Language Proficiency Requirements at Registration for All Applicants

Approved: February 2016

Revised: November 2019

 

This policy defines the language proficiency requirements approved by the Registration Committee that demonstrate the applicant’s ability to communicate and comprehend either English or French, both orally and in writing.

Policy

The College applies the language proficiency standards established by NAPRA.

Process

An applicant will note on the application provided by the College if they are currently enrolled in or a graduate of a program accredited by the Canadian Council for the Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) or a pharmacy degree program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), if they are currently licensed as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in another Canadian province, or the name and date of the language proficiency test taken. College staff will verify the applicant’s enrollment, graduation, licensure registration or language proficiency test results, and record or attach this information in the applicant’s file. In most cases, the application will be processed within five to 10 business days.

Language proficiency test scores are only valid for two years from the date of the test.

Decision Criteria

An applicant will have met the College’s language proficiency requirements if:

  • The applicant is a student or graduate of a pharmacy degree program that was accredited by the CCAPP or ACPE while the applicant was attending the program; or
  • The pharmacy technician applicant is a graduate of a CCAPP-accredited pharmacy technician program whose language proficiency admission criteria meets the NAPRA requirements for pharmacy technicians or scores on the Test de français pour étudiants et stagiaires au Canada (TESTCan) equivalent to those required on the Canadian Test of English for Scholars and Trainees (CanTEST); or
  • The applicant submits current language proficiency test scores that meet the minimum acceptable scores as determined by NAPRA; or
  • The applicant submits current language proficiency test scores that fall below the minimum acceptable, applicable scores but are within the SEM as determined by NAPRA; or
  • The pharmacy technician applicant submits current TESTCan scores that meet the minimum acceptable CanTEST scores as determined by NAPRA for pharmacy technicians.
  • The applicant is fully licensed or registered as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in another Canadian province with no restrictions on their license.
Possible Outcomes

Language proficiency requirements met:

The applicant will be registered provided all of the other registration requirements have been met.

 

Language proficiency requirements not met:

The application will be considered under the criteria established in the College’s Non-Objective Evidence of Language Proficiency Policy or the Extending the Validity of Language Proficiency Test Scores Policy.

Legislative references
Additional references
College Contact: Registration Programs