The PostScript – Issue 95

We’re Hiring!

Office Administrator & Executive Assistant

NLPB is now hiring for the full-time position of Office Administrator & Executive Assistant. For full details please visit the NLPB website: https://staging.nlpb.ca/now-hiring-office-administrator-executive-assistant/

Qualified applicants are invited to submit a resume and a cover letter outlining why they are interested in this opportunity and how their work experience has prepared them for this role to careers@nlpb.ca by October 27, 2023.

While NLPB appreciates all applicants, only those short-listed for an interview will be contacted.

 

 

Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment Standards of Practice Consultation Now Open

Over the past year, NLPB has been working on revisions to the Standards for the Safe and Effective Provision of Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment. Please refer to the Background section below for more details regarding this project.

At this time, we are inviting pharmacy professionals and other interested parties to provide feedback on a new draft of the Standards of Practice.

This consultation is being conducted using a secure online survey. Individual survey responses are anonymous and confidential. All participants are advised to review the draft standards before participating in the survey and make notes as necessary to refer to while completing the survey.

  1. Review the Draft Standards of Practice for the Safe and Effective Provision of Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment.
    (https://staging.nlpb.ca/media/SOPP-OUD-DRAFT-for-consultation-Oct2023.pdf)
  2. Complete the Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment Standards of Practice Consultation Survey.
    (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P6VSF6N)

If you are unable to access the document or survey by clicking the link, copy and paste the link into your web browser’s address bar.

Please note: You can leave the survey at any time and resume later if you use the same computer and web browser as when you began the survey. If you attempt to resume the survey on another computer or using a different browser, you will have to restart the survey from the beginning.

The deadline for completing the survey is November 30, 2023.

Background
The draft Standards of Practice was developed based on feedback from the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre on Substance Use and in collaboration with a task force comprised of pharmacy professionals who participate in the provision of medications to treat opioid use disorder in the province. In preparing this document, consideration was given to:

  • adding content related to ethical considerations, including principles of stigma, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction;
  • reducing the amount of clinical content contained within the standards, as this content can change over the lifespan of the standards document;
  • eliminating links to specific references, education programs, etc., as these links can change or expire over the lifespan of the standards document;
  • eliminating the “authorization” processes for both pharmacists and pharmacies in the interest of reducing stigma; and
  • streamlining sections related to assessing prescriptions and releasing doses to help reduce repetition throughout the document.

The feedback that is received during this consultation will inform and support the final draft of the standards that will be submitted to the NLPB Board of Directors for approval in early 2024.If you have any questions regarding the purpose of the survey or the use of survey data, please contact Melanie Healey, Deputy Registrar and Director of Practice & Registration, at mhealey@nlpb.ca or (709) 753-5877 ext. 202.

We appreciate your time and look forward to your feedback.

 

 

Annual Registration and Pharmacy Licence Renewals

NLPB’s annual renewal period for registration and pharmacy licensing open today, Monday, October 23, 2023. The deadline to renew is November 30, 2023. Late renewals will be charged an additional fee; for more information, please refer to the 2024 Schedule of Fees. Renewals are not complete until full payment has been received.

WEBINAR: For an overview of NLPB’s Registration and Pharmacy Licensing Renewals for 2024, check out our recent webinar in the learning portal Guide to Annual Registration and Pharmacy Licensing Renewals.

 

Registration Renewal: To renew your pharmacist or pharmacy technician registration, log on to the Registrant Portal and select the Registration Renewal option in the side menu. Prepare for renewals by reviewing the Before You Renew Your Registration section.

For instructions on renewing your registration in the NLPB online Registrant Portal, please refer to the NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Renewing Your Registration.

 

Pharmacy Licence Renewal: To renew the pharmacy licence, pharmacists-in-charge must log on to the Pharmacy Portal and select Licence Applications & Renewal option in the side menu. Please note that pharmacists in charge must log into the Pharmacy Portal using the same login credentials as they use to access the Registrant Portal.Prepare for renewals by reviewing the Before You Renew The Pharmacy Licence section.

For instructions on renewing the pharmacy licence in the NLPB online Pharmacy Portal, please refer to the NLPB Pharmacy Portal User Guide – Renewing the Pharmacy Licence.

 

The online renewal process can be saved after each step and returned to for completion at a later time. For security purposes, the system will automatically log out of your account after 30 minutes of inactivity. Please note, you must click the Save or Save & Continue buttons every 30 minutes to ensure your progress is successfully saved.

Once you have completed the online renewal process, you can print your receipt by clicking the Invoices & Receipts link in the side menu and clicking the Review button next to the appropriate invoice. The updated registration and pharmacy licence certificates will be available for download on January 1, 2024.

 

BEFORE YOU RENEW YOUR REGISTRATION

  • Pay all outstanding invoices.
  • Document your required 15 CEUs in the NLPB online Registrant Portal.
  • Confirm you have worked a minimum of 420 practice hours in the past two calendar years.
  • Save a digital copy of all required documentation, including your professional liability insurance policy certificate and first aid & CPR certification (if applicable)

 

Documenting Learning Activities

All registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are required to complete 15 CEUs between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023 to be eligible to renew their annual registration for 2024. A minimum of 7.5 CEUs must be accredited and the remaining may be either accredited or self-assigned.

For additional information on professional development requirements, please refer to the following:

For instructions and tips on entering professional development in the NLPB online Registrant Portal, please refer to the NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding Professional Development Activities.

All documentation for each learning activity must be entered in the online Registrant Portal prior to renewing your registration. Once submitted, the records will no longer be able to be edited.

 

Required Documents

Professional Liability Insurance

All registered pharmacy professionals are required to maintain professional liability insurance (PLI) in a form and amount satisfactory to NLPB and to ensure a current copy of their professional liability insurance is uploaded to the NLPB Registrant Portal within 30 days of the policy renewal or start date.

For more information, please refer to the Professional Liability Insurance Requirements for Registration Interpretation Guide.

As part of the online renewal process, you must review your insurance documentation to ensure it is current. Please check the PLI certificate on file to confirm it is accurate and up to date. If your policy has expired, you are required to update both the policy details and the certificate on file.

For instructions and tips on entering professional liability insurance in the NLPB online Registrant Portal, please refer to the NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding & Updating Professional Liability Insurance.

 

First Aid & CPR Certification

Pharmacists who are authorized to administer drug therapy by inhalation or injection must upload proof of current first aid and CPR certification.

A new section has been added to the NLPB Registrant Portal to accept this documentation and will be included as a step in the online registration renewal process.

 

 

BEFORE YOU RENEW THE PHARMACY LICENCE

  • Pharmacists in charge must renew their personal registration with NLPB before renewing the pharmacy licence.
  • Confirm the method of payment with the owner to ensure sufficient time is allotted to receive the payment from the owner and send it to NLPB prior to the renewal deadline.
  • Information you will need to renew the pharmacy licence:

 

 

Updated CIHI Data Collection

NLPB has been collecting information on behalf of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) through a data-sharing agreement since 1996, in order to support them in providing healthcare information that improves the health of Canadians. At this time, the data-sharing agreement is limited to the submission of information provided by pharmacists only.

The Health Human Resources Minimum Data Set (HHR MDS), which is a guidance document for the collection and submission of health human resources information to CIHI’s Health Workforce Database, has recently been updated based on the results of the HHR MDS Modernization Project. The updates include the addition of 16 new data elements. Additional updates, such as expanded options, have been made to 27 other data elements.

Most of the new fields are demographic or employment-related and have been added to either the personal profile or employment information sections of NLPB’s online Registrant Portal.

The new demographic fields, which include Language of Service, Sex at Birth, Indigenous Identity, and Ethnicity, are required fields for all registered pharmacy professionals. However, registered pharmacy professionals can choose the “Prefer Not to Answer Option” for all but the Language of Service fields.

Most of the additional employment-related fields, have been designated as optional fields in NLPB’s online Registrant Portal, as only pharmacists are asked to complete them at this time.

Please note that several fields allow for multiple selections. Please limit your selection to up to three options, as that is the limit of responses CIHI will accept for these questions.

Useful Links:

 

 

MedSTEP NL Program – Implementation and Resources

NLPB’s MedSTEP NL web resources for community pharmacies launched in September 2023 alongside the publication of the Standards of Practice for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Medication Incident Reporting (MIR), which describe the minimum acceptable standards for the MedSTEP NL program and are intended to promote consistency in CQI and MIR throughout the province.

MedSTEP NL includes elements of reporting, analyzing, documenting, and shared learning from medication incidents and near-miss events with the objective of continuously reviewing and improving the quality and safety of pharmacy practice in the province.

The first implementation deadline for the program is the review of standards and resources by December 31, 2023. To complete this review community pharmacies must ensure the following:

  • Pharmacist-in-charge (PIC) reviews and understands NLPB’s Standards of Practice for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Medication Incident Reporting (MIR) and CQI and MIR information and resources available on the NLPB website.
  • PIC starts to develop a pharmacy policies and procedures manual for MedSTEP NL.
  • Pharmacy staff members, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy assistants, review and understand NLPB’s standards of practice for CQI and MIR and CQI and MIR information and resources available on the NLPB website.

Visit the website, nlpb.ca/medstep-nl for an overview of the program, requirements, implementation, and more.

 

 

Professional Development Accreditation Services

As communicated in the Spring 2022 issue of The Apothecary, NLPB will cease accreditation services by November 30, 2023. The interpretation guide for Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians provides a list of accrediting bodies currently recognized by NLPB. NLPB encourages individuals and organizations seeking accreditation for pharmacy continuing education and professional development, to contact the Canadian Council on Continuing Education in Pharmacy (CCCEP) for information on accreditation services.

 

 

CAPT Virtual National Conference

The Canadian Association of Pharmacy Technicians Professional Development Conference is coming up on Sunday, November 12, 2023, beginning at 11:30 a.m. (EST).

Registration is still open for this 4-session, 1-day event, which will cover topics such as compounding, obesity pharmacotherapy, glucose monitors, and preventative treatment of HIV-prone patients. Click to view the full conference brochure.

Registration is $50 for members and non-members.
Register Today!


Please Leave a Message…
Periodically, NLPB receives questions or comments from pharmacy professionals asking why staff are not answering their phone lines. We also often experience situations where individuals call multiple staff lines when they do not get an immediate answer but do not leave a message to allow someone to call them back.

NLPB staff primarily work in the office but may not be immediately accessible on their phone line or email, as each staff member, including the office administrator, have multiple roles to cover, meetings to attend, or may be on another call. However, voicemails are regularly checked, and staff members get email alerts when a message is left on their phone line. If a member of our staff is out-of-office, they will include that notification in their voicemail or automated email reply as well as information on where to redirect your inquiry.

We want to assist you; so please leave a detailed message about your question or concern when you call staff and get their voicemail. This will help us appropriately prioritize and prepare to answer your question if we need to collect additional information before calling you back. Also, to prevent duplication of work and inefficiency, please don’t leave the same message on multiple lines; staff will redirect your voicemail to the most appropriate person if they are not in the best position to answer your question or address your concern.

 

Regular reminders

  • Registrant Contact Information – Registrants are responsible for ensuring that the contact information on their registrant profile, including email address and practice site, is accurate at all times. The NLPB primarily uses email communication to send newsletters, renewal reminders, practice site assessment information, professional development audit information, calls for interest for committees, and other alerts. If the email address on file is incorrect, important information may be missed and/or disclosed to the wrong person. If your contact information changes, please update your information on file by logging into the NLPB Registrant Portal.
  • Application Submission – NLPB receives many applications for processing. Unfortunately, some of the applications submitted are illegible, incomplete, or missing supporting documentation or payment, leading to delays in processing and approving the application. In order to ensure that your application is processed in a timely manner, please take a moment before submission to ensure that all fields are completed and legible and that all supporting documentation is included. All supporting documentation should adhere to NLPB’s Scanning Guidelines and Checklist for Document Submissions Policy. These small steps will help improve the process for both the applicant and NLPB.

This e-newsletter contains information on a wide variety of topics intended to enhance the practice of pharmacy in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. As it is published and circulated to all registrants on a monthly basis, it is the expectation of NLPB that all registrants are aware of the matters contained therein.

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