Practice Assessment

How do I prepare for the Part B to Part A practice assessment?

You will need to demonstrate your ability to meet the Standards of Practice during your practice assessment. You should discuss with your supervisor(s) how and when you can gain experience and become confident in the scopes of practice you plan to use as a Part A registrant upon successful completion of the practice assessment.

For community pharmacists: You are required to gather examples of pharmacist prescribing (this could include adaptations, pharmacist authorized renewals and minor ailment prescribing), medication reviews, and drug therapy problems you identified and managed ahead of the assessment. New and refill prescription examples will be gathered and reviewed during the practice assessment; you do not need to prepare these examples prior to the assessment.

For pharmacy technicians and hospital pharmacists: Refer to the hospital pharmacist practice assessment and pharmacy technician practice assessment pages for documentation examples. Prior to the assessment, your practice advisor will discuss with you on a call what examples to have prepared in advance and how your processes will be reviewed.

You should have an example of each scope of practice that you are planning to implement as a Part A registrant.

What happens if I don’t participate in the practice assessment when selected?

Participation in the Quality Assurance Program is a requirement under the Regulated Health Professions Act. Failure to participate in the practice assessment when selected will result in a referral to the Quality Assurance Committee. The Committee has the authority to direct actions that can significantly impact your ability to practice, including transferring your certificate of registration from Part A to Part B of the Register.

When do I need to submit my documents for my practice assessment?

The deadline to submit your documents is 2 weeks prior to your assessment date; however, you may submit your documents earlier if you choose.

What if I am unsuccessful in the post-remedial practice assessment?

If you are unsuccessful in your post-remedial practice assessment, you will be given the opportunity to spend time with a different quality assurance (QA) coach.

Following the session with the QA coach, you will be reassessed onsite by a different practice advisor. If this reassessment identifies significant areas that require improvement, you will be required to undergo a QA assessment again with a different College-appointed peer QA assessor.

The QA Committee will review the results of your first and second QA assessment and recommend required remediation based on your needs.

How do I prepare for the QA assessment?

When you are notified that you must undergo a QA assessment, you should review the reports from your first and second practice assessments, and the learnings from your QA coach to apply the recommendations into your practice. You should also seek other relevant resources to improve your practice.

What if I do not meet the practice assessment standards?

If you do not meet the standards required on your first practice assessment, you will be given the opportunity to spend time with a quality assurance (QA) coach. This coach is not a College staff member, but rather a peer who can provide support specifically in areas where there is room for improvement. This half-day interactive session is designed to enhance your practice and the care you provide to patients. Following the session with the QA coach, you will be reassessed onsite by a different College practice advisor.

If your second practice assessment identifies significant areas that require improvement, you will be required to undergo a QA assessment by a College-appointed peer QA assessor. You will also be required to complete the Knowledge Assessment.

The QA Committee will review the results of your QA assessment and Knowledge Assessment and advise on next steps based on your needs, which may include remediation or self-directed learning. If remediation is required, you must complete a post-remedial practice assessment onsite within one year of completing remediation.

I primarily provide patient care outside of Ontario. How can I complete my practice assessment?

To complete your practice assessment, you must be physically present at your Designated Practice Assessment (DPA) site in Ontario.

If you exclusively provide patient care outside of Ontario (e.g., in another Canadian jurisdiction or the U.S.) and do not have a DPA in Ontario, you do not meet the requirements of a Part A registrant. Please reach out to [email protected] to discuss your options of resigning or transferring to part B of the register.

What happens during a practice assessment?

During a practice assessment, practice advisors use the practice assessment criteria to evaluate your practice. Throughout the assessment, the practice advisor will:

provide feedback outlining areas where you are doing well and meeting standards
identify areas where there is an opportunity for improvement
offer support through coaching and conversation
probe the thinking behind certain actions and activities
indicate where to access helpful resources

After your assessment, you will receive feedback in a report available to you in your online OCP account. Results are typically available within 48 hours. The report is focused on opportunities for learning and resources to help practice.

The results of a practice assessment are confidential and are not shared with employers, pharmacy owners or colleagues. The results are only provided to the Quality Assurance (QA) Committee according to the process described below.

How do I prepare for a practice assessment?

You will typically be notified that you have been selected for a practice assessment two to three months in advance. To prepare, you should review the practice assessment criteria specific to your place of practice. The “Guidance” section explains how the specific performance indicators will apply in practice, including examples.

You are strongly encouraged to self-assess your current practice before your College practice assessment. The practice assessment is not a test of your clinical or therapeutic knowledge. Continuing to practice to the full scope of the profession is your best preparation.

You will be requested to submit specific documentation at least two weeks before your scheduled practice assessment.

For specific criteria and documentation requirements, please select your place of practice:

What if my practice assessment date falls when I’m scheduled to work?

The practice assessment may or may not fall on the same day as a scheduled shift. If your practice assessment date falls on a scheduled shift, it is strongly recommended that you have an extra pharmacist/pharmacy technician available to provide patient care and oversee the dispensary operations while the assessment is taking place.

If you are not scheduled to work at the pharmacy on the practice assessment date, it is your responsibility to coordinate with your manager to ensure you have a confidential area to complete your assessment. As the practice assessment is part of the College’s Quality Assurance Program, it does not have to take place during your working hours.

It is your responsibility to inform your manager or lead of your practice assessment.

Where does the practice assessment take place and how long does it take?

The initial practice assessment is conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams while you are at your place of practice. It will take between two and three hours.

You must have an area within the pharmacy that is acoustically private and confidential. You are expected to be alone in this area for the duration of the assessment. If this is not possible due to lack of space in the pharmacy, you must use earbuds or headphones.

Reassessments and the practice assessment to move from Part B to Part A of the Register are conducted in person.

Will pharmacy technicians be asked questions about patient care tasks they don’t perform at their practice site?

No. Practice advisors will only assess the processes that a pharmacy technician is responsible for in their place of practice. For example, if a pharmacy technician does not perform sterile compounding, they would not be asked about it.

My practice is particularly unique or specialized. How can the College assess my practice?

Your practice advisor will ensure the discussion addresses your practice processes in providing care to your patients. They will use the four domains of the practice assessment criteria that are relevant to your place of practice.

Can I defer or cancel my practice assessment?

Approved Deferral Reasons

A deferral may be requested only for the following reasons:

medical reason* (with documented evidence)
maternity/paternity/parental/medical leave* (expected return date must be provided)
pre-booked travel (with documented evidence and expected return date)

*Please provide the reason for not having a Designated Practice Assessment site in the Designated Practice Assessment Site section under the Workplaces tab in your OCP account and update the information when you return from your leave. This information does not appear on the Public Register.

If repeated deferral requests are received, your case will be referred to a Quality Assurance Advisor for review.

Unforeseen Circumstances

Certain unforeseen circumstances may be considered for a deferral on a case-by-case basis. You must inform your practice advisor promptly of any such circumstances to be considered for deferral.

Late Cancellations

A late cancellation is a cancellation made less than six weeks before the scheduled assessment date. These cancellations are NOT due to an approved deferral reason, or an unforeseen circumstance listed above. The registrant may incur a fee for a late cancellation of the scheduled practice assessment. See the Schedule of Fees for the current fee amounts.

Failure to submit the required documents or submitting incomplete documentation will not be grounds for a deferral of the assessment. Any missing documentation may impact your ability to demonstrate your process and may result in falling below the required standards.

Repeated late cancellations or missed assessments will result in your case being referred to the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC). The QAC has the authority to, among other things, impose Terms, Conditions and Limitations on your certificate of registration or move your registration to Part B of the Register due to failure to complete a mandatory QA activity.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

Do I need to redact patient names in the documentation I submit for my practice assessment?

We take patient privacy very seriously at the College. All document submissions containing personal health information (patient name, etc.) are done via Microsoft’s SharePoint platform. SharePoint allows files to be securely collected from external parties without granting access to the folder’s contents.

Redaction of patient information should be done according to your organization’s policies. Practice advisors do not need access to patient identities to perform the assessment. However, it is important for you to know the identity of your patients to provide any additional information during the assessment. If redacted copies are sent to OCP, you should keep a record of the patient’s name for your own use.

If you are using a personal device for any part of the submission, you should be redacting your documents. If redacting, do so fully and on a copy, not the original documents. Be vigilant for the presence of patient identifiers; these may appear in water marks found on prescriptions. Failure to fully redact, when necessary, may result in a privacy breach.

You may need to forward the SharePoint link to your work email for ease of sending documentation after redaction.

Why is it important that I have practice examples available for my practice assessment?

You must demonstrate how you meet the Standards of Practice during your assessment. The primary way that you do this is by sharing and discussing examples with your practice advisor that are representative of your everyday practice. If you cannot provide and discuss appropriate examples during the assessment, you risk falling below in a key performance indicator, which could require the completion of additional quality assurance activities.

Submitting your documentation at least two weeks ahead of time means you will be better prepared and also supports a more efficient assessment. If your documentation is not submitted ahead of time, does not meet the requirements for your role/practice setting or is not sufficient to assess your practice, the practice advisor will expect you to screen share practice examples during the assessment. Therefore, you must ensure you have authorization to share this information, including access to patient profiles at the pharmacy.

How do I know that the documents I submit for my practice assessment are secure?

The College is committed to providing the highest level of security, controls and integrity to support the safe transfer of the information you provide.

Microsoft SharePoint’s file request feature allows files to be securely collected from external parties without granting access to the folder’s contents. The designated link provided to you does not allow any user to view, edit or download any existing files. Access is provided solely for the purpose of file uploads.

More information on the security standards and data encryption used in SharePoint is available in this Microsoft article.

How long are the documents retained by the College?

All documents submitted to the practice advisor for the purpose of the practice assessment will be securely destroyed 15 days after the assessment documentation has been uploaded to OCP’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system according to OCP’s Records Retention Schedule and Privacy Management practices.

Should I add additional information to my patient care documentation?

No. Documentation should be submitted exactly as it looked when you completed it. The practice assessment is meant to be a review of your day-to day practice and your examples submitted should reflect this.