pharmacy for approval by an accredited educational institution which operates under the auspices of or in conjunction with an accredited college of pharmacy.

(5) The minimum on-the-job training which shall be included in a radiopharmacy internship is 500 hours of training and experience in the handling of unsealed radioactive material under the supervision of a licensed nuclear pharmacist. The training and experience shall include but shall not be limited to the following:

(a) Ordering, receiving and unpackaging in a safe manner, radioactive material, including the performance of related radiation surveys.

(b) Calibrating dose calibrators, scintillation detectors, and radiation monitoring equipment.

(c) Calculating, preparing and verifying patient doses, including the proper use of radiation shields.

(d) Following appropriate internal control procedures to prevent mislabeling.

(e) Learning emergency procedures to safely handle and contain spilled materials, including related decontamination procedures and surveys.

(f) Eluting technetium-99m from generator systems, assaying the eluate for technetium-99m and for molybdenum-99 contamination, and processing the eluate with reagent kits to prepare technetium-99m labeled radiopharmaceuticals.

(g) Clinical practice concepts.

(6) If the didactic and experiential training required in this section have not been completed within the last seven (7) years, the applicant must have been engaged in the lawful practice of nuclear pharmacy in another jurisdiction at least 1,080 hours during the last seven (7) years.

Rulemaking Authority 465.005, 456.013, 465.0126 FS. Law Implemented 456.013, 465.0126 FS. History–New 1-18-05, Amended 6-7-16, 12-29-21.