Updated March 9, 2021
The College has resumed operational and practice assessments as of August 1st, 2020. We are taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when completing assessments. Changes to our process include adhering to Ontario’s response framework as well as physical distancing in accordance with Public Health recommendations, while continuing to fulfill our mandate to protect the public.
Due to public health measures in place in response to COVID-19, the College will conduct the majority of community and hospital operational assessments, as well as community and hospital pharmacist and pharmacy technician practice assessments through remote video conferencing platforms until further notice.
The College fully supports pharmacies and hospitals as they continue to support their patients and the delivery of high quality patient care and participate in broader COVID-19 assessment testing and/ or vaccination programs. If you or your pharmacy requires a deferral of your assessment(s), please contact your practice/ operational advisor who will work with you to reschedule as appropriate. We understand the broader public health work and contributions pharmacy teams are currently engaged in and are fully supportive of these activities.
College advisors will continue to thoroughly assess pharmacies and registrants against all established relevant standards; in-person, onsite assessments will be conducted on a case-by-case basis. Please note remote assessments will not be recorded and we ask that you do not record College advisors without their consent. Remote assessments are the equivalent of in-person assessments and conducted under the same authority. The assessment criteria, tool and approach that is used to complete a remote assessment is identical to an on-site assessment.
For your reference, links to the assessment standards can be found below:
Individual Practitioner Assessment Criteria
- Pharmacist Practice Assessment Criteria
- Hospital, Family Health Team, and Long-Term Care Pharmacist Practice Assessment Criteria
- Pharmacy Technician Practice Assessment Criteria
Operational Criteria
- Community Pharmacy Assessment Criteria (Operations)
- Hospital Pharmacy Assessment Criteria (Operations)
College advisors will communicate directly with designated managers/contacts and registrants to outline the steps to prepare for their remote operations or practice assessment. The remote assessment may consist of a video discussion, a phone discussion or a combination of both. Registrants will be provided information on technical requirements in order for the College to conduct the remote assessment, including how to download the application, how they will receive the invitation from the advisor, and submission of documentation required prior to the assessment.
To facilitate the remote assessment process, prior to the assessments, designated managers/contacts and registrants may be asked to submit documentation as required by College advisors. The required documentation will support the assessment process and discussion on the day of the assessment. It will also be used as part of the College advisor’s documentation of the assessment. All documentation requested is identical to the documentation that would be reviewed while on-site. Documentation is submitted via end-to-end encrypted systems. An assessment pre-call, which is optional, may be arranged to discuss documentation requirements.
Designated managers/contacts and registrants are expected to submit all of the documentation as outlined in the notification e-mail.
To facilitate the remote assessment process, prior to the actual assessment day College staff can arrange a technology call, upon request, to ensure the video conferencing platform is functioning properly. At this time, any technology related questions or troubleshooting can occur prior to the actual assessment day. This call typically takes less than 10 minutes.
Please refer to our Technology Requirements FAQ for more information on technology requirements.
Please review the College’s Documentation Submission Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Document Submission FAQ – Pharmacy Operations Assessments
- Document Submission FAQ – Practice Assessments
- Document Submission FAQ – Hospital Remote Assessments
The College continues to engage and collaborate with the Ministry of Health, provincial public health officials and other health system partners to support our approach to pharmacy and practice assessments as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Designated managers/contacts and registrants will be informed of updates on the assessment processes as needed through the OCP website, which is updated regularly.