Temporary Leave and Resigning Options

If you are a Part A registrant who wishes to maintain your Part A registration while on leave (e.g., medical, parental), you must indicate you do not currently have a Designated Practice Assessment (DPA) site and state the reason why through your OCP account under the Workplaces tab. This ensures you will not be selected for a Practice Assessment while on leave.  

While in Part A, you must continue to maintain your registration, including having personal professional liability insurance and paying the applicable Part A annual renewal fee.  

When you return to practice, you must update your workplace contact information through your OCP account, including your DPA site. There are no additional fees for this option.

This option should be considered if you are changing to a non-patient care role.  

If you are a Part A registrant who will continue to work in the pharmacy profession but not provide patient care (as defined on the Part A & B Register page), and you wish to be able to use the protected title of “pharmacist” or “pharmacy technician”, you have the option to move to Part B of the Register.  

As a Part B registrant, you are required to maintain your registration, but your renewal fee is lower and you do not need to have personal professional liability insurance.  

If you decide to return to providing patient care in the future, you must successfully complete the process to move from Part B to Part A. This process includes a practice assessment which has an associated fee. The OCP-administered practice assessment options typically require two to three months’ advance notice.  

See Moving from Part A to Part B on the Part A & Part B Register page for instructions.

This option is appropriate to consider if you are taking a leave from practicing as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician for less than three years (e.g., parental or personal leave, sabbatical, temporary relocation outside of Ontario, working outside the profession of pharmacy).  

If you are a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in good standing and will not be practicing in the near future but intend to return to practice within three years of your resignation date, you have the option to resign from the Register and then reinstate.  

While you are resigned from the Register, you are not required to pay the annual renewal fee or maintain personal professional liability insurance. When you apply for reinstatement, you must pay a reinstatement fee and the current year’s renewal fee. You must also pay any outstanding fees or monies owned to the College, if applicable (e.g., late renewal penalty fee).  

You are eligible to apply for reinstatement as a pharmacist or as a pharmacy technician within three years from the date of your resignation:   

• You may reinstate directly into Part A if you were in Part A at the time of your resignation, and were not in the Quality Assurance (QA) Program process prior to your resignation, including having been notified that you were selected for a pharmacist Knowledge Assessment or a pharmacy technician Self-Assessment (selection notices are typically sent by email in January) or a Practice Assessment.
  If you were in the QA Program process at the time of your resignation, you are only eligible to reinstate into Part B.
  If you are considering resigning but are uncertain if you are currently in the QA Program process, please email [email protected].  
• You may be reinstated into Part B if you are not eligible to be reinstated into Part A (see above). To move into Part A, you will need to successfully complete the process for moving from Part B to Part A. This process includes a practice assessment which has an associated fee. The OCP-administered practice assessment options typically require two to three months’ advance notice.

This option may be suitable if you are relocating outside of Ontario for three years or longer, changing careers or retiring. If more than three years have passed since the date of your resignation from the Register and you wish to practice in Ontario again, you will not be eligible for reinstatement and must re-register with the College. As part of re-registration, you will be required to successfully complete the Jurisprudence, Ethics and Professionalism exam. 

To re-register in Ontario: 

• If you are licensed in good standing as a pharmacy professional in another Canadian jurisdiction, you may be eligible to apply as a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician.  

OR 

• If you are no longer licensed as a pharmacy professional anywhere in Canada, you must re-apply as a new applicant. Your pharmacy education and PEBC certificate of qualification will be considered to have been met. However, you will need to successfully complete the Jurisprudence, Ethics and Professionalism exam and demonstrate the currency of your practice, as required by a panel of the Registration Committee. You must also submit a current letter of good standing from every jurisdiction where you have been licensed and/or practiced pharmacy. A letter of standing is considered current for six months from the date it is issued or until the license expiry date indicated on the letter of standing, whichever comes first. 

There are fees associated with both re-registration options.  

Please email [email protected] to initiate your re-registration process.