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.
 

Note: On May 20, 2010 the College of Pharmacists of BC hosted a webinar regarding the current status and process of pharmacy technician regulation in BC.  For your convenience, the webinar is available for download in the sidebar.  In order to view the webinar, you may be required to download and install the free codec indicated in the sidebar.  Please note that there is a delay in the audio at the beginning of the webinar for approximately 1 minute, so please be patient. 

 
Scope of Practice:
Specifically, regulated pharmacy technicians will have independent authority, responsibility and liability (required by legislation to have liability insurance) to prepare, process and compound prescriptions, including:
  • receive and transcribe verbal prescriptions from practitioners,
  • 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 any drug related problems) 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 by December 31, 2010 and as such the College's Regulation has been amended to include the restriction of title for 'pharmacy technician' to be effective January 1, 2011.
 
Essentially this means that as of this date only those individuals working in a pharmacy who are registered with the College of Pharmacists of BC as a 'Pharmacy Technician Registrant' can identify themselves as Pharmacy Technicians.  Other works will need to be referred to by another name such as Pharmacy Assistants.  Additionally, only educational institutes who are offering the CCAPP Accredited Pharmacy Technician Program can use the name 'Pharmacy Technician' Program.  All others will have to be renamed Pharmacy Assistant Programs or something similar.

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 a CCAPP 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 exceptions, as per PEBC's policy, are those who hold certification from either PTCB-AB (up to 2008) or OCP (up to 2008), or have completed an accredited pharmacist degree program in Canada or in the continental United States, 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. More details on the Evaluating Exam, including the exam 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, has been developed nationally and then modified as required for each province.  Each module, which is approximately 40 hours long will 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. 

The Division of Continuing Pharmacy Professional Development in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of BC (UBC-CPPD) and Selkirk College have partnered with the College in the delivery of the Bridging Program (including PLAR exams).
Note: Pre-registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the College of Pharmacists of BC is required prior to registering for the Bridging Program.  (The pre-registration application form is available in the sidebar).

For more information on each of the 4 Bridging Modules, including how to register, please visit UBC's website at  
Step 3 – CPBC Jurisprudence Exam: The requirement to successfully complete a Jurisprudence 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. (Note: The The Jurisprudence Exam and the PEBC Qualifying Exam can be completed in either order).
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.  More details on the Qualifying Exam, including the exam schedule, are available at www.pebc.ca.

(Note: If you have successfully completed the PEBC Evaluating Exam (or hold certification from PTCB-AB (up to 2008) or OCP (up to 2008), or have completed an accredited pharmacist degree program in Canada or the continental United States, which exempts you from having to sit the PEBC Evaluating Exam), you can choose to sit the PEBC Qualifying Exam prior to completing the Bridging Program, however, both PEBC and the College strongly recommend that you complete the Bridging Program first.  The content within the Bridging Program is specific to the expanded scope of practice for regulated pharmacy technicians and should therefore help technicians prepare for the Qualifying Exam.  It is also important to note that successful completion of the Qualifying Exam does not exempt you from the Bridging Program or the Jurisprudence exam.  You must successfully complete all the required steps prior to the College registering you as a regulated pharmacy technician).

 

Steps to Regulation for Future Pharmacy 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 seven Colleges offering a CCAPP accredited Pharmacy Technician program: CDI College - Burnaby (private), Insignia College of Health and Business - Victoria (private), MTI Community College - Surrey (private), Okanagan College - Kelowna (public), Selkirk College - Castlegar (public), Thompson Career College (private) and Vancouver Community College - Vancouver (public). To determine if the program you are currently in or considering enrolling in, is CCAPP accredited, consult the CCAPP website at www.ccapp-accredit.ca/accredited_programs/technician/history_by_program for the most current listing of CCAPP accredited programs, and contact the individual College directly. To help alleviate confusion in the marketplace, the title of 'Pharmacy Technician' will be restricted in BC effective January 1, 2011, 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 Systems
  • 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. For more information on the SPT program, please click here.
 
Note: Pre-registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the College of Pharmacists of BC is required prior to registering for the Structured Practical Training.  (The pre-registration application form is available in the sidebar).

Step 3 – CPBC Jurisprudence Exam: The requirement to successfully complete a Jurisprudence 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.   
(Note: The Jurisprudence Exam and the PEBC Qualifying Exam can be completed in either order).
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.  More details on the Qualifying Exam, including the exam schedule, are available at www.pebc.ca.
 
(Note: in order to qualify to sit the PEBC Qualifying Exam, 'future technicians' must have graduated from a CCAPP accredited program.  Although PEBC does not require candidates to have successfully completed SPT prior to sitting the Qualifying Exam, both PEBC and the College strongly recommend this step to be done first).
 

Stay Informed - Pharmacy Technician Regulation Email Updates:

If you are interested in receiving email updates on Pharmacy Technician regulation, please send email to:  in order to be added to our Pharmacy Technician email distribution list. Please provide your full name, email address, home phone number 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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