When is the Practice Review Program being launched?
The Practice Review Program launched in Community Practice in 2015 and in Hospital Practice in 2017.
What is the College looking for during the Pharmacy Professionals Review?
Pharmacy professionals will be reviewed on focus areas that have been deemed the most relevant to professional pharmacy practice in British Columbia. The Board has identified a total of six focus areas they believe to have the greatest impact on public safety. Focus areas differ between pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Each will be reviewed on four focus areas depending on their registration type:
The focus areas for pharmacists are:
How will the Practice Review Program work?
The Practice Review Program will have two components: the Pharmacy Review and the Pharmacy Professionals Review. The Pharmacy Review component will be a familiar process, as it mirrors the College’s current pharmacy inspection process. For the Pharmacy Professionals Review, a College compliance officer will observe and assess individual pharmacy professionals in four key areas of practice.
How Do I Create the Pharmacy Professionals Review Schedule?
It is the pharmacy manager’s responsibility to schedule individual Pharmacy Professionals Reviews for all registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians employed at their site.
How will pharmacy professionals who do not practice in a conventional community or hospital setting be reviewed?
The College recognizes that there are a variety of different practices in BC, and asked for feedback on this subject through online engagement with over 1500 pharmacy professionals. The College will be taking a phased approach in developing the Practice Review Program and, with input from the Practice Review Committee, will develop processes that address different practices within the province.
What criteria or specific details will the College be looking for under each of these four focus areas?
For information on specific assessment criteria, please refer to the following review forms:
For Hospital Pharmacy:
What is the College looking for during the Pharmacy Review?
Compliance officers will be reviewing pharmacies for adherence to practice standards and guidelines such as the Health Professions Act, College Bylaws, the Model Standards of Practice, the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act, Professional Practice Policies, and the Framework of Professional Practice and guidelines
What if there are scheduling conflicts for staff who are sick or on holidays?
The College understands that at certain times of the month or year it may be inconvenient to have compliance officers in pharmacies for an extended period of time. The College will do its best to work with the pharmacy manager to determine the least disruptive times, but it is the pharmacy manager’s responsibility to ensure that most, if not all, staff are present during the Practice Review.
In the event where pharmacy professionals miss the Practice Review, a compliance officer will return to the pharmacy to perform those reviews.
How will scheduling work?
Every pharmacy will be reviewed cyclically on a multi-year time frame. The College will be looking at a number of factors when scheduling reviews.
The College will confirm a date for the Practice Review with feedback from the pharmacy manager. It is the pharmacy manager’s responsibility to ensure that their staff are available during the scheduled Practice Review.
Who has been involved with the development of the Practice Review Program?
The Board has consulted widely on the program, and was actively informed not only by the Quality Assurance Committee, but by the 1500 practising pharmacy professionals across the province who participated in an online engagement opportunity. Pharmacy managers and pharmacy professionals in community pharmacy practice also participated in two feedback forums held in April 2014.
At the April 2014 meeting, the Board established the Practice Review Committee which will oversee the development of the program, and its policies and processes for final approval by the Board.