Licensure and Personnel
22%of exam
Pharmacist Practice
33%of exam
Dispensing Requirements
24%of exam
Pharmacy Operations
21%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- PA MPJE
- Body
- NABP and PA Board
- Blueprint
- 4 competency areas
- Questions
- 120 items, 100 scored
- Time
- 2.5 hours
- Format
- Adaptive, no going back
- Result
- Pass or Fail
- Minimum answered
- 107 of 120
- Attempts
- 5 per jurisdiction
- Retake wait
- 30 days minimum
- NABP fees
- $100 plus $170
- Delivery
- Pearson VUE test center
- Next blueprint
- Content Outline March 2027
Blueprint Weights
22 / 33 / 24 / 21
22: Licensure and Personnel33: Pharmacist Practice24: Dispensing Requirements21: Pharmacy Operations
MPJE vs UMPJE
PA MPJE
- State-specific law tested
- Pennsylvania candidates sit this
- No score transfer
UMPJE
- Uniform state principles
- Adopting jurisdictions only
- Score transfer available
Pennsylvania still uses MPJE
PA Law Map
- Pharmacy Act
- 63 PS 390-1 et seq
- Board rules
- 49 Pa Code Chapter 27
- Board agency
- Department of State BPOA
- PA drug act
- 35 PS 780-101 et seq
- PDMP statute
- ABC-MAP Act 191, 2014
- Substitution statute
- 35 PS 960.3
- E-prescribing statute
- Act 96 of 2018
- Naloxone statute
- Act 139 of 2014
- Conflict rule
- Stricter standard controlsKey
Answer Every Item
107 minimum, 120 always better
Under 107: no result107 to 119: penaltyAdaptive: no going back
Technician vs Trainee
Technician
- At least 17
- Diploma or equivalent
- Completed approved training
Trainee
- At least 16
- No diploma required
- 2 years, once only
Trainee is the learning stage
Licensure Basics
- Degree
- ACPE PharmD or BS
- Foreign graduate
- FPGEC certification pathway
- Intern hours
- 1,500 hours required
- Exams
- NAPLEX plus PA MPJE
- Initial fee
- $45 application fee
- Initial child abuse
- 3 hours of training
- Initial opioid education
- 4 one-time hours
- Reciprocity
- Still requires PA MPJE
Renewal Math
30 hours by September 30
30 total contact hours2 hours child abuse2 hours patient safety2 more for immunizers
Pass vs Fail Report
Pass
- Pass posted only
- No numeric score
- Board issues the license
Fail
- Fail posted
- Performance report included
- 30-day wait applies
Only failing gives feedback
Renewal and CE
- Cycle
- Biennial, even-numbered years
- Deadline
- September 30
- Renewal fee
- $190 per biennium
- Total CE
- 30 contact hours
- Child abuse CE
- 2 hours each renewal
- Patient safety CE
- 2 hours each renewal
- Immunizer CE
- 2 additional hours
- Technician renewal
- Odd-numbered years
Technicians and Trainees
- Registration
- Required with the Board
- Technician age
- At least 17
- Technician education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Technician training
- Board-approved program required
- Trainee age
- At least 16
- Trainee diploma
- Not required yet
- Trainee term
- 2 years, issued once
- Both roles
- Criminal history record check
- Child abuse training
- 3 hours before registration
- Ratio
- No numeric ratio setPA
- Supervision
- Direct and immediate personal
- Not delegable
- Judgment or discretion tasks
Immunization Ages
8 injectables, 5 flu, 13 techs
8 and up: injectables5 and up: flu, COVID13 and up: technician gives
Offer vs Counsel
Offer
- Made on new prescriptions
- Designee may deliver it
- Refusal must be documented
Counseling
- Pharmacist only
- Given if accepted
- Covers use and risks
Offer always, counsel if accepted
Immunization Picker
- Adult tetanus vaccine→Pharmacist may administer
- Age 8, any injectable→Pharmacist may administer
- Age 5, flu shot→Pharmacist may administer
- Age 5, other vaccine→Outside pharmacist authority
- Age 13, flu shot→Technician may administer(Pharmacist supervises directly)
- Age 13, MMR vaccine→Not delegable to technician
- Intern giving vaccine→Needs direct supervision
- No Board authority→May not administer
Prescription Rules
- E-prescribing scope
- Schedules II-V controlled substances
- E-prescribing start
- October 24, 2019
- E-prescribing exempt
- Veterinarians are excluded
- Printed from software
- Not an electronic prescription
- Faxed copy
- Not an electronic prescription
- Early penalty
- $100 per violation
- Penalty cap
- $5,000 per calendar year
- Corresponding responsibility
- 21 CFR 1306.04
- CII writing
- Ink, print, or electronic
Counseling and PDR
- PDR trigger
- Every new prescription
- PDR screens
- Duplication, interaction, dose, allergy
- Offer scope
- New outpatient prescriptions
- Who counsels
- Only a pharmacist
- Written offer
- Allowed for language barriers
- Mail order
- Toll-free number required
- Refusal
- Must be documented
- No response
- Treated as refusal
- Patient profile
- Kept 2 years minimum
PA Opioid Limits
- Emergency department
- 7-day maximum supply
- Urgent care
- 7-day maximum supply
- Observation status
- 7-day maximum supply
- Emergency refills
- Refills are prohibited
- Minors
- 7-day maximum supply
- Minor consent
- Written parent or guardian
- Acute exception
- Document condition in record
- Cancer or palliative
- Exempt from the cap
Dispenser Query Triggers
New, Cash, Early, Multiple
New patientCash despite insuranceEarly refill requestMultiple opioid prescribers
Report vs Query
Reporting
- Every Schedule II-V dispensing
- Close of next business day
- No trigger needed
Query
- Only on set triggers
- Before dispensing opioids
- New, cash, early, multiple
Report always, query on triggers
Stricter Rule Picker
- Both PA and federal→Follow the stricter rule(Core MPJE habit)
- PA rule is silent→Federal rule controls
- Federal rule is silent→PA rule controls
- Counseling offer scope→PA covers all patients(Wider than federal)
- Filling an old CII→PA 6-month window
- Paper controlled prescription→PA requires e-prescribing(Exceptions apply)
- Brand name prescription→PA substitution is mandatory
- Counting technicians→PA sets no ratio
PA PDMP ABC-MAP
- Operator
- PA Department of Health
- Reportable
- Schedules II-V dispensings
- Report deadline
- Close of next business dayPA
- New patient
- Dispenser queries before opioid
- Cash despite insurance
- Dispenser must query
- Early refill
- Dispenser must query
- Multiple prescribers
- Dispenser must query
- Prescriber first time
- Query before first prescription
- Prescriber every time
- Opioid or benzodiazepine prescriptions
- Suspected misuse
- Prescriber must query
Substitute vs Block
Substitute
- Default under PA law
- Charge customary generic price
- Record the substitution
Block
- Handwritten brand necessary
- Or brand medically necessary
- Purchaser may also refuse
Substitute unless clearly blocked
PDMP Picker
- New patient, opioid→Query before dispensing
- Cash with active insurance→Query before dispensing
- Early refill requested→Query before dispensing
- Opioids from several prescribers→Query before dispensing
- Any controlled dispensed→Report next business day(No trigger needed)
- Non-controlled drug→No PDMP duty
Generic Substitution
- Default rule
- Substitution is mandatoryPA
- Prescriber block
- Handwrite brand necessary
- Alternate wording
- Brand medically necessary
- Oral prescription
- Prescriber states brand necessary
- Purchaser
- May refuse the substitution
- Notice duty
- Tell the price difference
- Price rule
- Customary retail generic price
- Records
- Keep substitution record
- Label rule
- Generic name plus manufacturer
- Store sign
- Substitution notice posted publicly
- Stock limit
- Only what pharmacy stocks
Label and Records
- Pharmacy block
- Name, address, phone, DEA
- Patient
- Patient name on label
- Directions
- Full directions for use
- Prescriber
- Prescriber name on label
- Serial and date
- Number plus first fill date
- Drug detail
- Name, strength, form, quantity
- Generic dispensed
- Add manufacturer name
- Controlled warning
- Federal transfer caution statement
- Prescription retention
- 2 years from last filling
CII vs CIII-CV
Schedule II
- No refills allowed
- Fill within 6 months
- No pharmacy transfers
Schedules III-V
- Up to 5 refills
- 6 months from writing
- One transfer allowed
Schedule II is strictest
Controlled Substance Records
- CII fill window
- 6 months from writingPA
- CII refills
- Never permitted
- CIII to CV refills
- 5 refills within 6 months
- DEA number
- Shown on controlled prescriptions
- Initial inventory
- At DEA registration
- Biennial inventory
- Every 2 years after
- Exact count
- Schedule I and II
- Estimated count
- Schedules III-V allowed
- Theft or loss
- Report on DEA Form 106
- Destruction
- Use DEA Form 41
- CII security
- 49 Pa Code 27.17
- Wholesaler licensing
- PA Department of HealthNot Board
- Wholesaler law
- Act 145 of 1992
Permits and Compounding
- Permit scope
- One permit per location
- Pharmacist manager
- Named on the permit
- Manager change
- Notify Board in writing
- Nonresident pharmacy
- Board registration required
- Compounding rules
- 49 Pa Code 27.601
- Nonsterile standard
- USP chapter 795
- Sterile standard
- USP chapter 797
- Hazardous standard
- USP chapter 800
- Compounding records
- Kept 2 years minimum
- Withdrawn drugs
- Compounding is prohibited
Common Traps
Scaled score vs pass/fail
No scaled 75 exists ≠ Pass or Fail only
MPJE vs UMPJE
Pennsylvania sits the MPJE ≠ UMPJE is elsewhere
Offer vs counsel
PA offers every new prescription ≠ Federal rule targets Medicaid
Report vs query
Report all controlled dispensings ≠ Query only on triggers
Substitute vs permit
PA substitution is mandatory ≠ Blocking needs handwritten wording
Ratio vs supervision
PA sets no ratio ≠ Supervision stays direct, immediate
Fill window vs refills
CII fills within 6 months ≠ CII refills never allowed
Today vs March 2027
Competency Statements govern now ≠ Content Outline starts later
Board vs Health Department
Board licenses pharmacies ≠ Health licenses wholesalers
Last Minute
- 1.Licensure and Personnel is 22%
- 2.Pharmacist Practice is 33%
- 3.Dispensing Requirements is 24%
- 4.Pharmacy Operations is 21%
- 5.Results are Pass or Fail
- 6.Answer at least 107 questions
- 7.Pennsylvania uses MPJE, not UMPJE
- 8.CII prescription expires after 6 months
- 9.PA generic substitution is mandatory
- 10.Offer counseling on new prescriptions
- 11.Report controlled dispensings next business day
- 12.Pharmacists immunize from age 8
- 13.Flu and COVID from age 5
- 14.Technicians give flu at 13
- 15.Renew biennially by September 30
- 16.30 CE hours per renewal
- 17.No pharmacist to technician ratio
- 18.E-prescribing required for controlled substances
- 19.Emergency opioid limit is 7 days
- 20.Trainee registration lasts 2 years
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