CO MPJE study plan
CO MPJE · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Controlled Substances and Federal/State Drug Law Compliance & Licensure, Registration, and Certification Requirements
Map the federal controlled substance schedules to Pennsylvania's five-schedule system and list every drug class where the state schedule differs from the federal one
Trace the full lifecycle of a Schedule II prescription from issuance through dispensing, including refill prohibition, partial fill rules, and the 90-day supply limit for multiple prescriptions
Explain the Pennsylvania-specific requirements for prescriber registration, DEA numbers, and the state-issued license that authorize controlled substance prescribing
Distinguish the recordkeeping, security, and inventory obligations that apply to Schedule II versus Schedule III-V substances under both federal and Pennsylvania law
Identify the reporting duties triggered by a theft, significant loss, or in-transit discrepancy and the timeline for each report
Your checkpoint
A one-page controlled substance compliance matrix listing schedule, refill rules, record retention, inventory obligation, and reporting trigger for each schedule
Controlled Substances and Federal/State Drug Law Compliance & Prescription Processing, Dispensing, and Recordkeeping
Apply Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program query and reporting requirements to realistic dispensing scenarios, including the timeline for submitting dispensed data
Evaluate when a pharmacist may refuse to fill a controlled substance prescription and document that decision defensibly
Analyze electronic prescribing mandates, exceptions, and the handling of oral or faxed controlled substance prescriptions
Compare the prescription transfer rules for controlled versus non-controlled drugs and identify the records that must accompany each transfer
Resolve practice scenarios involving early refills, lost or stolen prescriptions, and prescriber authorization limits
Your checkpoint
A written analysis of five controlled substance scenarios, each with the correct action, the legal citation category, and the documentation required
Licensure, Registration, and Certification Requirements & Pharmacy Operations, Personnel, and Facility Requirements
Outline the licensure pathways for pharmacists, pharmacy interns, technicians, and pharmacy locations in Pennsylvania, including application, renewal, and continuing education obligations
Describe the facility standards a pharmacy must meet, covering prescription department size, security, equipment, and reference materials
Specify the personnel ratios, supervision requirements, and technician duties permitted under Pennsylvania regulations
Diagram the required signage, posting, and licensure display obligations for a community pharmacy
Identify the conditions that trigger a required notification to the board about a change of address, ownership, or pharmacist-in-charge
Your checkpoint
A facility and personnel compliance checklist that could be used during a mock board inspection
Pharmacy Practice Standards and Scope of Practice & Patient Counseling, Labeling, and Patient Safety
Define the scope of pharmacist practice in Pennsylvania, including collaborative practice agreements, immunizations, and prescriptive authority for certain drugs and devices
Explain the counseling obligation, the situations in which it may be waived, and the documentation that supports a waiver
Construct compliant prescription label elements for both outpatient and inpatient settings, including auxiliary labeling requirements
Apply patient safety practices for high-alert medications, look-alike/sound-alike names, and error reporting
Distinguish the pharmacist's duty to counsel on controlled substances, including the offer of naloxone where required
Your checkpoint
A counseling and labeling reference sheet with sample label elements and a decision tree for when counseling may be declined
Prescription Processing, Dispensing, and Recordkeeping & Pharmacy Practice Standards and Scope of Practice
Sequence the steps of prescription intake, verification, therapeutic and legal review, filling, and final verification, noting the records generated at each step
Determine the record retention periods for prescriptions, patient profiles, and other required records under Pennsylvania and federal law
Apply the rules for prescription refills, generic substitution, and substitution documentation on the prescription record
Evaluate scenarios involving prescriptive authority, invalid prescriptions, and prescriptions from out-of-state prescribers
Explain the requirements for patient records, including accessibility, confidentiality, and release of information
Your checkpoint
A process map of the dispensing workflow annotated with the record created, retention period, and legal basis at each step
Discipline, Enforcement, and Professional Ethics & Pharmacy Practice Standards and Scope of Practice
Summarize the grounds for disciplinary action against a pharmacist or pharmacy and the range of sanctions the board may impose
Describe the complaint, investigation, and hearing process, including the pharmacist's procedural rights
Apply ethical obligations around impaired practice, mandatory reporting, and conflicts of interest to case scenarios
Distinguish unprofessional conduct from ordinary negligence using concrete examples
Outline the consequences of practicing on a lapsed or restricted license and the rules for reinstatement
Your checkpoint
A case brief of three disciplinary scenarios identifying the violation, the likely sanction, and the preventive control that would have avoided it
Pharmacy Operations, Personnel, and Facility Requirements & Prescription Processing, Dispensing, and Recordkeeping
Design the operational controls for inventory management, including receiving, returns, recalls, and expired stock handling
Specify the requirements for automated dispensing systems, remote processing, and centralized prescription filling where permitted
Explain the security, access control, and recordkeeping obligations for the prescription department
Apply continuous quality improvement program requirements to a documented dispensing error
Draft the elements of a policy and procedure manual section covering a required operational area
Your checkpoint
A drafted policy and procedure section for one operational area, with the regulatory basis for each requirement
Licensure, Registration, and Certification Requirements & Controlled Substances and Federal/State Drug Law Compliance & Patient Counseling, Labeling, and Patient Safety & Discipline, Enforcement, and Professional Ethics
Complete a timed, full-length practice assessment and score each domain separately to identify remaining weak areas
Re-review every missed item and write the underlying rule in the candidate's own words
Recite the high-yield numeric thresholds, retention periods, and timelines from memory across all seven domains
Build a final-week review sheet limited to the ten facts most likely to be tested and most often confused
Verify the exam-day logistics, identification requirements, and allowed reference materials
Your checkpoint
A scored practice assessment with a written remediation log and a one-page high-yield review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can state, without notes, the refill rules, record retention, and PDMP reporting timeline for each controlled substance schedule, and score at least 80 percent on a self-made 25-question controlled substance quiz
Week 4: Can produce a compliant prescription label and correctly decide whether counseling is required in ten rapid-fire scenarios, scoring at least 8 of 10
Week 6: Can classify a described violation into the correct domain and name the likely sanction in five disciplinary scenarios without referencing notes
Week 8: Scores at least 75 percent overall on the full-length practice assessment with no single domain below 65 percent, and has completed the remediation log for every missed item