Section R12-1-712. Authorized Nuclear Pharmacist Training

A.      A licensee shall require the authorized nuclear pharmacist to be a pharmacist who:

1.        Is certified as a nuclear pharmacist by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the Agency, NRC, or an Agreement State. To have its certifi- cation process recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

a.         Have graduated from a pharmacy program accred- ited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) or have passed the Foreign Phar- macy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) examination;

b.        Hold a current, active license to practice pharmacy in Arizona;

c.         Provide evidence of having acquired at least 4000 hours of training/experience in nuclear pharmacy practice. Academic training may be substituted for no more than 2000 hours of the required training and experience; and

d.        Pass an examination in nuclear pharmacy adminis- tered by diplomates of the specialty board, that assesses knowledge and competency in procure- ment, compounding, quality assurance, dispensing, distribution, health and safety, radiation safety, pro- vision of information and consultation, monitoring patient outcomes, research and development; or

2.        Has completed 700 hours in a structured educational pro- gram consisting of both:

a.         200 hours of classroom and laboratory training in the following areas:

i.         Radiation physics and instrumentation;

ii.        Radiation protection;

iii.      Mathematics pertaining to the use and measure- ment of radioactivity;

iv.       Chemistry of radioactive material for medical use; and

v.        Radiation biology; and

b.        Supervised practical experience in a nuclear phar- macy involving:

i.         Shipping, receiving, and performing related radiation surveys;

ii.        Using and performing checks for proper opera- tion of instruments used to determine the activ- ity of dosages, survey meters, and, if appropriate, instruments used to measure alpha- or beta-emitting radionuclides;

iii.      Calculating, assaying, and safely preparing dosages for patients or human research sub- jects;

iv.       Using administrative controls to avoid medical events in the administration of radioactive material; and

v.        Using procedures to prevent or minimize radio- active contamination and using proper decon- tamination procedures; and

3.        Has obtained written attestation, signed by a preceptor authorized nuclear pharmacist, that the individual has sat- isfactorily completed the requirements in subsection (A)(2) and has achieved a level of competency sufficient to function independently as an authorized nuclear phar- macist.

B.       Exceptions. An individual identified as a nuclear pharmacist on an Agency, a NRC or an Agreement State license or a per- mit issued by the NRC or an Agreement State broad scope licensee or master material license permit or by a master mate- rial license permittee of broad scope before the effective date of these rules need not comply with the training requirements in subsections (A)(1) through (A)(3).

C.      The training and experience required in this Section shall be obtained within the seven years preceding the date of applica- tion or the individual shall have had related continuing educa- tion and experience since the required training and experience was completed.

D.      Individuals who, under subsection (B), need not comply with training requirements described in this Section may serve as preceptors for, and supervisors of, applicants seeking authori- zation on Agency licenses for the same uses for which these individuals are authorized.

Historical Note

New Section adopted by final rulemaking at 5 A.A.R. 1817, effective May 12, 1999 (Supp. 99-2). Amended by

final rulemaking at 10 A.A.R. 2122, effective July 3, 2004 (Supp. 04-2). Section repealed; new Section made by final rulemaking at 13 A.A.R. 1217, effective May 5, 2007 (Supp. 07-1). Amended by final rulemaking at 20

A.A.R. 324, effective March 8, 2014 (Supp. 14-1). Amended by final rulemaking at 20 A.A.R. 324, effective

March 8, 2014 (Supp. 14-1).