After years of rigorous schooling and working to build your professional career, you understandably want to protect your pharmacist license and your livelihood. While most pharmacists in Pennsylvania have no actionable issues throughout their careers, some do not have those same spotless records.
Understand your responsibilities as a pharmacist and comply with state and federal laws to avoid losing your pharmacist license. Here are some ways you could put your license in jeopardy.
Missing renewal deadlines
According to the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy, all pharmacist licenses expire on September 30 of even-numbered years. Be on the lookout for license renewal information sent to you about two months before the expiration date. If you miss the deadline, you need to file a separate reactivation application.
Performing duties incompetently
If you are an incompetent pharmacist, you have a high likelihood of losing your license. Since there are potentially fatal consequences to your mistakes as a pharmacist, working in a careless manner and failing to perform your duties competently can lead to your license suspension. For example, if you fill the wrong dosages of medications, fail to assess your patient’s known allergies or forgo verbal counseling, you are working incompetently.
Committing fraud
The Pennsylvania Code outlines unethical and illegal practices such as defrauding insurance, using deceptive billing practices, stealing medicine, filling a prescription with fraudulent knowledge or providing a medical practitioner with prescription blanks with the name of the pharmacy, all of which will result in disciplinary action by the State Board of Pharmacy. Depending on the nature of the offense, this could also entangle you in some criminal charges.
