1. An applicant for a conditional prescription certificate shall be granted a certificate by the board if the applicant satisfies all of the following requirements:

 a. Holds a current license to practice psychology in this state.
 b. Completed pharmacological training from an institution approved by the board of psychology and the board of medicine or from a provider of continuing education approved by the board of psychology and the board of medicine pursuant to joint rules adopted by both boards.
 c. Passed a national certification examination approved by the board of psychology and the board of medicine that tested the applicant’s knowledge of pharmacology in the diagnosis, care, and treatment of mental disorders.
 d. Within five years immediately preceding the date of application, successfully completed a postdoctoral master of science degree in clinical psychopharmacology approved by the board of psychology and the board of medicine pursuant to joint rules adopted by both boards. The program shall at a minimum include coursework in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychopharmacology, physiology, and appropriate and relevant physical and laboratory assessments.
 e. Within five years immediately preceding the date of application, has been certified by the applicant’s supervising physician as having successfully completed a supervised and relevant clinical experience in clinical assessment and pathophysiology and an additional supervised practicum treating patients with mental disorders. The practica shall have been supervised by a trained physician. The board of psychology and the board of medicine, pursuant to joint rules adopted by the boards, shall determine sufficient practica to competently train the applicant in the treatment of a diverse patient population.
 f. Possesses malpractice insurance that will cover the applicant during the period the conditional prescription certificate is in effect.
 g. Meets all other requirements, as determined by joint rules adopted by the board of psychology and the board of medicine, for obtaining a conditional prescription certificate.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 154B.10

  • Board: means the board of psychology created under chapter 147. See Iowa Code 154B.1
  • Conditional prescription certificate: means a document issued by the board to a licensed psychologist that permits the holder to prescribe psychotropic medication under the supervision of a licensed physician pursuant to this chapter. See Iowa Code 154B.1
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • License: means a license issued by the state under this chapter to a hearing aid specialist. See Iowa Code 154A.1
  • Physician: means a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery in this state who is board-certified in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, or another specialty who prescribes medications for the treatment of a mental disorder to patients in the normal course of the person's clinical medical practice pursuant to joint rules adopted by the board of psychology and the board of medicine. See Iowa Code 154B.1
  • Prescription certificate: means a document issued by the board to a licensed psychologist that permits the holder to prescribe psychotropic medication pursuant to this chapter. See Iowa Code 154B.1
  • Psychotropic medication: means a medicine that shall not be dispensed or administered without a prescription and that has been explicitly approved by the federal food and drug administration for the treatment of a mental disorder, as defined by the most recent version of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders published by the American psychiatric association or the most recent version of the international classification of diseases. See Iowa Code 154B.1
  • State: means a state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See Iowa Code 152E.3
 2. A conditional prescription certificate is valid for four years, at the end of which the holder may apply again pursuant to the provisions of subsection 1.
 3. A psychologist with a conditional prescription certificate may prescribe psychotropic medication under the supervision of a licensed physician subject to all of the following conditions:

 a. The psychologist shall continue to hold a current license to practice psychology in this state and continue to maintain malpractice insurance.
 b. The psychologist shall inform the board of the name of the physician under whose supervision the psychologist will prescribe psychotropic medication and promptly inform the board of any change of the supervising physician.
 c. A physician supervising a psychologist prescribing psychotropic medication pursuant to a conditional prescription certificate shall be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to section 148.13A for the acts and omissions of the psychologist while under the physician’s supervision. This provision does not relieve the psychologist from liability for the psychologist’s acts and omissions.
 d. Any other rules adopted jointly by the board of psychology and the board of medicine.
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