Share your Experiences with Workplace Practices in NL Pharmacies
Monday, June 3rd, is your last opportunity to complete the Work Environment and Business Practices in NL survey. If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to click the link below to share your experiences. This survey is voluntary and will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
To participate, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2JMYCMG
If you are unable to access the survey by clicking the link, copy and paste the link into your web browser’s address bar.
This survey is designed to collect information from you about the factors in practice environments that are impacting or have the potential to impact your wellness and the quality and safety of care you can provide. Your participation will help NLPB understand and address workplace issues to the best of our ability and support you in providing quality and safe care to the public we collectively serve.
All responses to this survey are anonymous and you will not be asked to provide any directly identifying information. However, NLPB recognizes that the answers to some demographic questions (for example, “where do you currently practice?”) may minimize the pool of individuals with whom responses are included when NLPB conducts our data analysis. We have included these questions as they may provide valuable information as to the nature and scope of any workplace issues identified through the survey. We assure you that future reporting on the results of the survey will use aggregate data only, and any information or responses that could potentially lead to the identification of survey participants will not be released. If you do not wish to answer one of these demographic questions, please select the “Prefer Not to Answer” option.
We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and assist us with this important initiative.
Provide Feedback on NLPB Professional Development Requirements
NLPB is currently undertaking a review of the Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians and we are inviting registered pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to share their feedback.
This consultation is being conducted using a secure online survey. Individual survey responses are anonymous and confidential.
To access the 5-10 minute survey, please click the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H5RWZYW
If you are unable to access the 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 to complete and submit the survey is Friday, June 14, 2024.
The feedback received during this consultation will inform and support recommendations regarding these requirements that will be submitted to the NLPB Board of Directors for approval this year.
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. 103.
We appreciate your time and look forward to your feedback.
Update on Scheduling Status of Single-Ingredient Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine
As communicated previously, and in accordance with its policy on Natural Health Products (NHPs), by the end of June the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) had planned to complete the removal of all NHPs from the National Drug Schedules (NDS), by delisting single-ingredient ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.
In light of this removal and ongoing concerns that this would create a gap in oversight that could expose individuals to significant health and safety risks, over the past number of months, Health Canada, in collaboration with pharmacy regulatory bodies and other stakeholders, has been developing an Interim Order to govern the sale of these single-ingredient ephedrine and pseudoephedrine products. The intention of the Order is to align with the way Schedule II products are currently governed (i.e., sold behind the counter at pharmacies), and, as such should not disrupt pharmacy practice.
This Order, in effect as of May 17, 2024, is an urgent, but temporary, measure that will allow Health Canada to manage risk while they continue to work on a long-term solution.
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.
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
- Pharmacy starts reporting medication incidents and near-miss events as per NLPB’s Standards of Practice for CQI and MIR.
IAC Seeking Applications for Public Representatives for NLPB Board and Disciplinary Panel
| If you are aware of any person who would be interested in either of the positions listed below, we encourage you to share this information. |
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
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.
Participate in Cannabis Education Research with PACE
With pharmacy practice around cannabis evolving, it is important to keep pharmacists ready to support their patients’ questions and concerns about cannabis. Through a partnership between Memorial University and Humber College, the Pharmacists as Cannabis Educators (PACE) project has been launched in partnership with CPhA. The goal of PACE is to build new cannabis-focused continuing education, training, and in-store materials for pharmacists, so pharmacists have the resources they need to meet patients’ needs.
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Pharmacists and pharmacy students can contribute their perspectives by completing a survey at: https://www.cannabiseducationresearch.ca/
Respondents will have a chance to win one of five $100 gift certificates. The survey closes June 15th. |
Pharmacists are also being recruited for a 1-hour interview or focus group to share perspectives on cannabis education needs for pharmacists. If you’re interested, please submit your name at the following link: https://www.cannabiseducationresearch.ca/focus-groups.html
If you are selected to participate you will receive a $75 gift card for participating.
If you have any questions please reach out to Lisa Bishop at ldbishop@mun.ca or check out our website at https://www.cannabiseducationresearch.ca/
National Drug Schedules Modernization Project Consultation
The NDS Modernization Project is a multi-phased, multi-year project. The purpose of this phase of the project is to set one of the foundational pieces of the program, namely, to determine the most appropriate drug scheduling model for the future NDS program, including updating conditions of sale.
Following preliminary engagement with select groups of experts, NAPRA has developed a consultation package that outlines further information related to two proposed non-prescription drug (NPD) scheduling models and their associated conditions of sale for consideration for the modernized program.
To download the consultation package (available in English), click here.
To submit feedback, use this link to a Microsoft Forms document. Only provide comments using this link, which will allow NAPRA to organize and synthesize your comments in a timely and efficient manner. If you are participating in this consultation on behalf of an organization, please submit only one response per organization. The consultation will be open for comments until 4 p.m. Eastern Time, on July 19, 2024.
Should you have any further questions or concerns regarding this consultation, please contact ndsmodernization@napra.ca.
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.