MPJE Licensure and Personnel Roles 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A pharmacist's license is revoked by the state board. The pharmacist seeks to have the revocation reversed. The appropriate first step is to:
- Appeal directly to federal district court
- Request a hearing before the state board or an administrative law judge (Correct answer)
- File a complaint with the DEA
- Submit a petition to NABP for license restoration
Correct answer: Request a hearing before the state board or an administrative law judge
Administrative due process requires the pharmacist to exhaust administrative remedies, beginning with a board hearing, before seeking judicial review.
Question 2: Under NABP guidelines, which of the following is NOT typically within the authorized scope of a pharmacy technician?
- Entering prescription data into the pharmacy system
- Retrieving medication from stock for filling
- Performing the final verification of a dispensed prescription (Correct answer)
- Processing insurance claims for a prescription
Correct answer: Performing the final verification of a dispensed prescription
Final verification of a dispensed prescription is a pharmacist-only function and cannot be delegated to technicians in most states.
Question 3: A pharmacist who has been convicted of a felony drug offense applies for licensure. The state board will most likely:
- Automatically deny the application with no possibility of appeal
- Conduct an individualized review to determine fitness to practice (Correct answer)
- Grant a provisional license with monitoring conditions
- Refer the application to the DEA for decision
Correct answer: Conduct an individualized review to determine fitness to practice
Most state boards conduct individualized assessments rather than automatic denials, considering factors like nature of offense, time elapsed, and evidence of rehabilitation.
Question 4: Which of the following describes 'license by endorsement' in pharmacy?
- A license granted to a pharmacist who passes an additional specialty exam
- A license issued to a new state based on verification of an existing valid license in another state (Correct answer)
- A temporary license granted while awaiting NAPLEX results
- A license issued to a pharmacy technician endorsed by their employer
Correct answer: A license issued to a new state based on verification of an existing valid license in another state
Licensure by endorsement allows a licensed pharmacist in one state to obtain licensure in another state by verifying their existing license rather than retaking all exams.
Question 5: A state board of pharmacy is most accurately described as:
- A branch of the state legislature that drafts pharmacy laws
- An executive agency that enforces the state pharmacy practice act (Correct answer)
- A division of the federal FDA responsible for state compliance
- A professional association that represents pharmacists' interests
Correct answer: An executive agency that enforces the state pharmacy practice act
State boards of pharmacy are administrative agencies of the executive branch that enforce pharmacy practice acts and protect public health.
Question 6: A pharmacist notices that a colleague appears to be impaired at work. Under most state pharmacy practice acts, the pharmacist's professional obligation is to:
- Do nothing unless the colleague dispenses an incorrect prescription
- Report the impairment to the state board of pharmacy or a pharmacy assistance program (Correct answer)
- Notify the DEA immediately about potential diversion
- Document the incident in the pharmacy log and take no further action
Correct answer: Report the impairment to the state board of pharmacy or a pharmacy assistance program
Pharmacists typically have a professional and sometimes legal obligation to report impaired colleagues to the board or a pharmacist assistance program to protect the public.
Question 7: The NABP e-Profile ID is used primarily to:
- Replace the DEA registration number for Schedule II prescriptions
- Allow seamless transfer of pharmacist examination scores and licensure data between states (Correct answer)
- Serve as the unique identifier for pharmacy technician certification by PTCB
- Authorize interstate dispensing of controlled substances
Correct answer: Allow seamless transfer of pharmacist examination scores and licensure data between states
The NABP e-Profile ID is a unique lifetime identifier that allows pharmacists to transfer examination scores and licensure information between state boards.
MPJE Licensure and Personnel Roles 4
A pharmacist's license is revoked by the state board.
The pharmacist seeks to have the revocation reversed.
The appropriate first step is to: