Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE)

COVID-19 Notice

PACE assessors and candidates should follow their pharmacy site’s policies (e.g., mandatory vaccination) and physical distancing public health guidelines to protect their patients, their colleagues and themselves.

PACE assessors are frontline pharmacists whose first priority is providing care for their patients while safeguarding themselves, their staff and their patients. Not all pharmacists who have undergone the screening and training processes to become a PACE assessor are currently available.

Candidates may have fewer options when selecting their PACE practice site. They may also experience a longer response time from their proposed assessor as the assessor considers their capacity, physical spacing and scheduling requirements to accommodate a PACE candidate at their practice site. The candidate’s patience and understanding regarding limitations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are appreciated.

PACE is the practice-based assessment of a pharmacist applicant’s readiness to safely and independently practise as a pharmacist performing the authorized acts of the profession. The PACE Assessment Criteria are based on the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authority (NAPRA) Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Pharmacists.

Successful completion of PACE is a registration requirement for Ontario pharmacist applicants who graduated from a pharmacy degree program outside of Ontario and who are applying for licensure as a pharmacist in Canada for the first time.

Since the PACE assessment focuses on measuring a candidate’s practice-readiness as a pharmacist, PACE assessors do not provide training on how to practise as a pharmacist. Candidates should have registered as a pharmacy student or intern in Ontario and gained experience practicing in the scope of the profession and/or practised in a similar scope elsewhere before applying for PACE. For more information about preparing for PACE, please see the Candidate Toolkit for PACE.

If you are a pharmacist applicant, a pharmacist interested in becoming a PACE assessor, or a pharmacist interested in helping candidates prepare for PACE, please review this information as well as the more specific information at the bottom of this webpage.