The PostScript – Issue 100

Now Hiring – Complaints and Discipline Coordinator

Please share within your networks:

NLPB is seeking applications for a full-time Complaints and Discipline Coordinator, with a paralegal background or other relevant legal experience. For full details, please visit the NLPB website at https://staging.nlpb.ca/now-hiring-complaints-and-discipline-coordinator

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. The application deadline for this position is May 20, 2024.

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

 

MedSTEP NL Program – Upcoming Deadlines

Upcoming implementation deadlines for the MedSTEP NL program include training staff by June 30, 2024, and begin reporting medication incidents and near-miss events by July 1, 2024.

Any pharmacists-in-charge who have not yet signed a data-sharing agreement with the NIDR must do so as soon as possible, as reporting to the NIDR must begin by July 1, 2024. Contact the NIDR team at NIDR@ismpcanada.ca to start the process.

Please review the steps below that must be completed by the indicated implementation deadlines:

To complete this implementation step, community pharmacies must ensure the following:

  • Train Staff by June 30, 2024
    • PIC appoints a CQI coordinator (in addition to themselves), if feasible, to help ensure the policy and procedure manual is updated as required, training is ongoing, and medication incidents and near-misses are reported in a timely matter.
    • PIC engages with all pharmacy staff in discussions on processes to report incidents and near-miss events and ensures all staff are trained and comfortable with the pharmacy’s policy and procedure manual and reporting platform.
    • PIC ensures all pharmacy staff have completed the training provided by the MIR.
  • Complete Implementation by July 1, 2024
Visit the website, nlpb.ca/medstep-nl for an overview of the program, requirements, implementation, and more.

 

Best Practices for Using Time-Delay Safes

The Standards of Pharmacy Operation for Community Pharmacy require all narcotics and controlled drugs to be stored in a secure safe that is bolted to the ground. While not an established standard, it has been noted through practice site visits that the installation and use of time-delay safes have increased rapidly across the province. NLPB does not require the use of time-delay safes and has not developed standards that specifically pertain to its use. However, established best practices have been developed and shared in other provinces where the use of time-delay safes is mandatory, such as British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario.

Most notably, it has been established that a time-delay safe acts as a deterrent when prominent signage is in place to create awareness of the additional security measure. For community pharmacies, it is recommended that:

  • large (11″x17″), coloured signage should be placed near each public entrance.
  • similarly sized or slightly smaller (8.5″x11″) signage should be placed near where the patient would approach the dispensary.

Helpful Resources

 

 

Tips for Graduating Students Registering as Pharmacists

Each year, new pharmacy graduates contact the NL Pharmacy Board to apply to be registered as pharmacists. We welcome our new graduates and offer the following tips to make the registration process easier.

  • When applying to be registered as a new pharmacist, you may email your application and supporting documentation to NLPB in advance of the release of PEBC results. To avoid delays, ensure that copies are clearly legible. For document submission requirements, please refer to the Scanning Guidelines & Checklist for Document Submissions Policy.
  • Current insurance certificates can be uploaded to your online profile in the NLPB Registrant Portal. Coverage must be for a pharmacist, not a student/intern.
  • The certificate of conduct must be issued through Sterling Backcheck within the past six months. Please note that a vulnerable sector check is NOT required.
  • The Internship manual is for your use and does not need to be submitted at the end of the internship. “Appendix I: Evaluation Form and Record of Completion” must be completed by your preceptor and submitted before you can be registered as a pharmacist.
  • PANL membership must be obtained before registering with NLPB. The PANL office has requested that you enter your registration number as “pending” on the application. This will signal to them that you are a new registrant.
  • Applications to give injections and to prescribe can be submitted online in advance and will be approved at the same time as your registration.
  • Applicable fees are the pro-rated (if registering after July 1) annual registration fee of $547.13, the one-time initial registration fee of $223.60, and 15% HST. The total pro-rated fee is $886.34 including tax. Acceptable methods of payment are VISA, MasterCard, cheque, or money order.
  • Once complete, applications take 5-7 days to approve and process. Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on printing your new certificate bearing your unique registration number. Until you receive this confirmation, do not assume you are registered. Incomplete applications will not be approved. It is recommended that you do not schedule shifts to work as a pharmacist until your registration is confirmed.
  • Registration is valid until December 31, 2024. You will need to renew your registration for 2025 by November 30, 2024 if you plan to continue practicing in NL in 2025.

Please note that the NLPB office is closed on Monday, July 15 in observance of the provincial statutory holiday.

 

 

Call for Expression of Interest – Quality Assurance Committee

NLPB is currently seeking a hospital pharmacist to join the Quality Assurance Committee.

The Quality Assurance Committee is a standing committee of the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board whose role is to investigate quality assurance concerns that arise about the practice of pharmacists or pharmacy technicians. In fulfilling its role, the committee may:

  • Conduct investigations when concerns arise, in accordance with the duties of the committee set out in the Pharmacy Act, 2012;
  • Appoint assessors to assist in investigations when necessary;
  • Review findings of investigations; and
  • Resolve concerns with registrants, including referring matters to the Complaints Authorization Committee when possible professional misconduct is discovered.

If you are interested, please submit your name, contact information, a brief bio, and a few lines about why you are interested in being part of the committee to inforx@nlpb.ca.

Thank you in advance for your interest in serving your profession.

 

 

 

PLEASE SHARE: IAC Seeking Applications for Public Representatives for NLPB Board and Disciplinary Panel

The Independent Appointments Commission is seeking interested public members to serve as public representatives with the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board on its Disciplinary Panel and Board of Directors.

These positions cannot be held by pharmacists or pharmacy technicians but rather by individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets who can bring patient and other perspectives. These skill sets and areas of experience include but are not limited to governance, human rights, legal expertise, ethics, conflict resolution, business or public administration, human resources, finance, or human resources.

For more information regarding the three vacant positions on the Disciplinary Panel, visit https://www.exec-abc.gov.nl.ca/public/agency/detail/?id=635

For more information regarding the vacant position on the Board of Directors, visit https://www.exec-abc.gov.nl.ca/public/agency/detail/?id=636

If you are aware of any person who would be interested in either of these positions, we encourage you to share this information.

 

Stay Informed

Did you know that NLPB posts up-to-date links to important health product and medication safety information on its website? Check out the Health Canada & ISMP Advisories page for MedEffect advisories as well as current issues of Health Product InfoWatch, ISMP Canada Safety Bulletin, and Safe Medication Use Newsletter all in one place.

Subscribe to NLPB’s News and Advisories

 

 

Please Leave a Message or Make an Appointment

NLPB staff are here to assist and support you. However, staff may not be immediately accessible on their phone line, email, or to meet with you in office, as each staff member, including the office administrator, has 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. If you wish to meet with a staff member in person, please call to schedule an appointment before visiting our office. Having details regarding your inquiry will help us appropriately prioritize and prepare to answer your question if we need to collect additional information before calling you back or meeting with you. 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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