SPT Preceptor Criteria

Approved: July 2009 (technician applicants)

Revised: June 2021

Reviewed: May 2023

This policy defines who the Registration Committee has determined may be an approved preceptor for the College’s Structured Practical Training (SPT) Program.

Policy

A pharmacy technician or pharmacist who is an experienced practitioner, good role model, and objective evaluator, and has met the training requirements will qualify to be a SPT preceptor.

This policy also applies to pharmacy technicians and pharmacists who wish to be co-preceptors.

This policy does not apply to pharmacy technicians and pharmacists who have been delegated secondary supervision of a pharmacy technician applicant during their SPT.

Process

The pharmacy technician or pharmacist must complete the preceptor training requirements outlined in the Information for SPT Preceptors, and then submit the Declaration of Preceptor Training.  College staff will review the pharmacy technician or pharmacist’s file before deciding if they meet the Decision Criteria to be a preceptor. The pharmacy technician or pharmacist will be notified of the outcome of the review within two business days.

Decision criteria

Experienced practitioner

The proposed SPT preceptor must have been registered and practicing in a similar scope of practice in a Canadian jurisdiction for at least one year.

Good role model

The proposed SPT preceptor must:

  1. Be a pharmacy technician or pharmacist in good standing with the College without any terms, conditions or limitations on his/her certificate of registration, other than those applicable to all registrants of the class in which the preceptor holds a certificate of registration;
  2. Have no open cases (reports, complaints) under investigation or review and has had no concerns listed on the Public Register that involve criminal conduct, ethical conduct, governability, sexual abuse, fitness to practice, delivery of quality healthcare or financial responsibility:
  3. Be an ethical practitioner competently engaged in the full scope of the practice of pharmacy;
  4. Be practising for a minimum of 18 hours per week in their relevant scope of practice in Ontario;
  5. Practise in a setting that meets the SPT Practice Site Criteria
  6. Commit to abiding by the College’s Code of Conduct for Assessors, Coaches, Mentors, Preceptors and Members of Working Groups; and
  7. Have no other evidence to suggest the practitioner will reflect negatively on the SPT Program

Objective evaluator

The proposed SPT preceptor must:
  1. Only directly supervise one SPT pharmacy technician applicant at a time unless approval is granted by an OCP Registration Advisor;
  2. Directly supervise the applicant for a minimum of 18 hours per week; and
  3. Not have a conflict of interest (e.g., direct or indirect familial relationship, financial or business connection) with the applicant that may compromise the validity of the assessment process.
Trained preceptor

The proposed SPT preceptor must:

  1. Have successfully completed within the past three years the preceptor training requirements specified by College staff (e.g., recognized online preceptor training modules);
  2. Be currently qualified to be a preceptor for the:
    • University of Toronto, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations
    • University of Waterloo, School of Pharmacy — Fourth-year direct patient care rotations; or
  3. Have been actively engaged as a preceptor and successfully completed any additional preceptor training requirements specified by College staff.
Legislative references
Additional references

College Contact: regprograms@ocpinfo.com