PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
STRUCTURED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
WELCOME
Welcome to the Eastern College Pharmacy Technician Structured Practical Experience (SPE) program. For those graduating from a CCAPP-accredited pharmacy technician training program, the
qualifications for registration and licensing as a pharmacy technician as set out in the Registration, Licensing & Professional Accountability Regulations include “a total of 560 hours of structured practice experience”. These hours may be completed as part of the accredited training program curriculum, post-graduation, or a combination of both. Regardless of when the structured practice experience is completed, it must be carried out in accordance with the Pharmacy Act of Nova Scotia and the associated Regulations. The length of the post-graduate structured practice experience program is determined by how many of the educational program practicum hours meet the
requirements of the legislation (maximum of 280 hours); the rest of the required 560 hours are met by successful completion of the post graduate structured practice experience (SPE) Program. Therefore, the length of the Eastern College SPE Program will range from 280 to 560 hours. This time could be lengthened if the preceptor and/or technician candidate feel more time is needed to complete the program and demonstrate competency in all areas.
The Eastern College Pharmacy Technician SPE program is a learning experience that permits those enrolled in the program (learners) to apply previously acquired academic knowledge. The students will use their skills in a practical setting through completion of various activities under the direct supervision of a preceptor resulting in the development and/or demonstration of the competencies outlined in the Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice 2007 developed by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA).
PROGRAM RULES
Candidates who wish to enroll in the SPE Program must be registered with the Eastern College Pharmacy Technician Registrar.
Once enrolled, a learner will remain in the SPE program with the registered college site program until he/she has successfully completed the program.
Candidate must provide documentation of acceptable practicum hours completed in the educational program (i.e. form completed/signed by educational institution).
Practice Sites in Nova Scotia
Learners must complete their SPE hours in a direct patient care setting and a place where the technician candidate would be able to effectively complete the requirements of the SPE Program (licensed community pharmacy or hospital pharmacy).
The practice site shall have a philosophy and sufficient staffing and resources that permit an acceptable degree of educational opportunities and one-on-one interaction between the preceptor and the pharmacy technician candidate.
SPE program may be completed at the pharmacy technician candidate’s current workplace setting as long as no conflict of interest* exists
The practice site shall:
a. Be a licensed community pharmacy or institutional (hospital) practice setting in Nova Scotia where dispensing, compounding, and product preparation occurs.
b. Be the pharmacy technician candidate’s current workplace or a temporary workplace for the purpose of completion of SPE Program.
c. Have an eligible pharmacist or registered pharmacy technician willing to assume the role of preceptor
d. The primary preceptor (or appropriate delegate) must be physically present at the workplace site when the pharmacy technician candidate is undertaking SPE Program activities.
e. Have a philosophy and an organizational structure (e.g. sufficient staffing and resources) that permits an appropriate degree of educational opportunities and interaction between the preceptor and the pharmacy technician candidate to allow for completion of required program activities.
f. Be a pharmacy wherein the pharmacy technician candidate is not in an actual or perceived conflict of interest relationship with the preceptor, manager, director or owner.
Preceptors
Each SPE rotation must be supervised by preceptor approved by Eastern College. A preceptor will be approved if he/she:
o is a licensed pharmacy technician practicing direct patient care or a licensed pharmacist practicing direct patient care in a Canadian jurisdiction;
o has been licensed to practise in Canada for at least one year; o has no limitations on practice;
o has not had their right to be a preceptor revoked or suspended; and
not be in a position of an actual or perceived conflict of interest with the pharmacy technician candidate.
An SPE learner may have a maximum of two preceptors for the program. A change in preceptor is only permitted after:
o completion of an evaluation by the first preceptor; and
o submission to and approval by Eastern College of a new Pharmacy Technician SPE Program Notification Form signed by the learner and the new preceptor.
Completion of SPE Hours
SPE learners are required to find their own experience site and preceptor and complete the program. Before beginning the SPE program, both the learner and the preceptor must sign a Pharmacy
Technician SPE Program Notification Form and submit it to Eastern College for approval.
Pharmacy technician candidates must keep a record of all SPE program hours and submit this record to the program administrator upon completion of program.
SPE hours must be completed in a normal work week pattern which is not less than 10 hours and not more than 40 hours per week.
The SPE Program must be completed within 6 months of commencement. Supervision
A preceptor is required to ensure that any pharmacy technician candidate engaged in practice experience has the level of personal supervision that, in the professional judgement of the preceptor, is required to ensure safe and effective patient care given the knowledge, skills and experience of the pharmacy technician candidate.
Progression through the Program
The preceptor is responsible for evaluating the SPE learner using the Pharmacy Technician SPE Assessment Form provided by Eastern College:
o The preceptor must discuss each completed assessment/evaluation form with the learner. o A learner who disagrees with an assessment must discuss his/her concerns with the preceptor. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, it must be brought to the attention of Eastern College within
5 days of the assessment.
Eastern College may appoint an arbitrator to assist in resolution of the disagreement and, if necessary, may appoint an alternate preceptor to reassess the student.
The preceptor and the learner must sign a Pharmacy Technician SPE Assessment Form and a Certificate of Completion of Technician Structured Practical Experience Form and submit it to Eastern College within 10 days of the completion of the program.
o Learners who wish to change preceptors or training sites must submit a new Pharmacy Technician SPE Notification Form signed by the learner and the new preceptor.
Recent Canadian Graduates
within two years of graduation from an accredited program.
PROGRAM REGISTRATION
Before beginning the SPE Program, a learner must:
have successfully completed the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists’ Jurisprudence Exam. contact Eastern College or Cape Breton Business College.
find a site and a preceptor.
submit a completed Pharmacy Technician SPE program Notification Form to Eastern College.
receive approval from Eastern College to begin the program and pay the program fee of $375 plus tax.
Learners are required to demonstrate or have demonstrated all competencies at an acceptable level. When this has been completed, the preceptor must attest to this demonstration of competencies by completing a Pharmacy Technician SPE Assessment Form and signing the Certificate of Completion of Technician Structured Practical Experience Form. Both forms must be submitted to Eastern College. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Demonstration of competencies is accomplished through the completion of program activities
developed for each of the nine competency categories mentioned in the Professional Competencies for Canadian Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice developed by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA). These nine competency categories include:
Legal, Ethical and Professional Responsibility
Professional Collaboration and Team Work
Drug Distribution: Prescription and Patient Information
Drug Distribution: Product Preparation
Drug Distribution: Product Release Drug Distribution: System and
Inventory Control
Communication and Education Management Knowledge and Skills Quality Assurance
A complete description of the nine NAPRA competencies is available on the NAPRA website at:
http://napra.ca/Content_Files/Files/Professional_Competencies_for_Canadian_Pharmacy_Technicians20 07.pdf
How to use the Logbook
The Pharmacy Technician SPE Program Logbook should be used to document completion of each activity and record approval of completion of the activity by the preceptor or the preceptor’s delegate. Learners are required to submit the completed logbook to Eastern College.
Eastern College provides the learners with the logbook package. When an activity is completed, it should be recorded in the logbook and signed off (initialed) by the preceptor. If there is not adequate room on the logbook to document or summarize the activity, learners should make a note in the logbook and insert additional documentation, labeled with the activity number, into the package in the appropriate section. Only the Eastern College-approved preceptor can complete the Pharmacy Technician SPE Assessment Form and sign the Certificate of Completion of the Pharmacy Technician Structured Practical Experience Program Form.
ASSESSMENTS
The learner must complete a Pharmacy Technician SPE Pre-rotation Self-Assessment Form to assess their knowledge, skills and abilities before beginning the program. This form must be shared with the preceptor and should be used as a tool to plan the rotation in a way that will provide the learner opportunities to develop additional knowledge, skills and abilities to demonstrate the competencies required to successfully complete the program.
A preceptor for a pharmacy technician candidate is responsible for the overseeing of a pharmacy technician candidate engaged in practice experience.
The preceptor must complete an assessment at midpoint and an endpoint evaluation. The preceptor must complete a Pharmacy Technician SPE Assessment Form and discuss it with the learner. The form at mid-point must then be signed by both the learner and the preceptor and submitted to the program administrator at Eastern College. This notification must be submitted within one week of mid-point assessment.
Regardless of the number of hours completed in the program, the learner must demonstrate each required competency with confidence and a limited amount of support. If the preceptor does not feel the competencies have been demonstrated at an acceptable level, additional time and learning should be planned.
FORMS
The following list outlines all forms that to be used in the Pharmacy Technician SPE Program and their function. All forms will be provided upon successful registration in the SPE Program.
Pharmacy Technician SPE Program Pre-Rotation Self-Assessment Form Pharmacy Technician SPE Program Assessment Form
Certificate of Completion of Technician Structured Practical Experience Program Form Pharmacy Technician SPE Program Logbook
Pharmacy Technician SPE Program Notification Form
Instructions for Checking Accuracy and Quality of Final Product Prescription Daily Tracking Log
Forms are to be submitted to: Susan Ferguson
Eastern College Bay West Centre
