Verification record
How current is Massachusetts’s pharmacy staffing rule, and how does RxShift know?
Last verified 2026-10-19. Read from the issuing body's own page and recorded word for word on the date above. That site does not allow automated re-checks, so this rule rests on its dated read, by a person where the page can only be opened in a browser. 5 of 10 recorded passages were confirmed on 2026-10-19 on the pages that do allow it.
The Massachusetts rule as RxShift applies it →How we verify, every state →
10
Passages captured from the issuing body
5,013 characters, word for word
2
Official sources
sec.state.ma.us, mass.gov
12
Dated reads on file
captures taken 2026-10-15, 2026-10-16, 2026-10-19
3
Automatic re-checks
newest 2026-10-19
The rule on file
247 CMR 8.06(3). A composition-gated ceiling: a 3rd support person requires at least one certified technician or pharmacy intern, and a 4th requires at least two; the regulation states no condition for one or two. A pharmacy providing vaccination services may run up to 6 under Board Policy 2026-02, when at least 3 of them are certified technicians or pharmacy interns and no more than 2 of those 3 are interns.
That is the sentence the Massachusetts page states. The passages below are what the issuing body served when RxShift read it, kept as a dated record so a pharmacy and its counsel can check the sentence against the source. How a rule is read is decided by people and recorded with its date; no automated check can change a reading. RxShift reports deficiencies against this reading; it does not certify compliance, and nothing here is legal advice.
The recorded passages
Recorded word for word on the read of 2026-10-19. Each week an automated re-check opens every official source named here and confirms each passage is still on the page as served; the mark on each passage is what the newest re-check (2026-10-19) found.
Source 1: sec.state.ma.us
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/reg_pub/pdf/200/247008.pdf ↗8.01(3)
Confirmed by re-check 2026-10-19(3) A pharmacy intern shall work under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacist preceptor.
99 characters, recorded as written.
8.01(16)
Confirmed by re-check 2026-10-19(16) A registered pharmacist preceptor shall not directly supervise more than two pharmacy interns at one time.
111 characters, recorded as written.
8.04(2) and (3)
Confirmed by re-check 2026-10-19(2) Certified pharmacy technician means a pharmacy technician that is certified by a Board-approved certifying body. (3) In the event that a certified pharmacy technician's certification lapses, that technician shall: (a) be limited to performing the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacy technician, as set forth in 247 CMR 8.02; (b) use the title "pharmacy technician"; and (c) be counted as a "pharmacy technician" in calculating supervisory ratios, as set forth in 247 CMR 8.06(3).
489 characters, recorded as written.
8.06(3) Supervisory Ratios
Confirmed by re-check 2026-10-19(3) Supervisory Ratios. (a) A pharmacist utilizing pharmacy interns, certified pharmacy technicians, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy technician trainees to assist in filling prescriptions shall comply with the following minimum supervisory ratios: 1. One pharmacist for a maximum of four support personnel, provided: a. at least one of the four support personnel is a certified pharmacy technician and one is a pharmacy intern; or b. at least two of the support personnel are certified pharmacy technicians; or c. two of the support personnel are pharmacy interns. 2. One pharmacist for a maximum of three support personnel, provided at least one of the three support personnel is a pharmacy intern or a certified pharmacy technician. (b) Sales clerks, messengers, delivery personnel, secretaries and any other persons who do not fall within the definitions of a pharmacy intern, certified pharmacy technician, pharmacy technician, or pharmacy technician trainee shall not be included for purposes of determining the ratios set forth in 247 CMR 8.06(3) as long as such persons are not supporting the pharmacist in any professional capacity.
1,143 characters, recorded as written.
8.08, opening
Confirmed by re-check 2026-10-198.08. Legally Protected Health Care Activity No person shall be denied initial licensure or denied renewal due to any complaint, criminal charge, conviction, judgment, discipline, or other sanction due to providing or assisting in providing, or dispensing medication for, reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services, as defined at M.G.L. c. 12, ...
379 characters, recorded as written.
Source 1: mass.gov
https://www.mass.gov/doc/2026-02-ratios-supervision-and-dedicated-training-personnel/download ↗masthead
Page allows no automated re-checkAdopted: 9/3/26 Page 1 of 4 Board of Registration in Pharmacy Policy 2026-02: Ratios, Supervision, and Dedicated Training Personnel
131 characters, recorded as written.
section I, Supervisory Ratios, verbatim (the page 2 letterhead is marked as a cut)
Page allows no automated re-checkI. Supervisory Ratios A. A pharmacist utilizing pharmacy interns, certified pharmacy technicians, pharmacy technicians, and / or pharmacy technician trainees ("support personnel") to assist in filling prescriptions may utilize such support personnel in accordance with the following ratio requirements: 1. One pharmacist for a maximum of four support personnel (1:4); provided: a. at least one of the four support personnel is a licensed certified pharmacy technician and one is a licensed pharmacy intern; or b. at least two of the support personnel are licensed certified pharmacy technicians; or c. two of the support personnel are licensed pharmacy interns. 2. One pharmacist for a maximum of three support personnel (1:3); provided at least one of the three support personnel is a licensed pharmacy intern or a licensed certified pharmacy technician. B. In response to the continued public health need for vaccinations, the below supervisory ratios at pharmacies that are providing vaccination services are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: 1. a maximum ratio of one pharmacist to six support personnel (1:6) is not exceeded; and 2. at least three of those support personnel include: a. licensed certified pharmacy technicians; and b. up to two licensed pharmacy interns. C. Licensed personnel who are not supporting the pharmacist in any professional capacity in preparing / filling prescriptions or orders (e.g., inventory duties, placing pharmacist-verified compliance packages in totes, etc.) need not be counted in the ... ratio. However, the posted schedule must indicate the names and roles of these licensees. D. Unlicensed individuals such as cashiers are not to be included in the ratio and may not support the pharmacist in any professional capacity in preparing / filling prescriptions or orders.
1,837 characters, recorded as written.
section II, Intern Supervision, the operative lines
Page allows no automated re-checkPer 247 CMR 8.01(16), "a registered pharmacist preceptor shall not directly supervise more than two pharmacy interns at one time." For the purposes of this policy, the Board is providing additional clarification that a pharmacist preceptor: A. may directly supervise up to four pharmacy interns at one time only if the interns are not in a pharmacy or engaged in the filling and / or dispensing of prescriptions or any other duty in which an error on the part of an intern could have an untoward impact on patient safety; B. may directly supervise up to four pharmacy interns at one time when exclusively conducting immunization clinics;
637 characters, recorded as written.
section III.A.2.c
Page allows no automated re-checkc. Must be counted in the ratio as a "pharmacy technician" regardless of whether the trainee is a certified pharmacy technician or intern.
138 characters, recorded as written.
closing lines
Page allows no automated re-checkSupersedes Policy 2024-03 Authority: 247 CMR 8.00
49 characters, recorded as written.
Every read and every re-check, newest first
A dated read is RxShift reading the issuing body’s text and recording it in a dated report; its public note is repeated here word for word from the updates log. A re-check is the weekly automated comparison of the recorded passages against the live page. People decide every reading; a re-check never changes one. Massachusetts's issuing body does not allow automated re-checks, so this state rests on its dated reads.
2026-10-19
Re-check: not allowed
The automated re-check could not read mass.gov (HTTP 403, the host refuses automated requests). 5 of 10 passages were confirmed on the pages it could read.
2026-10-19
Full read
Read in full from the issuing body's own text and recorded word for word.
Massachusetts pharmacy staffing ratios are unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), read today from the official text posted by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a pharmacist may supervise up to 3 support personnel when at least one is a certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern, and up to 4 when at least two are certified technicians or interns in any combination; the regulation states no condition for one or two support personnel. Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026, is still the newest Board ratio policy we have found, including its tier of up to 6 support personnel at a pharmacy providing vaccination services when at least three of them are certified technicians or interns, no more than two of those three being interns.
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-10-16
Re-check: confirmed
The weekly re-check found every recorded passage (10 of 10, 4,258 characters) still on the issuing body's page as served that day.
2026-10-16
Full read
Read in full from the issuing body's own text and recorded word for word.
Massachusetts pharmacy staffing ratios are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), read from the Board's official text, a pharmacist may supervise up to 3 support personnel when at least one is a certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern, and up to 4 when at least two are certified technicians or interns in any combination. Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026 and read today from the Board's own page, remains the current ratio guidance, including its tier of up to 6 support personnel at a pharmacy providing vaccination services when at least three of them are certified technicians or interns, no more than two of those three being interns.
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-10-15
Re-check: not allowed
The automated re-check could not read every source the record names. 5 of 8 passages were confirmed on the pages it could read.
2026-10-15
Full read
Read in full from the issuing body's own text and recorded word for word.
Massachusetts pharmacy staffing ratios are unchanged as of October 15, 2026. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3) a pharmacist may supervise up to 3 support personnel when at least one is a certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern, and up to 4 when at least two are certified technicians or interns in any combination, with no condition stated for one or two support personnel; a technician whose certification has lapsed counts as an uncertified technician (247 CMR 8.04(3)(c)). Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026, remains the Board's current ratio guidance, including its higher limit of up to 6 support personnel at pharmacies providing vaccination services when its certification conditions are met.
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-10-05
Currency screen
A check for any amendment, repeal or proposal since the last full read.
Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing rules. A pharmacist may supervise up to 4 support personnel when at least two are certified pharmacy technicians or pharmacy interns (or one of each), up to 3 when at least one is, and a pharmacist preceptor may supervise no more than two pharmacy interns at a time (247 CMR 8.06(3), 8.01(16)). Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026, remains the Board's current guidance on ratios, including the higher limit for pharmacies providing vaccination services. The 12-hour limit in any 24-hour period, with eight consecutive hours of rest before returning, is unchanged (247 CMR 9.01(17)).
Confidence recorded: medium. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-21
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing rules. A pharmacist may supervise up to 4 support personnel once at least two of them are certified pharmacy technicians or pharmacy interns, up to 3 once at least one is, and a registered pharmacist preceptor may not directly supervise more than two pharmacy interns at one time (247 CMR 8.06(3), 8.01(16)). Worth knowing if you track certifications: under 247 CMR 8.04(3)(c), a technician whose certification has lapsed is counted as a plain pharmacy technician in the ratio, so a lapse can quietly cost you a staffing slot. The 12-hour limit on practice in any 24-hour period, with eight consecutive hours of rest before returning, is also unchanged (247 CMR 9.01(17)).
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-17
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
Massachusetts limits pharmacists, pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians alike to 12 hours of practice in any 24-hour period, and requires eight consecutive hours of rest before returning to work (247 CMR 9.01(17)); working past 12 hours is permitted only for a documented extenuating circumstance.
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-16
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy confirmed on September 16, 2026 how the condition on its 1-to-6 vaccination ratio should be read: at least three of the six support personnel must be certified pharmacy technicians or pharmacy interns taken together, and no more than two of them may be interns. A pharmacist working with two certified technicians, one intern and three other support personnel therefore meets the condition. RxShift is building this tier against the Board's own written answer rather than an interpretation, and until it ships the product continues to apply the stricter four-per-pharmacist ladder.
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-15
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacist-to-technician ratio. The Board adopted a new policy on September 3, 2026 restating it: 2 support staff per pharmacist, 3 once at least one is a certified technician or pharmacy intern, and 4 once at least two are. The new policy also confirms a separate limit RxShift does not yet apply, that a pharmacist preceptor may directly supervise no more than two pharmacy interns at a time in a pharmacy, and describes a higher 1-to-6 allowance for pharmacies providing vaccination services. Both are under review before any change is made.
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-07
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing ratio. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), a Massachusetts pharmacist needs at least one certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern among the support staff to have a 3rd, and at least two to have a 4th. The regulation states no condition for one or two support staff. Separately, 247 CMR 8.01(16) limits a pharmacist preceptor to directly supervising two pharmacy interns at one time, and a Board policy adopted September 5, 2024 appears to allow more than two in defined circumstances, so a pharmacy training several interns at once should read that policy before relying on the two-intern figure.
Confidence recorded: medium. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-06
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing ratio. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), a Massachusetts pharmacist needs at least one certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern among the support staff to have a 3rd, and at least two to have a 4th. The regulation states no condition for one or two support staff. A separate Board policy adopted September 5, 2024 says the Board will not enforce those ratios at pharmacies providing vaccination services, so long as the pharmacist supervises no more than six support staff and at least three of them are licensed interns or certified technicians.
Confidence recorded: medium. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-03
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
In both Alabama and Massachusetts the technician ceiling is written per pharmacist, and when more than one pharmacist is on duty the staffing limits add up across the prescription area rather than locking specific technicians to a specific pharmacist (Ala. Admin. Code r. 680-X-2-.14(5); 247 CMR 8.06(3)). Massachusetts treats pharmacy interns differently: an intern works under an assigned Board-approved preceptor, and 247 CMR 8.01(16) says a preceptor may not directly supervise more than two interns at one time, so interns cannot simply be pooled the way technicians are.
Confidence recorded: medium. This entry on the updates log
2026-09-03
Report
A dated report on file for this state.
Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), a Massachusetts pharmacist needs at least one certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern among the support staff to have a 3rd, and at least two to have a 4th. The regulation states no condition for one or two support staff. A separate Board policy allows up to 6 support staff only when providing vaccinations. The Board has disciplined pharmacies for exceeding these limits, including a pharmacy found in a 2013 inspection operating at 1 pharmacist to 6 support staff, 50% over the 4-person ceiling, which was placed on three-year probation (License No. DS3349).
Confidence recorded: high. This entry on the updates log
What the re-check results mean
- Confirmed: every recorded passage was still on the issuing body’s page as served that day.
- Mismatch: at least one passage was not found. It is reported as it stands, a person looks, and the rows after it show what followed.
- Not allowed: the issuing body’s site does not permit automated reading, so the rule rests on its dated read, by a person where the page can only be opened in a browser.
- Nothing to match, no baseline: the record on file held no passage the re-check can match, or no report yet qualified as its baseline.