Process to Move from Part B to Part A

If you are a Part B registrant (does not provide patient care) and would like to move to Part A of the Register (provide patient care), you must:

Notify OCP of your wish to move to Part A by emailing [email protected]. The College will send you an information package.
Find your own Part A registrant supervisor(s) and obtain personal professional liability insurance if you wish to practise the controlled acts of the pharmacy profession in preparation for your practice assessment.
Submit the application form that is included in the information package. Once you submit the application form, you will have 12 months to complete the requirements to move to Part A (i.e., “practice preparation period”).

Requirements

To move to Part A of the Register, Part B registrants must successfully complete two requirements*:

Knowledge Assessment (for pharmacists) or Self Assessment Tool (for pharmacy technicians), and
Practice Assessment (for both pharmacists and technicians)

Both assessments must be completed during the 12-month practice preparation period.

* Part B registrants who have successfully completed any of these assessments under the College’s Quality Assurance Program within the past three years will not be required to repeat this requirement. [Reference: Transferring from Part B to Part A of the Register Policy]

Pharmacists

You must complete both the Knowledge Assessment and a practice assessment during the 12-month practice preparation period.

Knowledge Assessment

The Knowledge Assessment is a standardized, multiple choice assessment completed online with a remote proctor.
The Knowledge Assessment assesses pharmacists’ ability to apply clinical knowledge as well as current legislation, ethics and scope of practice to patient care scenarios.
You will receive a link to schedule your online, proctored (supervised) Knowledge Assessment at your convenience.
Prepare for the Knowledge Assessment by reviewing information on the Preparing for the Knowledge Assessment webpage.
If you are unsuccessful on the Knowledge Assessment, you may repeat it.
There is no fee to complete the Knowledge Assessment.

Practice Assessment

There are three options to meet the practice assessment requirement. You must successfully complete one of these options. Review the three options listed below and submit the application form to notify OCP of your choice.

Option 1: Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE) at an assessor’s practice site (as arranged by OCP)

PACE assesses a candidate’s readiness to safely and independently practise as a pharmacist performing the authorized acts of the profession. Note that PACE is an assessment only, not a training program.
PACE includes a 1-week (35 hours) orientation period to the PACE site followed by a 70-hour assessment over a 2- or 3-week period depending on the PACE assessor’s work schedule.
OCP staff will assign a PACE assessment site where there is an appointed assessor based on your preferred geographic location and on assessor availability. You must have no prior relationship with the PACE site or assessor.
There is a fee for PACE. Please see line 22 of the Schedule of Fees.
More information can be found in the “Preparing for a Practice Assessment to Move to Part A” section below.

Option 2: Practice Assessment by a College practice advisor at a practice site of your choice 

The aim of the practice assessment is to assess your adherence to practice standards as well as how you use your full scope to support optimal health outcomes for patients. It is a peer-to-peer evaluation of an individual pharmacist’s performance, relative to the standards of practice and scope of the profession.
You will need to demonstrate your ability to meet 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.
Prior to your practice assessment, you will need to gather several examples of your engagement in patient care at your primary practice site. Visit the  Practice Assessment webpage for more details including the types of patient care examples to have available.
The Part A registrant listed on the application form as the primary supervisor must be present for the practice assessment.
There is a fee for the practice assessment by a College practice advisor. Please see line 22 of the  Schedule of Fees.
More information can be found in the “Preparing for a Practice Assessment to Move to Part A” section below.

Option 3: Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada’s Objective Structured Clinical Exam for Pharmacists (OSCE) 

The Pharmacist OSCE is offered three times per year, in February, May and November, in multiple cities across Canada.
To register for the OSCE, please request the PEBC Non-Certification Qualifying Exam Application form from the College and submit it to the PEBC.
There is a fee for the OSCE. Please see the PEBC website for fee details.

Pharmacy Technicians

You must complete both the Self-Assessment Tool and a practice assessment during the 12-month practice preparation period.

Self-Assessment Tool (SAT)

The Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) is one component of the College’s Quality Assurance Program. It is designed to help registrants identify their learning needs to maintain competency and advance professionally.
The SAT has six sections, including a review of the Standards of Practice and a knowledge assessment component (quiz).
The knowledge assessment component contains 30 multiple-choice questions on the topics of drug distribution, collaboration, professionalism, ethics, and safety and quality. The knowledge assessment component is unproctored, open-book, and has no time-limit or minimum passing score. Feedback is provided on the responses submitted to the questions to help registrants understand the correct responses and identify learning needs.
The SAT is accessed through a registrant’s OCP ‘My Learning’ portal.
There is no cost for the SAT.

Practice Assessment

Option 1: Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE) at an assessor’s practice site (as arranged by OCP)

PACE assesses a candidate’s readiness to safely and independently practise as a pharmacy technician performing the authorized acts of the profession. Note that PACE is an assessment only, not a training program.
PACE includes a 1-week (35 hours) orientation to the PACE site followed by a 70-hour assessment over a 2- or 3-week period depending on the PACE assessor’s work schedule.
OCP staff will assign a PACE assessment site where there is an appointed assessor based on your preferred geographic location and on assessor availability. You must have no prior relationship with the PACE assessor or site.
There is a fee for PACE. Please see line 22 of the Schedule of Fees.
More information can be found in the “Preparing for a Practice Assessment to Move to Part A” section below.

Option 2: Practice Assessment by a College practice advisor at a practice site of your choice 

The aim of the practice assessment is to assess your adherence to practice standards as well as how you use your full scope to support optimal health outcomes for patients. It is a peer-to-peer evaluation of an individual pharmacy technician’s performance, relative to the standards of practice and scope of the profession.
You will need to demonstrate your ability to meet 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 scope of practice you plan to use as a Part A registrant.
Prior to your practice assessment, you will need to gather several examples of your engagement in patient care at your practice site. Visit the  Practice Assessment webpage for more details including the types of patient care examples to have available.
The Part A registrant listed on the application form as the primary supervisor must be present for the practice assessment.
There is a fee for the practice assessment by a College practice advisor. Please see line 22 of the  Schedule of Fees.
More information can be found in the “Preparing for a Practice Assessment to Move to Part A” section below.

Option 3: Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada’s Objective Structured Performance Examination (OSPE)

The Pharmacy Technician OSPE is offered twice a year, in April and September, in multiple cities across Canada.
To register for the OSPE, please request the PEBC Non-Certification Qualifying Exam Application form from the College and submit it to the PEBC.
There is a fee for the OSPE. Please see the  PEBC website  for fee details.

Preparing for a Practice Assessment to Move to Part A

If you choose Option 1 (PACE) for your practice assessment, you are strongly encouraged to first gain current practice experience performing the controlled acts. If you choose Option 2 (Practice Assessment by a College practice advisor), you are expected to be performing the controlled acts  to prepare for and gather patient care examples for your assessment. 

Once you have completed and submitted the  application form to notify OCP that you wish to move to Part A, you may perform the controlled acts  in a pharmacy under direct supervision (i.e., supervisor must be physically present) by the Part A registrant(s) listed on the form. Part A pharmacy technicians may only supervise Part B pharmacy technicians. Initially, you should observe the Part A registrant(s) in practice and then transition to providing patient care under supervision as appropriate based on your level of competence. Please see the Supervision of Pharmacy Personnel Policy for more information on the level of supervision required.

Insurance Requirements While Practicing in Preparation to Move to Part A

In addition to having personal professional liability insurance, you may be required to obtain personal accident insurance (sometimes called accidental death and dismemberment or AD&D insurance) if you are volunteering in a pharmacy because volunteers are not covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Pharmacy managers/owners or PACE assessors may require this personal accident insurance before allowing you to volunteer or be assessed in their pharmacy. Liability insurance providers or other insurance carriers may offer this additional type of insurance. OCP does not endorse or recommend any insurance carrier.

Time Limit for Completing the Requirements to Move from Part B to Part A

You may work and perform the controlled acts in a pharmacy under the direct supervision of your Part A supervisor(s) for up to two consecutive six-month periods (i.e., 12 months total). This 12-month practice preparation period begins on the date you submit your application to move to Part A.

If you require more than 12 months to successfully complete both of the requirements to move to Part A, you must request an extension of the practice preparation period from a panel of the Registration Committee. To initiate your panel request, please send an email to [email protected] with “Panel Request” plus your name and OCP number in the subject line. Your email should state that you are a Part B pharmacist in the process of moving to Part A and wish to have an extension of your 12-month practice preparation period.

Unsuccessful Outcomes

On the Knowledge Assessment

If you are unsuccessful on the Knowledge Assessment, you may repeat the assessment. Please contact Quality Assurance staff at [email protected] with questions about the Knowledge Assessment.

On the Practice Assessment

If you are unsuccessful on the practice assessment, you may re-attempt the assessment or choose one of the other practice assessment options. You are responsible for your own preparation or remediation when preparing for any practice assessment attempt.

You will be charged a cost recovery fee (see line 22 of the Schedule of Fees) for each OCP practice assessment attempt (i.e., PACE or practice assessment by a College practice advisor).

Information for Part A Registrants Supervising Part B Registrants who are Preparing to Move to Part A

Find out what is expected of supervising Part A Registrants, the level of supervision required for Part B registrants, your accountability, and how to become a supervisor.

Role of a Supervising Part A Registrant
Supervising Part A registrants help Part B registrants prepare for the practice assessment requirement to move from Part B to Part A. The process and requirements are explained above.

If the Part B registrant selects the practice assessment by a College practice advisor option for their practice assessment, they must select their primary practice site where the assessment will occur and the primary supervisor who will be physically present for the assessment. This information must be noted on the application form completed by the Part B registrant.

Level of Supervision Required for Part B registrants
Direct supervision (i.e., the supervisor is physically present on the premises) is required when supervising a Part B registrant, in accordance with the Supervision of Pharmacy Personnel Policy. The Part B registrant should observe the Part A registrant in practice and transition to providing patient care under supervision as appropriate based on their level of competence. The degree of oversight of the Part B registrant’s practice may be adjusted based on their demonstration of competence.

The Pharmacy Connection article, Six Things to Consider when Supervising Pharmacy Practice, is a helpful resource in determining the level of supervision needed. The level of supervision may change over the course of a supervisory relationship. For example, the Part A supervisor may allow the Part B registrant to work more autonomously as they progress, based on the supervisor’s judgement and observations of the Part B registrant’s competence.

Accountability as a Supervising Part A Registrant
The Part B registrant and the supervisor will have shared accountability for the Part B registrant’s actions, including errors and how they learn from them.

Part B registrants who are practising in preparation for the practice assessment are required to hold personal professional liability insurance.

How to Become a Supervising Part A Registrant
Any Part A pharmacist or Part A pharmacy technician (for Part B pharmacy technicians only) may be a supervisor. If training and coaching pharmacy professionals is new to the supervisor, they are encouraged to complete modules 1, 3 and 6 of this preceptor training program and to review the Part B registrant’s desired scope of practice.

The Part B registrant must have consent from the Part A registrant to be their supervising Part A registrant and must notify the College in writing of the supervisor’s name and practice site and their anticipated start date of practice. A Part B registrant may have more than one supervisor; however, all supervisors must be listed on the application form.