Virginia Administrative Code › Title 18 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING › Agency 110 - BOARD OF PHARMACY › Chapter 20 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE PRACTICE OF PHARMACY › Part II - Pharmacies › Section 18VAC110-20-113 - Pharmacy working conditions

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. A pharmacy
				  permit holder shall protect the health, safety, and welfare of patients by
				  consulting with the PIC or pharmacist on duty and other pharmacy staff to
				  ensure patient care services are safely provided in compliance with applicable
				  standards of patient care. A permit holder's decisions shall not override the
				  control of the PIC or other pharmacist on duty regarding appropriate working
				  environments for all pharmacy personnel necessary to protect the health,
				  safety, and welfare of patients.
B.
				  To provide a safe working environment in a pharmacy, a permit holder shall, at
				  a minimum:
1. Ensure sufficient personnel are
				  scheduled to work at all times in order to prevent fatigue, distraction, or
				  other conditions that interfere with a pharmacist's ability to practice with
				  reasonable competence and safety. Staffing levels shall not be solely based on
				  prescription volume, but shall consider any other requirements of pharmacy
				  staff during working hours;
2.
				  Provide sufficient tools and equipment in good repair and minimize excessive
				  distractions to support a safe workflow for a pharmacist to practice with
				  reasonable competence and safety to address patient needs in a timely
				  manner;
3. Avoid the introduction
				  of external factors, such as productivity or production quotas or other
				  programs, to the extent that they interfere with the pharmacist's ability to
				  provide appropriate professional services to the public;
4. Ensure staff are sufficiently trained to
				  safely and adequately perform their assigned duties, ensure staff demonstrate
				  competency, and ensure that pharmacy technician trainees work closely with
				  pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with sufficient experience as determined
				  by the PIC;
5. Provide appropriate
				  opportunities for uninterrupted rest periods and meal breaks consistent with
				  18VAC110-20-110 and the following:
a. A pharmacy may close when a pharmacist is
				  on break based on the professional judgment of the pharmacist on duty provided
				  that the pharmacy has complied with the 14-day notice to the public pursuant to
				  §
												54.1-3434 of the Code of
				  Virginia and
				  18VAC110-20-135;
b. If a pharmacy does not close while the
				  pharmacist is on break, the pharmacist must ensure adequate security of drugs
				  by taking a break within the prescription department or on the premises. The
				  pharmacist on duty must determine whether pharmacy technicians or pharmacy
				  interns may continue to perform duties and whether the pharmacist is able to
				  provide adequate supervision; and
c. If the pharmacy remains open, only
				  prescriptions verified by a pharmacist pursuant to
				  18VAC110-20-270 may be dispensed
				  when the pharmacist is on break. An offer to counsel any person filling a new
				  prescription must be offered pursuant to §
												54.1-3319 of the Code of
				  Virginia. Persons who request to speak to the pharmacist shall be told that the
				  pharmacist is on break and that they may wait to speak with the pharmacist or
				  provide a telephone number for the pharmacist to contact them upon return from
				  break. Pharmacists returning from break shall immediately attempt to contact
				  persons who requested counseling and document when such counseling is
				  provided;
6. Provide
				  adequate time for a pharmacist to complete professional duties and
				  responsibilities, including:
a. Drug
				  utilization review;
b.
				  Immunization;
c.
				  Counseling;
d. Verification of
				  prescriptions;
e. Patient testing;
				  and
f. All other duties required by
				  Chapter 33 (§
												54.1-3300 et seq.) and Chapter
				  34 (§
												54.1-3400 et seq.) of Title 54.1
				  of the Code of Virginia and this chapter; and
7. Ensure that pharmacy technicians shall
				  never perform duties otherwise restricted to a pharmacist.