CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT FOR RENEWAL
IC 25-1-4; 856 IAC 1-26

All Indiana pharmacists are required to complete thirty (30) hours of continuing education each biennium in order to renew their pharmacist license. However, if a pharmacist maintains an “Inactive” status on their pharmacist license, then s/he is not required to complete continuing education for renewal.

The continuing education biennium is the time period of January 1 of even-numbered years through December 31 of the following odd-numbered year. Pharmacists must renew their licenses on or before June 30 of even-numbered years. [The biennium for the June 30, 2026 renewal is January 1, 2024-December 31, 2025].

No hours may be carried forward from one biennium to another. However, if the pharmacist fails to meet the requirements during the biennial period, the pharmacist may earn and report sufficient hours during a succeeding biennium and apply the CE retroactively to the previous biennium as if they had been earned in that previous biennium. In the event the pharmacist applies credits to a previous biennium, those hours cannot be used for any other biennium.
[If the pharmacist is renewing in 2026 and only completed 25 hours of CE from January 1, 2024-December 31, 2025, they can take the remaining 5 CE hours in 2026 as long as they do so prior to submitting the renewal.  These 5 CE hours absolutely cannot be included with the next CE biennium, January 1, 2026-December 31, 2027, for the 2028 renewal.]

Newly Licensed Pharmacists
Newly licensed pharmacists need not complete any hours if licensed less than six (6) months in the biennium. If licensed more than six (6) months then you must complete 1.25 hours per month. [If the pharmacist license was issued on or after July 1, 2025, then there is no CE requirement for the 2026 renewal.]

Breakdown of Continuing Education Hours

• A minimum of twenty-four (24) hours (4/5 of required CE hours) must be pharmacy related.
• A maximum of six (6) hours (1/5 of required CE hours) can be business, management or computer-related.
• At least fifteen (15) hours (1/2 of required CE hours) must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Hardship Waiver
The Board may grant the pharmacist a waiver from all or part of the CE requirement for a renewal period if the pharmacist was not able to fulfill the requirement due to a hardship that resulted from one of the following:

• Service in the armed forces of the U.S. during a substantial part of the renewal period;
• An incapacitating illness or injury; or
• Other circumstances determined by the Board.

The waiver request must be submitted in writing to the Board for review.

How to Obtain Hours
CE is acceptable for renewal if it is approved by the Board or taken through an approved organization and is designed to directly enhance the pharmacist’s knowledge and skill in the practice of pharmacy.

The following is a list of approved organizations in accordance with IC 25-1-4-1:

• U.S. Department of Education
• Council on Post-Secondary Education
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals
• Joint Commission on Healthcare Organizations
• Federal, state, and local government agencies
• A college or other teaching institution accredited by the US Department of Education or the Council on post-secondary education
• A national organization or practitioners whose members practicing in Indiana are subject to regulation by a board or agency regulating a profession
• A national, state, district, or local organization that operates as an affiliated entity under the approval of an organization listed in subdivisions 1-7
• An internship or a residency program conducted in a hospital that has been approved by an organization listed in subdivisions 1-7
• Any other organization or individual approved by the Board.

CE hours may be transferred from another state to Indiana if the transfer state recognizes Indiana CE hours.

Other CE That May Be Approved by the Board
Accredited hours may also be obtained in the following ways:

1. Distance education;
2. In-company professional seminars;
3. Programs sponsored by professional groups in public health provider services;
4. Business, management, and computer courses;
5. Postgraduate coursework in pharmaceutical sciences; and
6. Other programs and experiences that meet the definition of continuing professional education.

If the pharmacist has attended a program that has not yet been approved by the Board, you may submit the CE Application to apply for credit.

Continuing Education Certificates of Completion
The pharmacist is not required to submit copies of their certificates of completion for continuing education courses when they renew their license. The pharmacist shall retain copies of these certificates for a period of 3 years from the end of the licensing period for which the continuing education applied. The pharmacist shall provide the Board with copies of the certificates of completion upon the Board's request for a compliance audit.

CE sponsors are also required to retain a file of those who completed their CE for a period of 4 years

Continuing Education Compliance Audit
The Board requires a practitioner to comply with the following renewal requirements:

1. The pharmacist shall provide the board with a sworn statement executed by the practitioner that the practitioner has fulfilled the continuing education requirements required by the board, this is part of the renewal application online or on the paper renewal application.
2. The pharmacist shall retain copies of certificates of completion for continuing education courses for four (4) years from the end of the licensing period for which the continuing education applied.

Following every license renewal period, the board will randomly audit actively licensed pharmacists to verify compliance with the continuing education requirements.  The practitioner shall provide the board with copies of the certificates of completion upon the board's request if they are selected in the compliance audit.

Upon conclusion of the compliance audit, pharmacists who fail to meet the continuing education requirement will be issued a Notice of Non-compliance that will include assessment of a penalty fee and require the completion of the required continuing education.

CPE Monitor

To learn more about the CPE Monitor plans or to set up an e-Profile and start tracking your CE credits electronically, please see the information provided in the directions provided at the NABP Website at CPE Monitor | National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Indiana Code 25-26-13-4.1 gives the Indiana Board of Pharmacy the authority to adopt emergency rules declaring a substance to be a synthetic drug if the substance:

1. has been scheduled or emergency scheduled by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration;
2. has been scheduled, emergency scheduled, or criminalized by another state; or
3. has:
   1. a high potential for abuse; and
   2. no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or lacks accepted safety for use in treatment under medical supervision.

Controlled substances listed in IC 35-48-2-4 are included in Schedule I.  “Synthetic drugs,” as defined in IC 35-31.5-2-321, are listed as Schedule I drugs under IC 35-48-2-4(d)(35).  Indiana Code 35-31.5-2-321(13) includes in the definition of synthetic drug “any compound determined to be a synthetic drug by rule adopted under IC 25-26-13-4.1.”

Emergency rules adopted by the Indiana Board of Pharmacy become effective thirty (30) days after filing with the publisher. Emergency rules adopted by the Board expire on June 30 of the year following the year in which the rules were filed with the publisher.

The Indiana Board of Pharmacy has promulgated the following emergency rules in accordance with IC 25-26-13-4.1:

• LSA #19-684(E) 
• LSA #19-421(E)
• LSA #19-380(E)
• LSA #19-322(E)
• LSA #18-516(E)
• LSA #18-409(E) 
• LSA #18-326(E)
• LSA #18-250(E)
• LSA #18-108(E)
• LSA #18-58(E) 
• LSA #17-568(E) 
• LSA #17-446(E)
• LSA #17-296(E)
• LSA #16-535(E)
• LSA #16-449(E)
• LSA #15-188(E)
• LSA #15-150(E)
• LSA #14-448(E)
• LSA #14-178(E)
• LSA #14-177(E)
• LSA #13-562(E)
• LSA #13-305(E)
• LSA #13-27(E)
• LSA #12-590(E)
• LSA #12-493(E)