VA MPJE cheat sheet

The Virginia Board of Pharmacy, within the Department of Health Professions, issues pharmacist licenses, pharmacy permits, technician registrations, and pharmaceutical processor licenses.

Pharmacist licenses expire annually on December 31; renewal requires a fee, completion of continuing education, and disclosure of disciplinary or impairment issues.

A pharmacy permit is site- and owner-specific and is not transferable; relocating the pharmacy or changing ownership requires a new permit application.

The pharmacist-in-charge must hold a current Virginia pharmacist license and is responsible for compliance, security, and recordkeeping; a PIC change must be reported to the Board in writing within 14 days.

Pharmacy technicians must register with the Board, complete a Board-approved training program, and pass a Board-recognized certification examination unless an exemption applies.

A pharmacy located outside Virginia that ships or mails prescription drugs to Virginia patients must hold a Virginia nonresident pharmacy registration and comply with Virginia law.

Continuing education for pharmacists is 30 contact hours per biennium, with at least 15 hours obtained through live, interactive programs.

Pharmacy interns must register with the Board before accruing internship hours; hours earned before registration do not count toward licensure.

Pharmaceutical processors must be licensed by the Board of Pharmacy, and cannabis products must be dispensed by a pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician.

The Virginia Drug Control Act (Va. Code Title 54.1, Chapter 34) parallels the federal Controlled Substances Act and authorizes the Board to place drugs in Schedules II through VI.

Schedule II prescriptions may not be refilled; a new prescription is required for each additional dispensing, and emergency oral orders require a written prescription within seven days.

Schedule III, IV, and V prescriptions may be refilled up to five times within six months of the issue date.

Virginia limits opioid prescriptions for acute pain to a seven-day supply unless an exception such as cancer, hospice, or chronic pain applies.

Dispensers must report each controlled substance dispensing to the Virginia Prescription Monitoring Program by the close of the next business day, and prescribers must query the PMP before initiating opioid or benzodiazepine therapy and periodically thereafter.

Pharmacists may dispense naloxone without a patient-specific prescription under a Board-approved protocol or standing order and must provide patient education.

Prescriptions for controlled substances must be issued electronically, subject to exceptions such as system failure, emergency, or technological limitations.

Prescription and controlled substance records must be maintained for at least two years and be readily available for inspection by the Board and DEA.

A separate DEA registration is required for each principal place of business where controlled substances are handled and must be renewed every three years.

One pharmacist may supervise no more than four pharmacy technicians performing technician duties at the same time.

Each pharmacy must maintain a written continuous quality improvement program that documents medication errors and near misses, analyzes causes, and implements preventive changes.

The pharmacist must offer counseling to the patient or caregiver for each new prescription, and a refusal of counseling must be documented.

Labels must include the pharmacy name and address, prescription number, date, patient name, prescriber, drug name and strength, directions, quantity, and refill information.

The prescription department must be locked and accessible only to authorized personnel when a pharmacist is not on duty.

Refrigerated drugs must be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), with temperatures monitored and documented.

Current drug information and drug law references must be available at the pharmacy for use by pharmacy personnel.

The pharmacist-in-charge is responsible for staff training, security of the prescription department, and maintenance of required records.

Every DEA registrant must take a complete controlled substance inventory every two years; the inventory must be dated, signed, and kept at least two years.

Schedule II drugs are ordered with DEA Form 222 or an approved electronic equivalent, and executed forms are retained as records.

A theft or significant loss of controlled substances must be reported in writing to DEA and the Virginia Board of Pharmacy upon discovery, using DEA Form 106.

Expired or unwanted controlled substances must be transferred to a DEA-registered reverse distributor; they cannot be discarded in the trash or returned without documentation.

Under DSCSA, trading partners must exchange transaction information, transaction history, and a transaction statement for each prescription drug product.

Prescriptions must be filed so they can be retrieved by patient name, drug, or date, and must be retained for at least two years.

Invoices for controlled substances must be maintained for at least two years and be separate from or readily retrievable from other records.

When a controlled substance is returned to a supplier, the pharmacy must document the return and ensure the recipient is authorized to receive it.

A prescription is valid only if it is issued by a practitioner licensed and, where required, DEA-registered to prescribe the drug, and it contains all required elements.

A pharmacist may substitute a therapeutically equivalent generic unless the prescriber indicates 'dispense as written' or the patient refuses the substitution.

A one-time emergency refill of up to a 30-day supply of a non-controlled maintenance medication may be dispensed when the prescriber cannot be reached.

A written collaborative practice agreement allows a pharmacist to initiate, modify, or continue drug therapy for patients under a defined protocol with a prescriber.

Pharmacists with required training may initiate and dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives under a Board-approved protocol and must refer patients for follow-up care.

If a pharmacy cannot supply the full quantity of a Schedule II prescription, the remainder may be dispensed within 72 hours; otherwise the prescriber must be notified.

Prescription transfers between pharmacies are permitted and must be documented with the transferring and receiving pharmacist information, drug, quantity, and dates.

Counseling should address the drug name and purpose, directions, common side effects, interactions, storage, and what to do about a missed dose.

Medication errors and near misses are reviewed through the pharmacy's continuous quality improvement program, with documented corrective actions.

Serious adverse drug events and product problems may be reported to the FDA through MedWatch.

Adverse events following immunization are reported to VAERS, with mandatory reporting for specified serious events.

High-alert medications such as insulin, heparin, and concentrated electrolytes require independent double checks and standardized storage.

Look-alike/sound-alike drugs should be separated, flagged, and labeled with tall-man lettering to reduce selection errors.

Patients receiving naloxone should be counseled on recognizing overdose, calling emergency services, and administering the product.

Written patient information should be provided with prescriptions when required and should be consistent with the counseling given.