During the RPh's break, which of the following is permissible?

During the RPh's break, which of the following is permissible?

• A. No new hardcopy Rx may be accepted
• B. No counseling provided
• C. Previously checked refills OK to be dispensed
• D. New hardcopy Rx may be accepted and processed

Answer: (D)

During a pharmacist’s break, essential workflow can continue by having staff accept and begin processing new hardcopy prescriptions. This keeps the pharmacy moving and ensures patients don’t have to wait for a pharmacist to be present to start the intake and labeling steps. However, the final verification, counseling, and dispensing should occur when a pharmacist is available to review and approve the prescription. The other statements would unnecessarily restrict or misstate what can happen during a break: you don’t have to shut down new prescriptions, counseling should still occur under appropriate supervision, and refills that have already been checked can be handled but aren’t the focus of the break scenario.

During a pharmacist’s break, essential workflow can continue by having staff accept and begin processing new hardcopy prescriptions. This keeps the pharmacy moving and ensures patients don’t have to wait for a pharmacist to be present to start the intake and labeling steps. However, the final verification, counseling, and dispensing should occur when a pharmacist is available to review and approve the prescription. The other statements would unnecessarily restrict or misstate what can happen during a break: you don’t have to shut down new prescriptions, counseling should still occur under appropriate supervision, and refills that have already been checked can be handled but aren’t the focus of the break scenario.