Pharmacy Operations, Facilities, and Equipment
Space and security requirements
A registered pharmacy must have adequate space for dispensing, storage, and recordkeeping, and must be secure so that the public cannot access the prescription area unsupervised. Controlled substances require additional security. Questions probe whether a described layout - an open counter, a shared stockroom, a kiosk - satisfies the requirement that only authorized personnel be in the dispensing area.
Equipment and environment
Required equipment includes a refrigerator with temperature monitoring for drugs needing cold storage, a sink where compounding occurs, appropriate measuring and weighing devices, and calibration records. Temperature excursions must be documented and evaluated. Compounding areas must be clean and, for sterile compounding, meet environmental and validation standards.
Drug storage and stock
Expired, recalled, or adulterated stock must be segregated and removed from dispensing stock. Recalls must be acted upon and documented. Returned drugs may not re-enter dispensing stock. Look for the trap where a drug is "checked and still good" after the expiration date - that is never acceptable.
Personnel and workflow
There must be a pharmacist-in-charge responsible for compliance. Support staff may perform only delegated tasks, and the pharmacist must be physically present as required for the permit class. Continuous supervision requirements differ for community versus institutional settings, and remote or central-fill arrangements have their own standards.
Emergency and continuity
Plans for power loss, outages, and emergencies, plus a posted license and required notices, round out operations. The Board may inspect without prior notice.
Rule of thumb
When a fact pattern describes a facility defect, ask whether it is a security, storage, equipment, or supervision failure - the correct answer usually names that category precisely.
Worked example
A refrigerator holding vaccines reads 12°C overnight. The pharmacist must quarantine the affected stock, document the excursion, evaluate stability, and not dispense until suitability is established.