A woman has been charged with impersonating a pharmacist and police say anyone who had a prescription filled by her should have their medication checked.

APD

Nancy Rose McGowan

During a routine compliance check at the CVS pharmacy at 4405 East Riverside Drive, the State Board of Pharmacy discovered what it believes to be an unlicensed person acting as a pharmacist.

"During their compliance check, they asked her to produce her credentials showing she was in fact a pharmacist, she was unable to do so," said Austin Police Detective Billy Petty.

Austin police arrested Nancy Rose McGowan, 26, and charged her with tampering with a government record, fraudulent use of identifying information and possession of marijuana.. But Nancy McGowan isn't the name customers will recognize.

Police say she went by "Amber McLendon" or "Amber Shcherbelis."

"That's our primary concern -- is getting info out to people that might have received medicine from this woman. They need to have those medicines checked and make sure it was the proper medicine they were prescribed," said Petty.

According to CVS, the woman passed a criminal background check, Office of Inspector General check, a drug test and validation of the pharmacist license with the State Board of Pharmacy.

Police say she used another pharmacist's identification number and an army identification card to gain employment.

CVS released this statement Thursday:

"Nancy Rose McGowan gained employment as a CVS pharmacist under false pretenses through the use of forged identification documentation and by using the identity of a pharmacist licensed to practice in Texas who is not currently living in the State. By using another pharmacist’s identity, she was able to pass CVS’ extensive pre-employment screening process for pharmacists, including a criminal background check, Office of Inspector General (OIG) check, drug test and validation of the pharmacist license with the State Board of Pharmacy. We are currently reviewing our customer files to identify and contact customers who had prescriptions filled by this individual, who was immediately terminated from her employment at CVS upon discovery of her fraudulent identity. We are cooperating fully with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy and the Austin Police Department into their investigation of this matter."

"Shocked, disappointed that someone would do that," another local pharmacist.

Mark Newberry from Tarry Town Pharmacy says if the charges are true, people's health could be at risk.

"When you come to any pharmacy, your health depends on the medications that your doctor prescribes. So if you get a bad mix of drugs from someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, it can be potentially very dangerous," said Newberry.

Police believe the woman was doing it for the pay, although they are still investigating to determine whether she was stealing medicine.

Police also believe she's been posing as a pharmacist in Texas for more than a year.