Arkansas Board of Pharmacy |
CE Requirements

Pharmacists in the state of Arkansas must renew their licenses every two years.

Biennial Continuing Education Requirements

Additional CE Requirements

Arkansas is a state that still requires live contact CE – 12 hours per each two year cycle. Should you specialize in being a nursing home consultant or a pharmacist who gives immunizations or administers other drugs, please see the chart for the additional 3 and 2 hours of CE, respectively, needed each renewal year.

Arkansas may accept CE credit from other states if they share reciprocity with each other.

We cannot guarantee this is the most up-to-date version of this code section. Please refer to the Arkansas Code for the most accurate information.

02-06: CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PHARMACISTS 

02-06-0002—ACCREDITATION GUIDELINES 

(a) Guidelines 

(1)” The Continuing Education Unit (CEU) shall be the basis for accreditation of offerings within the state. One-tenth (0.1) CEU is defined as one (1) contact hour. 

(2) The Board of Pharmacy will accredit intrastate and interstate continuing education offerings that have been reviewed by an appropriate national agency. 

(3) Continuing education programs shall be accredited for the total length of the program. 

(4) Credit shall not be allowed for: 

(A) “Banquet” meetings with no educational program. 

(B) Unstructured demonstrations. 

(C) Unstructured question and answer sessions. 

(5) Credit (hour for hour) shall be allowed for: 

(A) Speakers. 

(B) Panels. 

(C) Structured discussions, workshops, and demonstrations. 

(D) Structured questions and answers sessions. 

(6) Keynote speakers and topics will be accredited on an individual basis. 

(7) The Committee reserves the right for members or designees to review programs in operation.” 

02-06-0003—IMPLEMENTATION OF PHARMACY CONTINUING EDUCATION 

(1) “30 hours of continuing education each biennium, as approved by the Arkansas Tripartite Committee on Continuing Pharmacy Education. 

(2) A minimum of twelve (12) continuing education hours of the thirty (30) required hours, must be live contact hours, as defined by the Committee. 

(3) A minimum of twelve (12) continuing education hours of the thirty (30) required hours, must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. 

(d) The Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy will accept continuing education credits, approved by State Boards of Pharmacy in other states, toward licensure as a pharmacist in Arkansas provided that there is a reciprocal arrangement and that the requirements of this section are met. 

(e) Pharmacists are required to retain certificates of participation in continuing education for a period of four years and to certify completion of the required continuing education on a form furnished by the Board of Pharmacy with the license renewal forms. The pharmacist must present certificates of participation to any representative of the Board of Pharmacy if requested to do so.”

To be able to reciprocate an out-of-state license without any interruptions in practice, a pharmacist should be licensed in their original state of licensure for at least 6 months, have practiced for at least 40 hours in the last two calendar years or complete a waiver with the Board. THe applicant must also pass a criminal background check, submit proof of CE, current photograph and birth certificate to the Board.  

If you have not completed these hours, then you must work under the supervision of a currently licensed pharmacist in Nevada. 

• 40 hours of practice under another licensed pharmacist
• Receive in writing verification from supervising pharmacist of completion of hours
• Meet with the Board to ensure competency to practice

Lastly, all reciprocity applicants must sit for and pass the Arkansas MPJE.

A total of 30 hours of CE are required each biennium with at least 12 of them being obtained through live contact hours. This means that 18 hours are available to be achieved through home study programs. At least 12 of the 30 hours must also be accredited by ACPE. Each pharmacist must maintain records of completed CE for 4 years after completion should they be audited by the Board.

Prior to becoming a licensed pharmacist in the state of Arkansas an applicant must: 

• Complete an accredited Pharmacy Program
• Achieve 2,000 hours of practical experience under a licensed and Arkansas registered Pharmacist as a Pharmacy Intern 
• Submit all necessary documentation to NABP to sit for the NAPLEX exam and receive a passing score
• Sit for and pass the Arkansas MPJE
• Once you’ve received your passing results, submit that information and all required documentation to the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy through the online portal to receive your license 

Finding engaging and affordable online CE is important for pharmacists in Arkansas. It can be difficult to find what you need to meet the requirements that Arkansas has set forth. If you are looking for free online live CE that covers the topics required by the state of Arkansas, like being a consultant pharmacy within a nursing home or administrations of medications and immunizations, you can unlock unlimited access to feeCE’s live calendar by upgrading to a Gold Membership. At one low price, you may access all of the CE you will need to renew your license each year in one place saving you time, money, and energy.

freeCE has a wide variety of Arkansas-approved CE activities. freeCE adds new content to the catalog regularly to allow you to meet your requirements yearly, but also choose activities that will interest you the most. freeCE activities are available both live and on-demand at home to cater to your needs and meet both your live and remote hour needs for Arkansas.