Licensure, Registration, and Certification Requirements
Licensure questions test who may hold which credential and what supervision each credential requires. Michigan separates the professional license, the facility license, and federal controlled-substance registration.
Credentials
- Pharmacist: must hold a current Michigan pharmacist license issued by LARA after meeting education, internship, examination, and character requirements. The MPJE tests law; NAPLEX tests clinical competence.
- Pharmacy intern: works under a supervising pharmacist while completing internship requirements. Scope is limited and supervision must be documented.
- Pharmacy technician: Michigan requires the Board-recognized technician credential. Unlicensed staff may perform only clerical or non-discretionary tasks. Technicians work under pharmacist supervision and cannot counsel or exercise professional judgment.
- Pharmacy: the physical location must be licensed, and a pharmacist-in-charge is responsible for compliance. Changes in ownership, location, or PIC usually require notice or a new license.
- DEA registration: required for dispensing controlled substances; separate state controlled-substance authorization may also be required. Registrations are site-specific and must be renewed.
Worked example
A new pharmacy opens and hires a licensed pharmacist and two technicians. Before dispensing any controlled substance, the owner must confirm the pharmacy license is active, the PIC is designated, each technician holds the required credential, and the DEA registration lists that exact address. A pharmacist license alone does not authorize the site.
Traps
- Assuming a private technician certificate substitutes for the Michigan credential.
- Letting an intern practice without documented supervision.
- Using a DEA registration from another address.
- Forgetting that a PIC change may require Board notification.