A pharmacy support person (PSP) is an individual who assists in the nontechnical functions of the practice of pharmacy, enabling the pharmacist to provide pharmaceutical care to the patient. The supervising pharmacist is responsible for the actions of a pharmacy support person or other supportive personnel.

Other health care providers who assist in the non technical functions of the practice of pharmacy and who are actively licensed or registered in their profession are also required to register as a pharmacy support person. Registered pharmacist-interns are exempt from PSP registration.

For more information on PSPs, including the duties that may be performed by PSPs, see Iowa Administrative Code 657 Chapter 5 Pharmacy Support Persons.

Application Information

All application fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Once an application is submitted and the fee is paid, the withdrawal of an application, determination of ineligibility based on prior criminal convictions, or discovery of the submission of an incorrect application type does not merit return or refund of the application fee. Do not submit an application if you are unsure of which application type to submit.

Do not send cash.

Who Shall Register

Unless exempt in Iowa Administrative Code 657 Chapter 5.5, any individual employed by a pharmacy who has direct access to prescription drugs or confidential patient information must be registered as a pharmacy support person.

Duties and Functions

Effective May 12, 2021, 657 IAC 5 went into effect which now requires pharmacy employees which are solely employed for delivery functions to be registered with the Board of Pharmacy as a pharmacy support person.

Using the pharmacy’s established policies and procedures and the supervising pharmacist’s professional judgment, a supervising pharmacist may delegate nontechnical functions in the operation of the pharmacy (except those prohibited by 657 IAC 5.17, to an appropriately trained and registered pharmacy support person).

The pharmacist must be on site and available to supervise the pharmacy support person when delegated functions are performed, except as provided in 657 IAC Chapter 6.7 or Chapter 7.6.

The ultimate responsibility for the actions of a pharmacy support person shall remain with the supervising pharmacist. A pharmacy license holder shall not infringe on the authority of a supervising pharmacist to delegate or decline to delegate specific nontechnical functions to a pharmacy support person based on the supervising pharmacist’s professional judgment regarding the knowledge and training of the pharmacy support person.

Prohibited Duties and Functions

A PSP is not authorized to perform any of the following functions:

  1. Provide the final verification for the accuracy, validity, completeness, or appropriateness of a filled prescription or medication order.
  2. Conduct prospective drug use review or evaluate a patient’s medication record for purposes identified in rule 657—8.21(155A).
  3. Provide patient counseling, consultation, or patient-specific drug information; make an offer of patient counseling on behalf of the pharmacist; or accept a refusal of patient counseling from a patient or patient’s agent.
  4. Make decisions that require a pharmacist’s professional judgment, such as interpreting or applying information.
  5. Accept by oral communication any new or refill prescription authorizations communicated to a pharmacy by a prescriber or by the prescriber’s office or contact a prescriber to obtain prescription refill authorizations.
  6. Provide a prescription or drug to a patient without a pharmacist’s verification as to the accuracy of the dispensed medication and without the physical presence of a pharmacist.
  7. Package, pour, or place in a container for dispensing, sale, distribution, transfer, vending, or barter any drug which, under federal or state laws, may be sold or dispensed only pursuant to the prescription of a practitioner authorized to prescribe drugs. This prohibited task includes the addition of water or other liquid for reconstitution of oral antibiotic liquids. A pharmacy support person may place a prescription container into a bag or sack for delivery to the patient as part of the sales transaction after the accuracy of the prescription has been verified by the pharmacist.
  8. Affix required prescription labels upon any container of drugs sold or dispensed pursuant to the prescription of an authorized prescriber.
  9. Process or enter, including entry into the pharmacy computer system, pertinent clinical patient or prescription information, including allergies and disease state information.
  10. Prepackage or label multidose and single-dose packages of drugs, including dose picks for unit dose cart fills for hospital or long-term care facility patients.
  11. Check or inspect drug supplies provided and controlled by an Iowa-licensed pharmacy but located or maintained outside the pharmacy department, including but not limited to drug supplies maintained in an ambulance or other emergency medical service vehicle, a long-term care facility, a hospital nursing unit, or a hospice facility.
  12. Reconstitute prefabricated noninjectable medication, prepare parenteral products, or compound sterile or nonsterile drug products.
  13. Communicate, transmit, or receive patient or prescription information to or from the pharmacy for the purpose of transferring a patient’s prescription between pharmacies.
  14. Assist with or witness the destruction or wastage of controlled substances pursuant to 657—subrule 10.22(2).
  15. Perform any technical functions pursuant to 657—Chapter 3 that may be delegated to a pharmacy technician.

Employment

Iowa rule requires that a registration be issued prior to commencing work in a secured pharmacy department. 

Employment means that you have been hired by a pharmacy to perform the duties of a PSP, not necessarily that you have actually started working in the secured pharmacy area. On the application, please identify the pharmacy that has hired you and the anticipated start date to begin working in the secured pharmacy area. If you have already started working in the secured pharmacy area, you must indicate the exact date that you started working in that capacity. As a reminder, you should not begin work in the secured pharmacy area until registered with the Board. Please be advised that applications can take 5-7 business days upon receipt of application to process and should be taken into consideration at the time of hire. If you continue employment as a PSP without a current registration, you (as well as the pharmacy and pharmacist in charge) may be subject to public discipline.

If you have been working for the company in another capacity, or working in the secured pharmacy area in another pharmacy position, but are just now to begin the duties of a PSP, indicate the anticipated start date you will begin or the actual start date you began to perform the duties of a PSP, not the initial date you were hired to work elsewhere with the company or to work in the pharmacy in another position.

You must indicate the licensed Iowa pharmacy where you have been hired, even if you have not started employment.

Disclosure of Criminal History and Disciplinary Action

The initial and renewal applications ask about any medical conditions the applicant has that might impair the applicant’s ability to perform delegated functions. 

The Board also considers any prior criminal history and disciplinary actions when issuing licenses and registrations. As part of the application process, you will be asked questions about prior criminal history and disciplinary actions.

If you have any questions concerning these requirements, please notify the Board office. If any of these situations pertain to you, there may be delays in processing your application. Please contact the Board office for information as to what documentation may be necessary for registration. Contacting the Board office about any of these situations may avoid unnecessary delays issuing your registration.

Notifications to the Board

Individuals are required to report to the Board, within ten days, a change of name, address, or email.

Changes to your address, email address, phone number, or employment may be made through your online profile.

Name changes can be made using the Individual Licensee/Registrant Online Notification of Name Change form. To change your name you must attach a copy of the legal name change document (name change petition, marriage certificate, divorce decree, etc.).