Pharmacy Operations, Personnel, and Facilities
Pharmacy Operations, Personnel, and Facilities
This domain tests the permit, the pharmacist-in-charge (PIC), staffing, security, storage, and facility standards that keep a pharmacy lawful and safe.
Core rules
- A pharmacy must hold a current Board permit for its location and activities; remodeling, relocation, change of ownership, or change of PIC usually requires notice or approval.
- The PIC is responsible for compliance, recordkeeping, security, and supervision. If the PIC leaves, the pharmacy must notify the Board and arrange coverage under Board rules; a pharmacy generally may not operate without a PIC.
- Louisiana limits technician supervision ratios and requires technicians to work under pharmacist supervision. The pharmacist must be physically present for activities that require pharmacist judgment.
- The prescription department must be secure, accessible only to authorized personnel, and arranged to protect drug integrity. Temperature-sensitive drugs require monitoring and documented excursion handling.
- Policies must cover returns, recalls, expired stock, waste, emergency dispensing, and business continuity.
Worked example
A community pharmacy’s PIC resigns on Friday. The owner plans to keep the store open with two technicians and a floater pharmacist who is not designated as PIC. That plan is deficient: the Board must be notified, a qualified PIC designated, and the permit records updated. Until a lawful PIC is in place, the pharmacy should not operate the prescription department.
Traps
Assuming a floater automatically becomes PIC; failing to notify the Board of relocation or remodel; exceeding technician ratios; leaving the prescription area unlocked; not documenting refrigerator temperatures; dispensing from an expired permit.