WAC 246-240-075   Training for an authorized nuclear pharmacist.  Except as provided in WAC 246-240-078, the licensee shall require the authorized nuclear pharmacist to be a pharmacist who:

     (1) Is certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an agreement state and who meets the requirements in subsection (2)(b) of this section. (Specialty boards whose certification process has been recognized by the commission or an agreement state will be posted on the NRC's web page at http://www.nrc.gov.) To be recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

     (a) Have graduated from a pharmacy program accredited by the American Council On Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) or have passed the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) examination;

     (b) Hold a current, active license to practice pharmacy;

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

     (d) Pass an examination in nuclear pharmacy administered by diplomates of the specialty board, which assesses knowledge and competency in procurement, compounding, quality assurance, dispensing, distribution, health and safety, radiation safety, provision of information and consultation, monitoring patient outcomes, research and development; or

     (2)(a) Has completed two hundred hours in a structured educational program consisting of both:

     (i) Didactic training in the following areas:

     (A) Radiation physics and instrumentation;

     (B) Radiation protection;

     (C) Mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity;

     (D) Chemistry of radioactive material for medical use; and

     (E) Radiation biology; and

     (ii) Supervised practical experience in a nuclear pharmacy involving:

     (A) Shipping, receiving, and performing related radiation surveys;

     (B) Using and performing checks for proper operation of instruments used to determine the activity of dosages, survey meters, and, if appropriate, instruments used to measure alpha-or beta-emitting radionuclides;

     (C) Calculating, assaying, and safely preparing dosages for patients or human research subjects;

     (D) Using administrative controls to avoid medical events in the administration of radioactive material; and

     (E) Using procedures to prevent or minimize radioactive contamination and using proper decontamination procedures; and

     (b) Has obtained written certification, signed by a preceptor authorized nuclear pharmacist, that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in subsections (1)(a), (b), and (c) or (2)(a) of this section and has achieved a level of competency sufficient to function independently as an authorized nuclear pharmacist.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.98.050. 06-05-019, § 246-240-075, filed 2/6/06, effective 3/9/06.]