In 37 states and the District of Columbia, they can also mix drugs from raw chemicals. Not enough pharmacists Pharmacists are responsible for supervising the technicians' work, dispensing drugs, checking for dangerous interactions with other drugs and explaining how to take the medication. To ensure that drugstores hire enough pharmacists to safely dispense drugs, most states limit the number of technicians each pharmacist can supervise. Yet as technicians reach the legal limits of their tasks, pharmacies are pressuring state regulators to expand those limits. They are succeeding.
Druggists elsewhere say they see similar problems.
Calif. Druggists legally liable Many pharmacists and regulators complain that pharmacists have trouble monitoring the technicians they have now. The Virginia study was prompted in part by complaints from Virginia pharmacists such as June Carpenter of Lynchburg, who said technicians are given responsibilities that should be reserved for trained druggists. We must rely on technicians to do the work because the pharmacist only has time to quickly check behind them. The pharmacist, not the technician, is legally liable for mistakes in every state. But often, according to dozens of pharmacists interviewed, they don't check the tech's work.