July 2001 Newsletter

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DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS We are pleased to report that there was no disciplinary activity during the months of March, April, and May 2001.

BOARD EXAMS, OUR LARGEST EVER.       The Board of Pharmacy gave its “written practical” as part of the overall board exams on Wednesday, June 13, 2001. Approximately 160 candidates participated in the examination process. That number represents the largest number of candidates ever to participate in a single examination in Minnesota.

            Since candidates for licensure now make their own appointments to take the NAPLEX and the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, not all candidates end up becoming licensed at the same time. The Board will be sending the pass/fail letters to candidates as soon as all three parts of the examination have been completed and scores are made available to the Board.  

            Potential employers of new licensees are cautioned not to schedule these individuals for work as pharmacists until the candidate has received notification of passing and has paid their original license fee. It would be a shame to jeopardize the license of one of these new graduates before they even receive it.  

            Exam candidates may work as pharmacist-interns (as long as they are registered as interns with the Board), until they receive their examination results. Interns, however, are not allowed to perform professional functions without a currently licensed pharmacist present and on duty.  

EMPLOYING SUMMER INTERNS. A number of pharmacy students have become eligible to work as pharmacy student interns this summer. Many of these students will be seeking employment in order to obtain their required internship hours. Both pharmacy students seeking employment as interns and Minnesota pharmacists who might be interested in employing these students must remember that the students must be registered with the Board of Pharmacy in Minnesota before they begin employment as interns and the pharmacist acting as preceptor for these students must also be registered with the Board. 

            Every year it seems that individuals are found to be working in Minnesota as an intern based on an intern registration in another state. Registration as an intern in a neighboring state is not valid in Minnesota. If the student is employed in a Minnesota pharmacy, they must be registered as an intern in Minnesota. Pharmacists hiring pharmacy students must make sure that the student is properly registered with us and that a pharmacist, registered with the Board as a preceptor, is available to oversee the student’s practical experience. Interns will not receive credit for their experience if the pharmacist overseeing their practical experience is not registered as a preceptor. 

            Both internship registration forms and preceptor registration forms are available on the Board’s website at www.phcybrd.state.mn.us.

TECHNICIAN REGISTRATION REMINDER.  Board of Pharmacy inspectors continue to report an occasional individual working in the capacity of a pharmacy technician who is not properly registered with the Board as a technician.  

            In some cases, the newly employed individual is not familiar with the registration requirement and the pharmacist employer has been negligent about making sure the individual is registered. 

            In some cases, technicians assume that if they are “certified” by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board they somehow don’t need to register with the Board of Pharmacy. On several occasions, Board inspectors have had to explain that certification does not eliminate the need for registration. 

            It is the responsibility of the pharmacist-in-charge of each pharmacy to make sure that all individuals performing functions which assist the pharmacist in the preparation and dispensing of prescriptions are registered with the Board as pharmacy technicians. 

PHARMACISTS-IN-CHARGE ARE MANDATORY. It has recently come to the attention of the Board that a dozen or more pharmacies in Minnesota are being operated without an individual pharmacist being identified as the “pharmacist-in-charge” of the pharmacy. 

            Minnesota Statutes 151.34 indicates that it is unlawful to conduct a pharmacy without a pharmacist-in-charge. A violation of this type is grounds for disciplinary action, which could involve the closure of the pharmacy. 

            The Board is very concerned over the apparently growing number of pharmacies that are attempting to operate without anyone being in a position of responsibility at the pharmacy. The Board does not relish the idea of putting a pharmacy out of business because of a lack of a pharmacist-in-charge, but will consider all of its options, including closure, if pharmacies continue to operate without a pharmacist-in-charge. 

ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING NOT FOOLPROOF. The Board has recently learned of a serious medication error involving a computerized prescriber order entry system. A prescriber using a handheld computerized order entry device intended to order a prescription for Ocuflox for a patient with pinkeye. Unfortunately, the prescriber selected the wrong drug and caused an order for Occlusal-HP to be ordered instead. The order was electronically sent to a pharmacy’s computer with directions to “use daily as directed.” Occlusal-HP is a 17 percent solution of a salicylic acid used for removing warts. Significant damage to the patient’s eyes could have resulted had the prescription been dispensed as ordered. 

            Fortunately, the pharmacist counseled the patient and when the patient indicated that the physician had instructed that it be used in each eye the pharmacist immediately recognized that an error had occurred. This near tragedy points out the need for patient counseling and underscores the concept that “use as directed” is never appropriate.  Pharmacists are urged to counsel all patients but especially those receiving new prescriptions. 

STATISTICS OF INTEREST. 

COUNT AS OF March 14, 2001

PHARMACISTS

	In-state	Out-of-state
Retail	2,942	1,001
Hospital	965	470
Other	914	931

TECHNICIANS

	GREATER MN	OUT-OF-STATE	7-COUNTY METRO AREA
Male:	142	1	430
Female	2,047	5	2.082

Retail	Hospital	Other
3,972	1,269	228

PHARMACIES  

OTHER 

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