If you are a pharmacist, you recognize the value of your professional license. After all, you spent a significant amount of time, money and effort earning it. If the Texas State Board of Pharmacy decides you should lose your license, you are likely to be unable to work as a pharmacist and to support yourself and your family.
Until you have some experience working as a pharmacist, you may have a few fears about being the subject of an investigation. You may also wonder how the pharmacy board begins investigations of pharmacists in the Lone Star State.
Receiving complaints
In Texas, pharmacy board investigations typically begin with the receipt of a written complaint. Complaints may come from patients, law enforcement agencies, news reports or even your friends or relatives. Your employer may also file a complaint as part of the peer-review process in its risk review policy.
Fortunately, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate complaints from aggravated customers. Therefore, you probably do not have to worry about an investigation for providing poor customer service.
Collecting information
After receiving a written complaint for which it has jurisdiction, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy is likely to assign an investigator to collect information. Relevant information may include any of the following:
- Medical records
- Personnel records
- Discipline history
- Agency records
- Witness statements
- Your statement
Resolving complaints
After collecting all available relevant information, the investigator writes a report. The investigation and the resolution of the complaint may take months or longer. Eventually, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy notifies the complainant of the outcome.
Because your pharmacy license may be on the line in any investigation, it is important to exercise your legal rights. After all, while you may be eager to resolve the complaint, you do not want to inadvertently say or do something that may endanger your license.