Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and other cities and towns in New Mexico’s 505 are famous for uniquely blending Spanish, Mexican, and Native American influences in their cuisine, arts, and general culture. Great healthcare is one need that unites them all.
Your pharmacist license allows you to help with providing this crucial service to the 505—as long as it isn’t sanctioned. The LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team can play a key role in preventing that, so call them today at 888.535.3686 or fill out this contact form to get them on your side.
Who Handles Pharmacist Licenses in the 505?
Located in the Q, the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy takes responsibility for making and enforcing all the laws and regulations that pharmacists must respect throughout the state, including in the 505. Pharmacists throughout New Mexico are only granted professional licenses if they hold a doctorate in pharmaceuticals, pass the MPJE and NAPLEX exams, and keep up with continuing education requirements.
Common Pharmacist License Violations in the 505
All pharmacists in New Mexico must meet the same standards of skill and professionalism, which means that they’re all subject to the same rules and ethical codes. However, that’s where a lot of the commonalities end. The 505 is distinct in many ways from the rest of New Mexico, so pharmacists in the region face specific challenges that don’t affect their peers to the same degree. The most frequent problems include the following:
Negligence or Malpractice
The New Mexico Board of Pharmacy often receives reports about dispensing errors, which may include selling a prescription medication to the wrong individual, mistaking one drug for another, or providing the wrong strength or dosage information. Depending on the circumstances, these errors could be viewed as pharmaceutical negligence or malpractice.
Considering the alarming pharmacy deserts in Albuquerque and throughout the 505, burnout could explain why these violations are such major issues among the pharmacists who are left. Diverse orders and medical needs are difficult to juggle with insufficient and/or exhausted staff.
Unlawful Distribution or Trafficking
With their access to drugs, pharmacists are generally more likely to become involved with various types of illegal substance distribution and trafficking. Prescription fraud and diversion are common examples in the 505, particularly if opioids or testosterone are involved.
Again, the pharmacy deserts throughout the 505 could factor into this issue. With fewer pharmacies to provide legitimate healthcare services, an increasing number of residents might turn to buying drugs illegally instead, and pharmacists themselves may appreciate the stability of an addicted population.
Poor Record or Inventory Maintenance
Inadequate maintenance of records and pharmaceutical inventory has become prevalent in the 505. Pharmacies throughout the metro have come under suspicion and criticism for being unable to account for large amounts of powerful drugs and committing recordkeeping violations.
This is another possible consequence—at least in part—of the pharmacy desert and staffing shortages, for which New Mexico ranks among the worst. Without a reasonable ratio of pharmacists to population, there simply aren’t enough hands to take care of medical records and drugs, so mistakes and misjudgments are practically inevitable.
Failure to Help Combat Fentanyl/Opioid Crisis
Fentanyl trafficking and opioid addictions have become serious, hot-button problems throughout the United States. However, New Mexico already has one of the country’s highest rankings for deaths by overdose, and about a third of those deaths are due to fentanyl, according to the Los Alamos police. The DEA adds that it’s the most prominent drug threat in Albuquerque.
While there’s no specific directive in the board’s code of ethics instructing licensees to take active roles in alleviating the opioid crisis, the New Mexico Department of Health requires pharmacists to prescribe naloxone to individuals who are currently overdosing or at high risk of doing so. Refusal is tantamount to breaking state law, which is against the code.
Overall, this effort appears to have generated a positive effect on public health. Nevertheless, some pharmacists in the 505 and elsewhere in New Mexico have pushed back against the law, mostly over concerns about enabling addictions. This makes it another ethical violation issue, particularly in the 505, where the crisis still makes headlines.
Overview of the Disciplinary Process for Pharmacists in Albuquerque
Pharmacists in the 505 can expect to undergo a predefined disciplinary process if they become the subject of a complaint. Read on for a basic description.
Complaint Submission
In situations that threaten the immediate health or safety of a patient or the general public, the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy encourages concerned individuals to call or fax them right away and file a formal complaint later. For all other cases, the written complaint must come first, after which it’s assigned to an inspector.
You’ll receive notification of a complaint against you. It’s imperative that you contact the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team right away to start forming a strategy to protect your career.
Formal Investigation
Once the inspector receives their assignment, they conduct a formal investigation into the complaint. Depending on the accusation, the inspector might need to collect various types of evidence, such as logs, transcripts, recordings, video footage, and witness statements.
The LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team should be with you for every phase of the investigation. With their help, you can ensure that the inspector gathers as much information in your favor as possible.
Hearing
After reviewing the investigation results, the board usually prefers settling complaints and rule violations by requesting that you agree to their initial adjudication. If you’d rather dispute their conclusion and/or suggested sanctions, they’ll organize a hearing.
It’s similar to a court proceeding. You’ll get to present evidence and arguments to support your side of the story and/or refute the claims made against you. Having the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team present to advocate for you could be the key to dismissing the complaint or minimizing any disciplinary measures imposed upon you.
Final Adjudication
When all is said and done, the board will decide once and for all whether to sanction your license. If they do, you could expect any of the following actions:
Written Acknowledgment and/or Instructions
Perhaps the board will only feel the need to make a document containing its disapproval and/or expectations of you. This could take the form of a written reprimand, censure, warning, or even a cease-and-desist letter.
Of all the potential sanctions, a document of this nature would likely have the smallest impact on your career. Still, you may not appreciate its ripple effects. After all, these documents are typically public record, so any employers who find them might be wary of working with you.
Remedial Education or Skills Assessment
Maybe the board will think that you need to refresh your knowledge or demonstrate your skills before you can work again. As long as you can prove that you’re willing and able to perform the duties of a competent and ethical pharmacist, the board will likely let you practice freely again after passing a skills assessment and/or completing remedial courses.
This sanction seems light and simple enough at first glance, but don’t forget that it goes on public record and can create a gap in your resume. Neither is helpful for your career aspirations.
Monetary Penalties
There are a variety of ways that the board could compel you to pay monetarily for a violation, but civil or administrative fines are especially common. Civil fines can rise as high as $10,000 per count.
Knowing that, it’s no surprise that monetary penalties can have lasting effects on your career and lifestyle. If you’re dedicating a large portion of your paycheck to them, you’ll have difficulty paying other bills and affording the continuing education required of you. The financial and vocational setbacks could follow you around for years.
Restrictions
Should the board opt to put restrictions on your license, you could still practice in the field of pharmaceuticals, but you’d have to submit to extra rules and limitations. For instance, perhaps your scope of authority would become smaller, or you’d need constant monitoring from a supervisor.
In any case, without the freedom and flexibility to use your license to its fullest potential, you’d end up lacking the experience necessary to move up the vocational ladder as quickly as you’d like. Your everyday life outside work could suffer, too, since you would have to arrange all your other routines and obligations around the restrictions.
Suspension
By definition, a license suspension is generally temporary, but you still mustn’t take it lightly. Suspending your license would produce a notable interruption in your career, both in terms of skill development and employment history. After all, you’d have to go weeks, months, or even years without practicing as a pharmacist until you meet the board’s requirements for reinstatement.
There’s also the matter of your finances. You would need to find another way of paying your bills until the board lifts the suspension, and your wallet might never fully recover.
Revocation or Denial
If you’re applying to obtain or renew your license, the board might choose to deny your application. In the event your license is currently valid, the board might instead revoke it. Either way, you’d no longer be legally permitted to work as a pharmacist in New Mexico. Your options would be to move to another state where you can become licensed or change careers altogether.
Would you prefer to remain in the Land of Enchantment? In New Mexico, pharmacists can apply to have their licenses reinstated whenever they feel ready. However, you would need to pass the exams again, disclose the revocation in your application, and comply with any additional requirements or conditions that the board demands.
Professional License Defense for Pharmacists in the 505
All these sanctions have the power to stall or even end your career. Although Walgreens, CVS, Health Mart, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Smith’s Food and Drug, PharmcareUSA, Christus St. Vincent Health, Nambe Drugs, Los Alamos Medical Center, and the University of New Mexico Hospital are all reliably major employers for pharmacists throughout the 505, the fact that the area is a pharmacy desert means that opportunities may be scarcer and the competition fiercer than in other places.
That’s why you shouldn’t take any chances with your professional license, especially since you’ve worked so hard to gain your experience and craft a positive reputation as a pharmacist. You need a legal team that can match your diligence and commitment.
Since its inception, the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team has cultivated a reputation for services fitting that description. By tailoring their tried-and-true defense strategies to your specific situation and needs, they’ll give you a personalized experience that greatly increases your odds of protecting yourself from the board. In fact, they already boast years of success defending pharmacists like you in the 505 and elsewhere in the Land of Enchantment.
The 505 Needs Pharmacists Like You
No other place fuses Spanish, Mexican, and Native American history and culture like the 505 does. Your job as a pharmacist is vital to preserving and perpetuating the identity and influence. That’s one of many reasons why you can find enrichment and fulfillment in your career if you protect your license. Contact the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or fill out this contact form so that they can help you.