College of Pharmacists of BC | About Us | Pharmacy Technician Regulation

Pharmacy Technician Regulation

General Overview:

The regulation of pharmacy technicians, a national initiative which has been underway for some time, will ultimately result in the creation of a new healthcare professional and new registrant of the College of Pharmacists of BC (CPBC). Regulated pharmacy technicians will be directly responsible and accountable for an expanded scope of technical functions related to prescription preparation and processing.

This is one of the most significant initiatives facing the pharmacy profession today as it will shift the work, in the areas of prescription processing and preparation, from the pharmacist to the technician, allowing pharmacists more time for their evolving role in clinical care activities.

Scope of Practice:

Specifically, regulated pharmacy technicians will have independent authority, responsibility and liability (required by HPA Bylaw 78 to have liability insurance) to prepare, process and compound prescriptions, including:

receive verbal prescriptions from practitioners (with the stipulation that further guidelines be established – CPBC Board direction June 2009),
ensure that a prescription is complete and authentic,
transfer prescriptions to and receive prescriptions from other pharmacies,
ensure the accuracy of a prepared prescription,
perform the final check of a prepared prescription, and
ensure the accuracy of drug and personal health information in the PharmaNet patient record.

Pharmacists will continue however, to be involved in every new and refill prescription as they remain solely responsible for assessing the appropriateness of drug therapy (patient assessment, confirm dose and interval, check PharmaNet profile, and identify drug interactions) and for providing patient consultation. A prescription cannot be released to a patient without a pharmacist having performed these cognitive functions.

The regulation of pharmacy technicians is on a voluntary basis and it is not expected that all current technicians will seek regulation. In fact, it is anticipated that the process will be gradual and there will continue to be a variety of viable pharmacy business models with and without regulated technicians. The target date for the first regulated pharmacy technician is the fall of 2010.

There will be a transition process as both current technicians who are interested in pursuing regulation and new individuals entering the field acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to safely and effectively take on their new role as regulated pharmacy technicians.

The steps to regulation for each of these groups, current technicians and future students, is a national process which has been endorsed by the CPBC Board and is being overseen by a Board approved Task Group whose mandate it is to “oversee the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of regulated technicians”.

Steps to Regulation:

In order to become a regulated pharmacy technician, current technicians as well as future students will need to successfully complete the required steps outlined below.

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Steps to Regulation for Current Technicians:

Important: Current technicians will have a limited time to pursue regulation through this route as it is only intended to be offered for a five-year period (expires 2015). After that time, current technicians wishing to become regulated will have to take the ‘Future Technicians’ route and successfully complete an accredited pharmacy technician program offered through a public or private college.

Although some of the specific details are still being developed the process is as follows:

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Step 1 – Minimum Criteria: In order to enter the process, a current technician must have worked in ‘pharmacy practice’ for a minimum of 2000 hours in the past 3 years. Specific duties defined as ‘pharmacy practice’ are identified on the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) website at www.pebc.ca (Note: if a current technician does not meet the minimum criteria they would seek regulation through the Future Technician route by enrolling in an accredited pharmacy technician program offered at a public or private college).

Step 2 – PEBC Evaluating Exam and CPBC Bridging Program: The completion of both the PEBC Evaluating Exam and the College of Pharmacists (CPBC) Bridging Program, which can be done in either order, is required by all current technicians seeking regulation. (Note: the only exception, as per PEBC's policy, is those who hold certification from either PTCB-AB (up to 2008) or OCP (up to 2008) do not need to sit the PEBC Evaluating Exam but are still required to complete the Bridging Program).

The PEBC Evaluating Exam, which is meant to help technicians assess their current knowledge level in pharmacy practice, is a 3 hour/150 multiple choice question exam. The exam is offered by the PEBC nationally two times per year in key locations across Canada. The next offering of the PEBC Evaluating Exam in BC is April 18, 2010 - however, the deadline for applications was January 29, 2010. The next exam date has been set as September 18, 2010, however applications are not yet being accepted. More details on the Evaluating Exam, including the exam sitting schedule, are available at: www.pebc.ca.

The Bridging Program, is divided into 4 modules – Pharmacology, Professional Practice, Management of Drug Distribution Systems and Product Preparation. The content, which is designed to provide current technicians with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to take on the additional job responsibilities of a regulated technician, is being developed nationally and then modified as required for each province. Each module, which is approximately 40 hours long is expected to be offered online as well as in classroom. Technicians who feel that they already have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to challenge, through an exam, a particular bridging module may do so through a process referred to as Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). All bridging modules, with the exception of the Professional Practice module which is mandatory for everyone, are PLAR-eligible. Each of the 4 modules is in various stages of development and modification and the anticipated rollout schedule is as follows:

Pharmacology (33 hours): Rollout In-class and PLAR (May 2010) and Online (June 2010)

This course provides a practical, applied approach to pharmacology. Through a variety of learning tools such as assignments, quizzes, case studies and group work, the student will enhance his/her ability to practice competently and contribute to a safe patient care setting. Participants will gain basic knowledge related to the pharmacological uses of drugs within a variety of commonly encountered medical conditions.

Professional Practice (45 hours): Rollout In-class (June 2010) and Online (July 2010) – mandatory – no PLAR

Students will be prepared for entry to practice in five main areas of focus: legal requirements, scope of practice, ethical principles, professionalism and communication skills. Through a variety of learning tools such as interactive case studies, assignments, quizzes and group work, the student will enhance his/her ability to practice competently within the professional practice framework.

Management of Drug Distribution (39 hours): Rollout In-class and PLAR (June 2010) and Online (July 2010)

This course will examine various drug distribution systems in pharmacy practice, and prepare learners to effectively manage operations in different practice settings to ensure safe and effective drug supply and distribution. Learners will explore distributive functions in institutional settings, as well as common drug plans and their formularies, adjudication challenges, inventory management elements and common business practices. Accurate product release within the parameters of the pharmacy technician role receives special emphasis.
Note: There will be a structured practical evaluation following this course (and managed by CPBC) to verify the learners ability to consistently perform accurate product release in the workplace (independent double check).

Product Preparation (33 hours): Rollout In-class (June 2010) and PLAR and Online (Sept 2010)

This course addresses the theoretical knowledge and practical skills essential for safe and accurate preparation of sterile and non-sterile pharmaceutical products. For non-sterile preparation, students will focus on compounding practices for various internal and external preparations and specialty dosage forms, equipment and tools, professional guidelines, standards and legislation, pharmaceutical calculations, and documentation requirements. For sterile product preparation, areas of emphasis include infection control, aseptic technique, parenteral dosage forms, accurate calculations, appropriate use of equipment, and quality control. Best practices associated with the preparation of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) and antineoplastics are also covered.

Step 3 – CPBC Jurisprudence / Ethics Exam: The requirement to successfully complete a Jurisprudence / Ethics Exam is consistent with the registration process for pharmacists and is designed to test relevant provincial legislation and ethics which is not included on the national PEBC Qualifying Exam. This exam is administered by CPBC and is expected to be available by the summer of 2010.

Step 4 – PEBC Qualifying Exam: The PEBC Qualifying Exam consists of two parts – a written multiple choice question exam (MCQ) and a performance based exam called an Objective Structured Performance Exam (OSPE). PEBC is expected to offer the exam nationally at key locations twice a year with the first offering in BC scheduled for August 28 and 29, 2010.

Steps to Regulation for Future Technicians:

Although some of the specific details are still being developed the process is as follows:

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Step 1 – CCAPP Accredited Program: An accredited program is a program of study offered by either a public or private post-secondary institute that has met the accreditation standards for a regulated pharmacy technician program established by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP). The CCAPP accreditation process ensures that accredited programs contain the necessary content to teach the competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) necessary for successful graduates to safely and effectively do the job of a regulated pharmacy technician.

In BC, there are currently two private Colleges offering a CCAPP accredited Pharmacy Technician program: Thompson Career College and Insignia College of Health and Business. A number of additional public and private Colleges have applied to CCAPP for accreditation (Public Colleges: Vancouver Community College, Okanagan College and Selkirk College, Private Colleges: West Coast College of Health Care and CDI – Burnaby Campus) and if successful, anticipate offering an accredited Pharmacy Technician program later this year or early in 2011. To determine if the program you are currently in or considering enrolling in, is CCAPP accredited, consult the CCAPP website at http://www.ccapp-accredit.ca/documents/ for the most current listing of CCAPP accredited programs, and contact the individual College directly. To help alleviate confusion in the marketplace, the CPBC is currently pursuing a ‘restricted title’, where colleges offering non-CCAPP accredited pharmacy technician programs will be restricted from calling themselves ‘pharmacy technician’ programs and will be required to rename them ‘pharmacy assistant’ programs or something similar.

The CCAPP accredited programs are a minimum duration of 34 weeks and consist of a minimum of 26 weeks classroom (25 hours/week in class or lab; 5 days/week), and 8 weeks of practicum experience (35 hours/week; 7 hours/day). The program curriculum covers the same broad content areas as found in the Bridging Program required for current technicians:

Pharmacology
Professional Practice
Management of Drug Distribution
Product Preparation

Step 2 – CPBC Structured Practical Training (SPT): Once a student has graduated from a CCAPP Accredited Program, the next step is to successfully complete a Structured Practical Training (SPT) program; a supervised competency based training period within a pharmacy that includes regular assessment by a pharmacist or another regulated technician. The purpose of the SPT component is to provide soon to be regulated technicians with the opportunity to practice their skill-set in a supervised practical environment prior to assuming sole responsibility. SPT is currently under development by the CPBC and is targeted to launch in the spring of 2010.

Step 3 – CPBC Jurisprudence / Ethics Exam: The requirement to successfully complete a Jurisprudence / Ethics Exam is consistent with the registration process for pharmacists and is designed to test relevant provincial legislation and ethics which is not included on the national PEBC Qualifying Exam. This exam is administered by CPBC and is expected to be available by the summer of 2010.

Stay Informed - Pharmacy Technician Regulation Email Updates:

If you are interested in receiving email updates on Pharmacy Technician regulation, please contact Mary Tan at in order to be added to our Pharmacy Technician email distribution list. Please provide her with your full name, email address, and workplace (if applicable).

Background in BC:

With discussions regarding a national initiative to regulate pharmacy technicians already underway the College of Pharmacists of BC became actively involved in 2005 by developing a White Paper (approved by the Board April 2006) and subsequent Business Case Analysis (approved by the Board November 2006).

Based on the outcomes of these two documents, Board’s direction was to move forward with the initiative to regulate pharmacy technicians under the College of Pharmacists of BC and that the regulation of pharmacy technicians be on a voluntary basis.

This direction was reaffirmed by the College Board in June of 2009 with the recommendation to support the national process currently in place to regulate pharmacy technicians on a voluntary basis. At that time, the Board also established a task group of stakeholder representatives to oversee the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of regulated technicians.

The College has been actively involved, at the national level, working in collaboration with many organizations and other regulatory authorities in developing the framework required for the regulation of pharmacy technicians.

Details regarding the key framework components can be found below:

1. Educational Outcomes for Pharmacy Technician Programs

The Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association (CPTEA) has developed “Educational Outcomes for Pharmacy Technician Programs in Canada”. These educational outcomes outline the essential learning required by graduates upon entry-to-practice and provide consistent standards for pharmacy technician programs both inter-provincially and intra-provincially.

2. Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Pharmacy Technicians

The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) has developed “Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry-to-Practice”. This document outlines the essential competencies required for pharmacy technicians to perform their role in a regulated environment. They were developed by a working group of pharmacy technicians, regulators and representatives from national pharmacy organizations and approved by NAPRA’s Board of Directors in November 2007.

3. Accreditation of Pharmacy Technician Training Programs

The Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) is accrediting pharmacy technician training programs and has approved the “Standards for Accreditation of Pharmacy Technician Programs". Accreditation standards are based on the CPTEA’s Educational Outcomes and NAPRA’s Entry-to-Practice Competencies. CCAPP began accepting applications for accreditation and started accrediting programs in 2008.

Resources:

Note: The inclusion of a website on this list does not imply any endorsement by the College of Pharmacists of BC.

Associations, Organizations and Licensing Boards:

Useful Links:

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Steps to Regulation for Current Technicians
Steps to Regulation for Future Technicians
Stay Informed - Pharmacy Technician Regulation Email Updates
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