Pharmacy Connection
On October 1, 2024, changes were made to the College’s registration processes. Here are four key things to know about these changes.
Pharmacy students can practice to scope under supervision without being registered with the College
As of October 1, 2024, there will no longer be a student class of registration at the College. Those enrolled in a pharmacy education program can continue to engage in any of the controlled acts within the scope of the pharmacy profession – including dispensing, selling and compounding drugs – under the supervision of a Part A pharmacist.
Supervising pharmacists continue to have the same responsibilities – they are responsible for services being provided under their supervision. Supervising pharmacists must assess their own abilities, workload, and limitations to decide if they can safely supervise a student. For more information, refer to the Supervision of Pharmacy Personnel Policy.
Those applying to be a College registrant must complete their entry-to-practice requirements within two years of their application
If applying on or after October 1, 2024, College applicants must complete all registration requirements within two years before submitting their application to become a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.
Registration requirements include: education, PEBC Qualifying Exam, language proficiency, the Jurisprudence, Ethics and Professionalism exam, and Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE).
The PEBC Qualifying Exam doesn’t expire; it can also be used as proof of currency of education if it has been completed within two years before submitting your College application.
The new intern technician class was created so pharmacy technician graduates can practice to scope while completing their entry-to-practice requirements
The intern technician class of registration allows pharmacy technician graduates to practice under supervision while they complete their final entry-to-practice requirements.
As an intern technician, you can practice any of the activities in the scope of practice for a pharmacy technician with some exceptions: intern technicians are not yet authorized to administer the influenza vaccine, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, or Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.
Intern technicians must always practice under the supervision of a Part A pharmacist or Part A pharmacy technician.
The two-part register for pharmacy technicians acknowledges that there are different practice environments for pharmacy technicians, some of which are more patient-facing than others.
A two-part register for pharmacy technicians – Part A for those who provide patient care and Part B for those who do not provide patient care – aligns with the current two-part register for pharmacists. It also recognizes that pharmacy technicians can have different roles, in different practice settings.
On October 1, 2024, all registered pharmacy technicians will automatically become a Part A pharmacy technician. At any time, pharmacy technicians can self-select into Part B if they do not provide patient care. Examples of patient care activities for pharmacy technicians are published on our website.
