North Dakota State Requirements

You must register with the North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy before performing pharmacy technician duties. You cannot work as a pharmacy technician unless you are registered.

North Dakota has two main tiers: Pharmacy Technician in Training and Registered Pharmacy Technician. Technician-in-training status is intended for people completing an accredited pharmacy technician program.

There is no minimum age requirement. Accredited programs, employers, PTCB, and NHA may set their own age requirements.

There is no state board minimum education requirement. However, applicants must meet the entry and completion requirements of the required accredited pharmacy technician program and national certification organization.

A technician-in-training must be enrolled in an academic experiential rotation program accredited by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

As trainees progress through their programs, they can perform the duties of a registered pharmacy technician when permitted by the pharmacist-in-charge and the pharmacist supervising the training.

The pharmacist-in-charge must request technician-in-training registration from the Board. A person should not be treated as a technician-in-training simply because they have enrolled in a program; Board registration is also required.

Technician-in-training registration is limited to a maximum of two years (unless the Board grants an extension).

To qualify as a registered pharmacy technician, an applicant must complete either an ASHP-accredited academic pharmacy technician program or an ASHP-accredited on-the-job training program.

National certification is required for full pharmacy technician registration. Both PTCB and NHA satisfy this requirement.

Applicants must obtain national certification before being registered as full pharmacy technicians. Note that North Dakota does not offer an entry-level, non-certified full registration comparable to that available in some other states.

There is no routine fingerprint-based criminal background check for every applicant. Applicants must still provide accurate information, and violations of drug laws or Board rules can result in denial or disciplinary action.

The Board provides separate online applications for Pharmacy Technician in Training and Pharmacy Technician registration. A full-registration applicant must provide the education and national-certification documentation needed to show that the registration requirements have been met.

Registration as a pharmacy technician costs $35. Technician-in-training registration costs $10 per year.

An out-of-state technician credential does not automatically authorize practice in North Dakota. The Board of Pharmacy reviews transferred credentials, and applicants generally need to satisfy North Dakota’s accredited-program and national-certification requirements. The rules also recognize reciprocity if an applicant passes an NABP technician reciprocity examination or another examination approved by the Board.

A military member or military spouse may qualify for provisional registration if they hold a technician credential in another state and worked under that credential for at least two of the previous four years. You must complete any unmet North Dakota requirements before the provisional period ends.

Pharmacy technician registration must be renewed annually. Renewal is due by March 1, and the technician must complete the required annual continuing education unless the first-renewal exemption applies.

The annual renewal fee is $35 when paid by March 1. It increases to $45 after March 1.

Under N.D.C.C. 43-15-31.5 and N.D.A.C. 61-04-11-09, an authorized pharmacist can delegate the administration of subcutaneous or intramuscular vaccines and other injectable medications to a qualified registered pharmacy technician. The technician must complete a Board-approved practical training program covering hands-on injection technique and emergency reactions, maintain competency for the injections performed, and hold current CPR or basic cardiac life-support certification. The authorized pharmacist must remain readily and immediately available, either in person or through a live audio-and-video connection.