The Pharmacy Examining Board is the Wisconsin State body that promulgates and interprets the laws and regulations that govern the practice of pharmacy in Wisconsin. All of the rules concerning continuing education requirements come from the PEB. Although we are providing an explanation of the rules in this article as we interpret them, this information does not constitute legal advice.

Thirty contact hours (3.0 CEUs) of continuing education are required for each license renewal (each biennium). This requirement is effective with the 2nd renewal of a pharmacy license after original issuance and each renewal thereafter. Pharmacists will be expected to sign a statement of completion on the renewal form stating that they have completed the required hours within the two year period immediately preceding the date of his/her application for renewal.

Each pharmacist must keep a personal file containing the continuing education statements for the work completed. The individual must keep statements of completion on file for at least three years following the license renewal date. The statements should not be submitted to the Department of Regulation and Licensing. The PEB will reserve the right to audit your hours. Only original or verified copies of statements certifying attendance and completion are acceptable evidence of compliance.

The only continuing education credits that are accepted by the PEB to meet the requirement at this time, are those offered by an ACPE-accredited provider. ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education) is the national agency for accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE provider accreditation is designed to assure pharmacists, boards of pharmacy, and other members of the pharmacy community, of the quality of continuing pharmacy education programs. ACPE providers are continually monitored for maintenance of quality and efforts toward improvement.

How do you know if a continuing education program is being offered by an ACPE-accredited provider? The program announcement must include the statement: "(Name of Provider) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education." Also, the Council's official logo as it is shown above must be used in close conjunction with this statement.

The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin is accredited by ACPE as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.  ACPE maintains a web site (www.acpe-accredit.org) which can be referenced for a complete listing of ACPE accredited providers as well.

A pharmacist may apply to the Board for waiver of CE requirements on grounds of exceptional circumstances such as prolonged illness, disability or other similar circumstances that the pharmacist indicates have prevented him or her from meeting the requirement. The PEB will consider each application for waiver individually on its merits.