VA MPJE key terms

A license the Virginia Board of Pharmacy issues for a specific location to operate as a pharmacy; it names the pharmacist-in-charge, must be renewed, and must be posted.

The personal credential from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy that allows a person who has met education, examination, and internship requirements to practice pharmacy in the Commonwealth.

The Virginia-licensed pharmacist named on a pharmacy permit who is accountable for the pharmacy's daily operation, legal compliance, records, security, and supervision of all personnel.

A Board of Pharmacy credential that lets a trained person perform technical tasks, such as counting and labeling, while supervised by a pharmacist; unregistered helpers may only do nontechnical work.

A registered Virginia pharmacy technician who also holds a national certification the Board accepts and keeps that certification current as a condition of registration.

A student in an approved pharmacy program who is registered with the Board and may perform pharmacist functions, including dispensing, under a pharmacist's direct supervision while completing training.

The appointed regulatory body within the Virginia Department of Health Professions that licenses pharmacies and personnel, writes regulations, investigates complaints, and imposes discipline.

Virginia's statute in Title 54.1 that schedules controlled substances, sets registration and recordkeeping duties, and defines drug offenses and enforcement powers in the Commonwealth.

Categories I through V that rank drugs by abuse potential and accepted medical use; a drug's schedule controls prescription limits, refills, recordkeeping, security, and reporting duties.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration authorization a pharmacy or prescriber must hold before ordering, storing, or dispensing controlled substances; it must be renewed and kept at the registered site.

A Virginia pharmacy permit type for sites that dispense drugs needing special handling, storage, or care coordination, such as limited-distribution products; the Board adds accreditation and reporting conditions.

Preparing, mixing, or altering a drug to meet an individual patient's needs, such as making a liquid from tablets; Board rules and USP standards govern the practice.

Compounding that produces sterile products such as injections and IV admixtures, requiring a clean room, environmental monitoring, validated procedures, and trained staff under Board regulations.

A business that supplies drugs to pharmacies or other distributors instead of patients; Virginia requires a Board license and compliance with pedigree and transaction record rules.

A computerized cabinet or system that stores and releases drugs, often on hospital floors, using restricted access and transaction records; Board rules require pharmacist oversight and periodic checks.

Delivering pharmacy services remotely, for example linking a remote site by video to a supervising pharmacist; Virginia authorizes it through specific permits and supervision requirements.

A required written program in which a pharmacy documents how it detects, analyzes, and prevents medication errors and near misses and monitors whether corrective steps worked.

A preventable mistake in prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, or administering a drug that reaches or could reach a patient and may cause harm.

An error or unsafe condition caught before a medication reached the patient; pharmacies are expected to record and review these events in their quality program.

Harm a patient experiences from a medication, whether or not a mistake caused it, such as an allergic reaction, side effect, or dosing-related injury.

Direct discussion with the patient or caregiver about a new or changed prescription, covering directions, storage, side effects, and precautions; Virginia requires pharmacists to offer it and document refusals.

The pharmacy's file of a patient's prescriptions, allergies, conditions, and notes, used to screen for interactions and to document decisions; it must be kept and updated.

A lawful order from a prescriber for a drug for a named patient, containing the elements Virginia requires, such as drug, strength, directions, date, quantity, and prescriber identification.

Preparing and giving a prescription drug to a patient or caregiver, including checking the order, labeling the container, and providing required information and counseling.

The legal power of a practitioner to order drugs for patients; in Virginia it depends on license type and, for some practitioners, on an approved practice agreement.

A written arrangement between a nurse practitioner or physician assistant and a physician that defines the drugs the practitioner may prescribe, any limits, and how consultation occurs.

A written protocol from a prescriber that lets a pharmacist dispense or administer a drug to qualifying patients without a patient-specific prescription, such as vaccines or naloxone.

An additional dispensing under a prescription already on file; the original order must authorize refills, and Virginia and federal rules limit how many are allowed.

Moving a prescription from one pharmacy to another at the patient's request; the sending and receiving pharmacies each must keep a record of what was transferred.

A drug that federal or Virginia law allows to be sold only on prescription; its label must carry the required prescription legend.

A dosage unit of a prescription drug provided free to a prescriber for patient use; federal and Virginia rules limit who may distribute samples and require labeling and records.

A complete count of every controlled substance on hand, taken at least every two years, signed, dated, and kept available for inspection with the pharmacy's records.

The controlled process for removing expired, recalled, or unwanted drugs from stock and either returning them to an authorized reverse distributor or destroying them with documented witnesses.

A manufacturer or FDA action pulling a drug from the market because of a defect; pharmacies must check stock, remove the product, and document patient notification when required.

A sealed, limited supply of drugs kept in a hospital unit or by authorized providers for urgent use, with restricted access and routine documentation and restocking by pharmacy staff.

A trained Virginia pharmacist's authority to give vaccines under a prescription or standing order, with required records, notification to the patient's provider, and reporting to the state registry.

Virginia allows a pharmacist to dispense or administer naloxone to a person at risk of opioid overdose or to a family member without a patient-specific prescription, under a standing order or protocol.

A state database of dispensed controlled substances that pharmacists must report to and may check before dispensing; it helps spot misuse, doctor shopping, and dangerous combinations.