Category: _Pharmacy technician
SubCategory: _Regulation
Removed: Jan.20/10
Question and Answer Fact Sheet About The 2nd PEBC Pilot Qualifying Examination for Pharmacy Technicians
Q. Why is this exam only being offered to a select group of people and not to all technicians who are eligible?
A. The March 2010 2nd sitting of the exam is for purposes of piloting or testing the exam on a small scale, to prepare for implementation on a large scale across Canada. That is why the pilot is limited to a small number of people. Following the 2nd pilot exam, PEBC will provide details about how many people they can accommodate for each exam, the locations where it will available and the annual schedule.
Q. If I am not chosen to write the pilot exam, when will the next exam be ready, and would it be offered to everyone who is eligible?
A. PEBC has indicated they anticipate being able to offer a “regular” sitting of the exam in late summer of 2010 and twice yearly after that as it opens up Canada wide.
Q. What if I fail the pilot PEBC Qualifying Examination but pass the other registration requirements (jurisprudence exam and structure practical training or evaluation). What happens then?
A. In order to proceed with registration with OCP, you will need to complete all of the entry-to-practice requirements. Each requirement is considered separately. You are only required to retake an examination that you did not complete successfully. Candidates who do not successfully complete one or both parts of the PEBC Qualifying Examination will be considered to have completed one of a maximum of four attempts at each part of the exam. However, if you are unsuccessful with any of the pilot registration requirements, you will have to wait until they are offered to all candidates before attempting them again.
Q. Will I be able to complete the other OCP registration activities if I haven’t got my results from the pilot PEBC Qualifying Examination?
A. Yes. The 2nd pilot group who are selected for the pilot PEBC examination will be invited to participate in the remaining entry-to-practice requirements: the Pharmacy Technician Jurisprudence Examination and the Structured Practical Training Program (for CCAPP graduates) or the Structured Practical Evaluation (for technicians completing the Bridging Program. OCP is aware that you will not receive the results of the PEBC pilot Qualifying exam until a couple of months later. It is not necessary to have successfully completed the PEBC Qualifying exam in order to be eligible for the other activities.
Q. Why are there two parts to the Qualifying exam? What is the Objective Structured Performance Examination (OSPE) for?
A. There is a written and performance component of the exam because some of the competencies that will be evaluated are better assessed in a practical evaluation, rather than in a written test. The PEBC performance exam (OSPE) will have some interactive test stations (e.g. where you are talking with a simulated patient or health professional) and there will be other test stations where you are performing a task on your own (e.g. checking prescriptions). Detailed information will be provided by PEBC. www.pebc.ca
Q. What if I am planning to complete one of the Bridging courses using the Prior Learning Assessment option? Is this option available now?
A. Yes. The Prior Learning Assessment challenge examinations for Pharmacology is anticipated to be ready for January 2010. OCP will post registration information and send a notice to our email subscriber list when we have more details. Development of the challenge exam for the Drug Distribution and Product Preparation course will follow later in the summer and fall of 2010.
Q. When will online delivery of the bridging courses be available?
A. Development of the on-line delivery format is well underway and Professional Practice is available in an on-line delivery format for January 2010 delivery. Pharmacology and Drug Distribution will be ready for spring/summer session
Q. Since the Product Preparation course for winter/spring will not finish before the pilot Qualifying exam date, will I be able to participate?
A. While OCP would have liked to have the Bridging Program fully available for individuals to complete prior to the 2nd pilot PEBC Qualifying Examination; the next session will write their final exam close to the exam date and this is still acceptable.
Individuals who wish to volunteer to sit the 2nd pilot Qualifying examination will need to self assess if they currently have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the functions related to product preparation and that they won’t be too overwhelmed finishing up both around the same time.
Q. How are you going to ensure that candidates for the 2nd pilot Qualifying exam have been actively practicing in the profession for last 3 years?
A. Verification of practice by your employer will be required. Selected candidates will receive an application form for the pilot Qualifying exam along with instructions for submission of evidence of eligibility of each of the requirements (e.g. active practice and completion of the Bridging courses or graduation from a CCAPP accredited program.)
Q. Will the written exam and practical exam be completed on the same day? What if I am not available for both March 20th and March 21st?
A. Candidates will need to be available for both days as each component will be completed on a different day. PEBC will provide specific details about the exam administration to candidates well in advance of the exam.
Q. I received the invitation for the exam. Is this the test I need to take before the bridging program?
No. This invitation is for the PEBC Qualifying Exam, which you will complete after you have finished your bridging courses. If you have not already completed the OCP certification exam, then you need to complete the PEBC Evaluating Exam before starting the bridging program. Information about the Evaluating Exam is available on the PEBC website www.pebc.ca for you to view. The exam will be held April 18, 2009. Application deadline is January 29, 2010 at selected locations in Canada.
Q.I am a 2009 graduate from a Non-CCAPP accredited school, what do I do next?
The updated list of CCAPP accredited schools is posted on here.
If your school is not on this list, in order to become a regulated Pharmacy Technician the exam that you need information on is the PEBC Evaluating Exam that is replacing the old OCP Certification Exam of the past. See Q. above.
After, click here to view the registration process that you will need to take.
Q. The Drug Distribution Bridging and the Product Preparation Course aren’t available for me where I live yet? What do I do, my employers want me to get this done.
We appreciate this may still seem like a long way off but I can reassure you that there is still considerable time for you to work through the process – more than 5 years. Go to our website and review the timeline chart.
We continue to encourage technicians and employers to consider the timelines. You will see that we indicated the Bridging Program is now fully implemented in major centers around the province (including starting up in Ottawa) –although even after that we will continue to try and offer more sites so that individuals do not have to travel too far. I also point out that the PEBC Qualifying Exam will not be available for general applications until well into 2010, so there is lots of time to work through the courses before that.
Have more questions? Please send them to pharmtech@ocpinfo.com