Filling and Labeling a Prescription — Practice Checklist

Step-by-Step Procedure (8 steps)

1. 1.

   Receive the prescription (new, transfer, or refill) and enter or confirm the patient, prescriber, drug, strength, quantity, and days-supply in the pharmacy system.

2. 2.

   Select the correct medication and strength from stock, checking the NDC number on the bottle against the NDC in the system — not just the drug name.

3. 3.

   Count or measure the exact quantity using a counting tray reserved for non-hazardous solids (a separate tray is used for chemotherapy or other hazardous agents).

4. 4.

   Verify the lot number and expiration date on the stock bottle; do not dispense an expired or soon-to-expire product.

5. 5.

   Generate the prescription label, checking that the directions (Sig) on the label match the prescriber's written Sig exactly.

6. 6.

   Apply any required auxiliary labels (e.g., "Take with food," "May cause drowsiness," "Shake well").

7. 7.

   Place the filled, labeled prescription — along with the original hard-copy or verified e-prescription record — in the pharmacist's final-verification queue.

8. 8.

   After pharmacist verification, bag the prescription and attach any required patient information leaflets (e.g., Medication Guide for certain drugs).

Quality Checkpoints (5)

Confirm each of these before considering the task complete.

• NDC on the stock bottle matches the NDC selected in the system — not just a name-and-strength match.

• Counted/measured quantity matches the prescribed quantity exactly.

• Label directions match the prescriber's Sig exactly, including any PRN instructions.

• Lot number and expiration date are current and documented where required.

• A pharmacist performs final verification before the prescription leaves the pharmacy — technicians do not release a never-verified fill.

Avoid These Mistakes

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  Matching on drug name and strength alone and skipping the NDC check — different manufacturers' versions of the same drug/strength have different NDCs, and the wrong one can mean the wrong formulation or an insurance rejection.

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  Using a counting tray that was just used for a different drug without cleaning it, risking cross-contamination of trace powder.

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  Transcribing the Sig in the technician's own words instead of the prescriber's exact wording, which can silently change the instructions.

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  Skipping the auxiliary label step because "the patient probably knows."

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  Not flagging a prescription for pharmacist review when something looks off (unusual dose, drug interaction flag, early refill) — technicians are not permitted to make that call themselves.