PHARMACISTS

LicenseSure Helps Save Pharmacist & Pharmacy Technician Licenses

If you’re a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, you could get a pharmacy board complaint at any time. You don’t have to be in the wrong to get a complaint filed against you.
During any given year, pharmacists have their professional licenses suspended or revoked. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you. If you’re dealing with pharmacy license disciplinary proceedings, you need a skilled professional license defense attorney to protect and defend your license.

Reasons for Pharmacy License Discipline

Everyone makes mistakes. As a pharmacy professional you’re dealing with demanding work with long hours requiring attention to detail. Add personal problems to work problems and you can find yourself facing Board discipline in your pharmacy practice.
Here are some common reasons that can interfere with a pharmacist’s ability to do their job according to practice standards:
physical health issues affecting safety, exposure, demeanor, sanitation, mobility, attendance, and the ability to consistently perform to pharmacy standards
• Drug and alcohol addictions

• Health issues affecting the ability to perform at work accurately and safely

• Gambling addictions

• Legal problems such as criminal charges, financial issues, and other problems that can distract you from performing well on the job

• Unwanted decrease in work hours

• Toxic pharmacy work environment

Work Causes of License Discipline

It’s not just personal issues that can endanger a pharmacist’s license, but also professional reasons. Some common professional reasons for license disciplinary proceedings are:
• An inexperienced or poorly trained pharmacist

• Toxic and demanding supervisors

• High workloads

• Chronic understaffing

• Prescription fulfillment mistakes

• Providing wrong prescription information

• Failure to maintain complete and accurate records

• Misbranding drugs or other similar labeling issues

• Dispensing errors

• Practicing pharmacy without a valid and current license

• Providing medications without valid prescriptions

• Dispensing unauthorized substances or for unauthorized use

• Using pharmacy medications for personal use or selling medication

• Incomplete or falsifying customer patient records

The Virginia Board of Pharmacy

The Virginia Board of Pharmacy has a 10-member Board along with administrative, enforcement, licensing, and support staff. It licenses and regulates pharmacists, pharmacy techicians, and pharmacies.
The Virginia Board of Pharmacy is aligned with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and they both ensure that they regulate and ensure that pharmacy professional engage in safe pharmacological practices that do not cause a risk to the public. The Virginia Board of Pharmacy also investigates complaints made against pharmacists who have commpaoints made against them by their employers, patients, and colleagues.

Substance Abuse Risks

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can easily access drugs. This easy access poses significant personal and professional concerns for pharmacists and technicians. Research has shown that approximately 40% of pharmacists have reported nonmedical use of prescribed drugs.
A disproportionately high number of disciplinary actions against pharmacists are linked to substance abuse or suspected substance abuse. With access to drugs, some pharmacists unfortunately misuse them or enable others' misuse. However, innocent pharmacists may also face allegations of professional misconduct based on suspicion of substance abuse or diversion of drugs.
If you find yourself facing allegations of drug misuse or abuse before the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, it is crucial to seek the assistance of an experienced professional license defense attorney. Consider retaining Tori Bramble and the proficient team at the LicenseSure Professional License Defense to fight for you.

Understanding the Disciplinary Process

As a pharmacist you don’t have any legal training or knowledge that arms you with knowledge about how to deal with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
The Board has a slew of administrative procedures with rules governing pharmacy practice. If you receive a complaint you don’t have to answer any questions from the board without a lawyer present.
The Virginia Board of Pharmacy will let you know when a complaint has been filed against you. This means you’ll receive notice of what is said about you in the complaint and you’ll have the right to respond and challenge any accusations made against you so long as you do so on time.
When the Virginia Board of Pharmacy receives a complaint, its intake staff will review the complaint, investigate the complaint and if there’s some evidence it finds to move forward with discipline proceedings, it will.
It’s very easy to get lost in all the Board rules and miss out on a valuable chance to respond and defend your good name. With a professional license defense attorney, Tori Bramble and her team at LicenseSure Professional License Defense they are ready to help you follow Virginia pharmacy board disciplinary procedures to save your pharmacy license and keep you working.

How To React During an Investigation

If you receive a letter from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, don’t ignore it or any other contact from the Board. It’s okay to tell a board investigator that you do not want to speak with them without a lawyer. Saying this is not an admission of guilt.
By not saying anything, you do not do anything that will hurt your defense and it will allow you time to find the right lawyer to help you respond on time and correctly to the Board.
If you respond, inaccurately, or inappropriately to the Board, you risk keeping your license in good standing. And if you’re told by Board staff to handle this on your own and get it out of the way quickly, beware. You shouldn’t take legal advice from a Board representative. These are prosecutors intent on protecting the public – not you, the licensee.
The best thing is to hire your own attorney to respond for you to the Board. Most professional discipline matters can be resolved early in the process when an attorney gets involved. Sometimes though, cases have to go to a hearing or agreed outcome and can take longer.

Navigating a Formal Hearing

If your pharmacy license disciplinary proceedings progress to a formal hearing instead of an early resolution, you must prepare to present your case convincingly to prove your innocence or minimize any potential disciplinary actions.
Typically, both parties ready themselves for the hearing by bringing in their own witnesses and gathering and organizing exhibits to use at a hearing.
The hearing process resembles a trial, but with more relaxed rules regarding evidence. The Virginia Board of Pharmacy will be represented by a prosecutor-like figure, while the pharmacy board or its appointed representative acts as an impartial decision-maker.
At the hearing, we let you tell your side of the story and cross-examine the Virginia Board of Pharmacy witnesses and challenge their evidence when appropriate. The Board has the burden to prove the allegations against you, but you still need to present a robust defense. It's essential not to attempt to get through a formal hearing on your own. Consider retaining Tori Bramble, a professional license defense attorney.

Sanctions

Federal and Virginia pharmacy laws and regulations grant the Virginia Board of Pharmacy wide leeway to impose various sanctions against a pharmacist or pharmacy technician's license.
The Virginia Board of Pharmacy has the authority to hand down discipline ranging from public reprimands to license revocation. Some examples of discipline are:
• Reprimand, or censure

• Monetary penalties

• Cease and desist orders

• Medical or other treatment as a condition of license reinstatement

• Extra pharmacy education and training

• Supervised pharmacy practice

• License suspension

• License revocation

Get a Skilled Professional License Defense Attorney On Your Side

Professional license defense attorney Tori Bramble has represented professionals across the healthcare disciplines. Ms. Bramble is passionate about saving healthcare licenses. She’s a trial lawyer, ready to handle disciplinary trials when necessary. Contact professional license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento and the LicenseSure Professional License Defense team for expert pharmacy license defense. Call _________________ now or utilize our contact us here.