Regulation 280/96

29. (1) The following are additional requirements for the issuance of a certificate of registration as a pharmacist:

The applicant must have successfully completed an Examination in Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence approved by the Council.

POLICY

1. Applicants must complete the Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence requirement by successfully passing an examination in Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence provided by the College.
2. The examination in Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence is valid on Application for a Certificate of Registration as a Pharmacist for 4 years from the date of successful completion.
3. Applicants may attempt the examination a maximum of three times in a 3 year period.
4. Applicants may write this examination at any stage in the registration process.
5. Results of examinations will be available in writing by letter or email within 4 to 6 weeks.
6. The Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Examination is based on the Ontario College of Pharmacists' standards and policies, and Federal and Provincial acts and their regulations, which control the production, distribution, advertising, sale and use of drugs. The specific acts are:

Regulated Health Professions Act and Code
Pharmacy Act and Regulations
Ontario College of Pharmacists Bylaws and Policies
Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act and Regulations
Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act
Ontario Drug Benefit Act and Regulations
Food and Drugs Act and Regulations and Schedules
Controlled Drug and Substances Act and Regulations and Schedules

Applicants should be familiar with practical interpretation of all above legislation as it affects current pharmacy practice in Ontario.

7. The Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Examination may be offered in French if candidates provide notice with their application.

Approved: June Council, 1995
Revised: September 1995, September 1997, September 2000

CONDUCT OF THE EXAMINATION

1. The examination is held 4 times a year in January, April, July and October. Sittings and arrangements for the following centres may be made upon receipt of the examination applications: Calgary, Chatham, Edmonton, Halifax, Kingston, London, Montreal, North Bay, Ottawa, Saskatoon, St. John's, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor and Winnipeg.
2. The time allotted for the examination is 2½ hours.
3. The National Drug Schedules and Summary of Federal and Provincial Laws will be provided for use during the examination. Since this section of the examination is an open book, candidates should be familiar with the schedules, but do not need to memorize each drug and its schedule. The use of reference material other than the material provided at the examination is not permitted.
4. Candidates must not communicate with each other in any way during the examination. Any infraction of these rules will result in disqualification of the parties involved.
5. The OCP Application for Jurisprudence Examination/Seminar must be submitted by the deadline indicated for each of the examination sittings (i.e. the first of the month prior to the exam administration date). The application deadline is strictly enforced. Any applications postmarked after the deadline date will not be processed for that administration. Candidates will be contacted and given the option of having their application and fee processed for the next exam administration, provided there has not been a change in the fee. In a year when a new exam/seminar fee will come into effect on January 1^st, the candidate will be advised to reapply at the end of December or beginning of January. The College reserves the right to refuse any application received after the deadline.
6. Applications for the examination will be acknowledged no later than two weeks before the examination date and will include the time, date and place of the examination.
7. The candidate’s OCP Number will be marked on the application form placed on the desk at the examination centre. This number and candidate’s name must be recorded on both the examination paper and answer sheet.
8. Examination fees are set annually. Fees are non-refundable unless OCP receives a written request for withdrawal at least 21 days prior to the date of the examination. Emergency situations occurring within 21 days of the examination will be assessed on a case by case basis and may require supporting documentation if a refund is considered
9. To sit the exam, candidates must be pre-registered with the College. Although the examination can be taken at any stage in the registration process, it is strongly recommended that candidates successfully pass the jurisprudence examination prior to internship.
10. Past examination papers are not available. Sample questions are included below.

MINIMUM PERFORMANCE LEVELS

The Ontario College of Pharmacists has undertaken a standard setting process to ensure that the questions on the examinations are relevant to practice and test a wide range of knowledge. A Minimum Performance Level (MPL) is set for each question by a committee of practicing pharmacists. The passing mark for each examination sitting is determined by summing up the minimum performance level across all items for a particular examination.

All candidate responses are subject to an item analysis to ensure the psychometric integrity of each item. Any item failing to meet the criteria will be eliminated from the test scoring and the MPL for the examination will be adjusted accordingly.

STUDY MATERIAL

The most recent regulations governing pharmacy practice in Ontario, Federal and Provincial pharmacy laws, the OCP Index and Policy Manual are available only through the College’s website at www.ocpinfo.com under the Professional Practice tab or by selecting the tab “Laws and Regulations” under Fast Track .


PHARMACEUTICAL JURISPRUDENCE EXAMINATION BLUEPRINT FOR PHARMACISTS

Although a candidate should have a thorough knowledge of all legislation affecting the practice of pharmacy, it is suggested that the following matters, as they are dealt with in the various Acts and Regulations, receive particular attention.

Exam Section	Subtopics
A. Conditions for Sale* Total = 20	Schedules, Food and Drug Act, Natural Health Products,
B. Narcotics/Controlled Drugs* Total = 20	Prescription requirements, record-keeping, storage, disposal, loss,
C. Filling & Labelling Total = 20	Filling and labelling prescriptions, prescription authorization, transfers, copies compounding, child-resistant packaging, receipts, mailing,
D. Billing & Pricing Total = 10	Fees, ODB, interchangeability, no-substitution, special authorization,
E. Pharmacy Operations Total = 15	Operation requirements, ownership, accreditation, inspections, opening/closing, designated manager, pharmacy supervision, advertising,
F. College Structures/Entry to Practice/Scope of Practice Total = 15	Scope of practice, registration requirements for RPh, controlled acts, committees (discipline, complaints, registration…)
G. Ethics/Standards/Responsibilities Total = 20	Standards of practice, documentation, confidentiality, professional misconduct, reporting,
Total # of Items = 120

*Candidates to be provided with the National Drug Schedules (by NAPRA) and the Summary of Federal and Provincial Laws chart (by OCP)

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

The following are sample examination questions. The exam questions consist of a multiple choice format with only one correct answer from a choice of three or four possible answers.

1. What is the condition for sale for Ibuprofen (Advil®) 200 mg tablets?
a) May be sold in any retail outlet.
b) May be sold from the self-selection area of the pharmacy.
c) Requires professional intervention from the pharmacist.
d) Requires a prescription

2. What is the condition for sale for tincture of Iodine 5% Topical?
a) May be sold in any retail outlet.
b) May be sold from the self-selection area of the pharmacy.
c) Requires professional intervention from the pharmacist.
d) Requires a prescription.

3. A patient presents a prescription for an antiarrhythmic medication with two repeats from a physician licensed in another Canadian province. Using professional judgement, the pharmacist may
a) dispense the prescription but not the refills.
b) dispense the prescription including the refills.
c) not dispense the prescription unless it is co-signed by an Ontario physician.
d) not dispense the prescription under any circumstances.

4. Which name is permissible for a nutrition and health food store in Ontario?
a) Mother Nature’s Medicines
b) Wellness Pharmacy
c) Healthy Herbal
d) Holistic Drug Mart

5. Which of the following situations is considered “professional misconduct”?
a) Failing to provide a prescription delivery service
b) Offering a store coupon for purchasing OTC merchandise
c) Failing to keep records on dialogue regarding all nonprescription drugs
d) Returning a previously dispensed drug to stock

answers: 1a, 2b, 3b, 4c, 5d,

JURISPRUDENCE SEMINARS

1. A few weeks before each examination, College staff offer a one-day Jurisprudence Seminar to review pertinent jurisprudence topics and answer candidates’ questions. This seminar is intended as a review ONLY. It is not intended to teach the scope of Jurisprudence as it applies to pharmacy practice in Ontario. Once you have registered for the examination, staff will inform you of the seminar date and Toronto location. If you are not attending the seminar, you may access the seminar handouts on the OCP website. Attending the seminar and/or reviewing the manual or seminar handouts are optional.

2. Legislation documents will not be provided at the seminar. If you wish to have legislation available for reference, you are responsible for bringing your own.

3. The OCP Jurisprudence Examination/Seminar Application must be submitted by the deadline indicated for each examination.

4. Applicants registered for the seminar will be notified of the date and time at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date.

5. Seminar fees are non-refundable, unless you withdraw in writing at least 14 days prior to the date of the seminar.

SEMINAR OUTLINE

1) Structure and Function of the College
2) Pharmacy Practice in Ontario
3) Drug Distribution & Drug Schedules
4) Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act
5) Drug Interchangeability and Dispensing Fee Act
6) Ontario Drug Benefit Act and Regulations
7) Code of Ethics
8) Complaints, Discipline, Fitness to Practice,