We have compared the process of regulating pharmacy technicians to the process of sorting and assembling pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
I am happy to report that we recently received an exciting and significant piece to add to the developing picture.
HPRAC Recommends Regulation of Pharmacy Technicians
On May 19th, the Ontario Government released the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council’s report “Regulation of Health Professions: New Directions.”
This report is the result of more than a year of research and consultation on the regulation of health professionals in Ontario, and addresses the appropriateness of regulating seven new groups of professionals — among them, pharmacy technicians.
We are pleased to report that HPRAC supports the regulation of pharmacy technicians as a new profession, as a separate class of registration under the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
While final legislative approval is still necessary, the College sees HPRAC’s recommendation as a green light to proceed with assembling the necessary components to build this new profession.
Important for Both Pharmacists and Technicians
Regulation is important for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. As HPRAC states in its report (p. 136), “Regulation will contribute to a higher and consistent level of patient safety and service delivery across the entire pharmacy sector,” and “…will enable pharmacists to collaborate more with others providing professional services, including prescribers, which should add to quality of patient care.”
Summary of HPRAC’s Key Recommendations:
- Regulate pharmacy technicians as a separate class of registrant within the College of Pharmacists
- Protected title for pharmacy technicians
- Give pharmacy technicians access to the authorized act for dispensing, selling and compounding a drug, subject to terms, conditions and limitations
- Change the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act to support regulation of pharmacy technicians
- Change the composition of the College Council to include pharmacy technicians
- Do not authorize pharmacy technicians to receive verbal prescriptions
- Collaborate with other regulatory colleges whose members prescribe (medicine, dentistry, midwives, nurses), to develop protocols surrounding verbal prescriptions.
- Develop a communication plan for the transition and entry to practice
Change from the College’s Proposal for the Regulated Pharmacy Technician Role
You will see that the only difference from the College’s proposed role for regulated pharmacy technicians (in the College’s Pharmacy Technician Competency Profile - September 2003) relates to verbal orders. HPRAC has recommended that verbal orders not be accepted by pharmacy technicians because of the risk associated with verbal orders in general.
HPRAC further recommends that the College work with regulatory colleges of other prescribing professions to develop policies and protocols to address issues surrounding verbal orders.
The College supports these recommendations and believes this will serve as an opportunity to develop greater clarity and understanding about verbal orders for everyone involved in the process.
Puzzle Piece: Legislation
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has invited feedback on the HPRAC recommendations. If the recommendations are approved, provincial legislation may be introduced this fall.
Once legislation is passed, there will be a transition period while the components for regulating the profession are put into place; registration of pharmacy technicians is expected to begin in another two - three years.
Puzzle Piece: Other College Components for Regulation
The College will also be working to identify and sort the remaining puzzle pieces, so to speak, needed to regulate a new profession: entry-to-practice requirements; registration processes; standards of practice; and other legislative changes.
Puzzle Piece: Transition for Current Pharmacy Technicians
The HPRAC report is significant, as it is the first stage of government approval. However, there is still much to be done. For example, decisions need to be made about the transition to regulation for the professionals currently working as pharmacy technicians.
Pharmacy Technicians Wanting to Be Regulated
We know the needs and professional goals of each pharmacy technician are different.
The College is continuing its work to identify a process that will allow currently certified pharmacy technicians to gain the additional knowledge and skills they need to meet the criteria for regulation.
We are exploring how to support this transition and continue to expect that there will be some benefit for certified pharmacy technicians in pursuing bridging programs. We’ll keep you informed as details become available.
Puzzle Piece: Educational Outcomes
The College has been working with the Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association (CPTEA) over the last year to develop new educational outcomes that will include the necessary training for pharmacy technicians to fulfill their newly expanded role as regulated professionals. These outcomes, approved by CPTEA in Red Deer this past June, are based on the Ontario and Alberta competency profiles for pharmacy technicians, and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities of Ontario program standards. Approval of these outcomes by CPTEA is one more significant foundation piece in the building of regulation of our pharmacy technicians.
The educational outcomes will now be circulated widely for stakeholder input and consideration as new national educational standards. Once finalized, they will serve as a resource for the accreditation of pharmacy technician programs and the development of an entry-to-practice examination.
Puzzle Piece: An Accreditation Process for Pharmacy Technician Education Programs
Recognition for pharmacy technicians as a new class of health care professional will also bring different expectations of academic preparation. Indeed, graduation from an accredited pharmacy technician program will become the new academic requirement for entry into the profession.
In 2002, the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) passed a motion to develop a pharmacy technician accreditation program, similar to the model developed for pharmacy faculties. The national educational outcomes document was a prerequisite for the development of an accreditation process.
With these outcomes now in place, and as interest in the regulation of pharmacy technicians grows here in Canada, CCAPP is poised to move forward with developing an accreditation process for pharmacy technician programs. At their June 2006 Board meeting, CCAPP approved recommendations, with the objective of receiving the first applications beginning in the summer of 2007.
