PDAP Exemptions for CE Submissions End February 28, 2021
In March 2020, in order to ensure registrants could renew their registration while Continuing Education providers transitioned to online models in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the College Board granted PDAP Exemptions for the remainder of 2020 registration renewal deadlines.
While the Continuing Education exemption was planned to end on December 31st 2020, the College’s Quality Assurance Committee extended these exemptions from December 31, 2020 until February 28, 2021. This means that CE submissions are no longer required for all registrants with January 2021 or February 2021 registration renewal deadlines.
Starting March 1st, 2021, the Continuing Education (CE) exemption is no longer in effect. This means that registrants with March 2021 registration renewal deadlines and onwards must complete their PDAP requirements prior to their registration renewal deadline.
Continuing Education plays an important role in ensuring patient safety and is mandatory for all registered pharmacy professionals as part of the College’s Quality Assurance Program. The College ensures pharmacy professionals meet the Continuing Education (CE) requirements through the Professional Development and Assessment Program (PDAP), which requires that each pharmacy professional must complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing education each year, including a minimum of 5 hours of accredited learning.
The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in BC and around the world resulted in the cancellation of many in-person CE courses and programs and placed additional pressures on many registrants to ensure continuity of care for British Columbians in need of pharmacy services.
In order to alleviate these pressures, in March 2020, the College Board granted PDAP exemptions for the remainder of 2020 registration renewal deadlines (from March 2020 to December 2020).
Extending these exemptions for registrants with January 2021 and February 2021 registration renewal deadlines recognizes the vital role that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have had as part of BC’s COVID-19 response, helping to meet increasingly complex patient needs, as well as helping patients avoid non-essential visits by providing deliveries, and ensuring continuity of care.
As BC continues to navigate and respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many CE providers have now begun offering courses and programs, including those that are accredited , in virtual formats to enable pharmacy professionals to meet their continuing education requirements without the need for in-person sessions.
As such, moving forward all pharmacy professionals must complete their PDAP requirements prior to their registration renewal deadline, beginning with those with a registration expiry date of March 31, 2021.
QUESTIONS?
For questions related to PDAP, contact the College’s Professional Development department at [email protected].