Contacting NLPB
NLPB is currently receiving a high volume of emails and phone calls due to the upcoming annual renewal deadlines. As a result, the expected response time may be longer than usual. Please allow 3-5 business days (Monday-Friday, excluding holidays) for a response.
Should you be unable to speak directly to the appropriate staff member at the time of your call, please leave a detailed voicemail to ensure your inquiry or issue is addressed in a timely manner. We ask that you do not leave more than one message (email/voicemail), as it delays the staff’s ability to efficiently and effectively respond.
Children’s Pain Reliever Shortage Update
Since earlier this year, supplies of various formats of non-prescription pediatric/infant and children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen products have been limited in retail and pharmacy locations and hospitals across Canada. This shortage is due to unprecedented global demand, and even with ramped-up production, suppliers are unable to meet the needs.
If your pharmacy is experiencing a shortage of these medications, and you are approached about alternative options, pharmacists should use their clinical knowledge and professional judgment to assess each patient and advise on appropriate alternatives based on the individual circumstances. This may include recommending nonpharmacological options or advising on the appropriate use of chewable tablets or suppositories, or cutting or crushing a regular (adult) tablet.
Canadian Pharmacists Association has released a useful resource for pharmacists to reference when counselling parents and caregivers on how to use 325 mg acetaminophen tablets to create children’s doses for ages 2-11.
The options listed above should be assessed before consideration of compounding the product; compounding should only be considered as a last resort.
Health Canada does not object to allowing compounding of these products without a prescription but within a patient-healthcare professional relationship until this shortage resolves. Health Canada recommends that, at the pharmacy level, appropriate documentation is maintained to demonstrate a patient-healthcare professional relationship.
If you are asked to compound a solution or suspension, remember that you must only do so in accordance with the Standards for Pharmacy Compounding of Non-Sterile Preparations. Pharmacy professionals are reminded:
- All compounding activities must be tied to a direct patient interaction, regardless of whether the product would be scheduled OTC. As such, it should be recorded in patient profiles. This step is particularly important to ensure the sale is traceable in the event of a “recall” or discovery of an error.
- Compounded products must be appropriately labeled when sold, including the strength of the medication.
- Pharmacists must take an active role in counselling patients or their agents on the strength of the compound and subsequent dose adjustments. The majority of recipes are for a different concentration than that which is commercially available. Patients must be aware that they can’t substitute 1:1 with their usual dose.
Role Distinction – Pharmacy Technician vs. Pharmacy Assistant
Registrants and pharmacists-in-charge are reminded that, in accordance with section 24.(2) of the Pharmacy Act, 2012, the designation, “pharmacy technician” is restricted to those registered as such with the NLPB. Unregulated pharmacy support staff may not be given or use this title but may be called “pharmacy assistants” or another similar title.
Registrants and pharmacists-in-charge are further reminded that, in accordance with section C.01.041.1 of the Food and Drug Regulations (Canada), only a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician may request a prescription transfer from another pharmacist or pharmacy technician pursuant to a request from a patient. Pharmacy assistants are not permitted to request or approve prescription transfers.
Compounding Standards Deadlines – December 31, 2022
Registrants are reminded that the final implementation deadlines for the Compounding Standards are fast approaching – December 31, 2022. Pharmacists-in-charge must ensure that all the requirements of Phase 3 are met by that date, including:
- Non-Sterile Compounding
- Meeting all the requirements of Phases 1 and 2
- Completing the development of a quality assurance program
- Meeting all Level B and C requirements, as necessary
- Sterile Compounding
- Meeting all the requirements of Phases 1 and 2
- Completing the development of a quality assurance program
- Completing any necessary facility upgrades
Please see the Spring 2022 issue of The Apothecary for a detailed walk-through of the implementation of these two Standards of Practice.
Logging in to the New Registrant Portal
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians who have not yet logged into the new NLPB registrant portal and started recording their professional development activities are asked to do so now, in order to enable NLPB staff to assist in troubleshooting any issues you may encounter in a timely manner.
To access the portal please visit: https://nlpb.portalca.thentiacloud.net/webs/portal/service/#/login
Please use the most up-to-date version of one of the following recommended browsers: Chrome or Firefox.
All registrants should have received an email containing their login information and instructions for accessing the registrant portal on Thursday, September 22, 2022. Registrants are reminded that they must use the email address identified in the login information email to access the system. Please note, the email address is case-sensitive.
If logging into the system for the first time, click the Forgot Password button and enter your email address to have a new temporary password sent to you. Follow the instructions in the email to access the system. Do NOT use the Activate now link, as this will create a new account that will not be linked to your registration.
Please note, when logging in, the email address, password, and security questions are all case-sensitive. Should you enter the incorrect password or answer the security questions incorrectly more than 3 times, you will be locked out of the system. If you forget your password, please click the Forgot Password button prior to your third attempt and a new temporary password will be sent to your email address. Should you be locked out of your account, please contact registration@nlpb.ca to regain access.
Resources:
NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Renewing Registration
NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding Professional Development Activities
NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding/Updating Professional Liability Insurance
NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding/Updating Employment Information
| For more information on navigating the registrant portal, please visit our new NLPB Registrant & Pharmacy Portal web page. |
Recording Professional Development Activities in the Registrant Portal
Although the 2022 PD Year has ended, Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians can continue to document learning activities in the registrant portal. All required CEs for the 2022 PD Year must be documented in the online system prior to renewing your registration for 2023. However, documented activities can continue to be updated until the end of the professional development audit period in 2023.
To record your completed professional development activities in the registrant portal, follow the steps outlined in the NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding Professional Development Activities.
To assist registrants in adjusting to the 15-minute inactivity session timeout security feature, below are some tips for recording and successfully submitting learning activities.
- Save supporting documents in a dedicated location on your device so they are easy to find when you are ready to upload the files.
- Have your notes on hand when you are recording learning activities in the registrant portal.
- Make notes in a document on your computer so you can copy and paste the information into the online form in the registrant portal.
- When creating a new record, first upload the supporting document, enter the Program Title, insert placeholder text (i.e. TBD), and click Save to ensure the new record is successfully created. You can update the record again at any time.
- Make sure the learning objectives/description and key learnings & integration into practice are concise.
- Registrants can also upload a copy of the completed Learning Activity Notes form (available on our website at https://staging.nlpb.ca/quality-assurance/professional-development/) as a supporting document and reference the information by entering “See attached” in the Learning Objectives/Description of Activity and Key Learnings & Integration into Practice fields.
Please note, when submitting documents digitally, please ensure your submissions adhere to the NLPB Scanning Guidelines and Checklist for Document Submissions Policy.
Professional development records from our previous registration system have been transferred over to the new Registrant Portal. If you have already recorded learning activities for the 2022 Professional Development (PD) Year, these records will be listed under Learning Activities for the current PD year in the new portal. However, the transferred records have not yet been fully formatted. Please be assured that the correct number of education credits and related documentation has been retained by NLPB. Registrants are not required to reformat this information; it will be reformatted at a later date.
| PREVIOUSLY DOCUMENTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Professional development records from our previous registration system have been transferred over to the new Registrant Portal. If you have already recorded learning activities for the 2022 Professional Development (PD) Year, these records will be listed under Learning Activities for the current PD year in the new portal. However, the transferred records have not yet been fully formatted. Please be assured that the correct number of education credits and related documentation has been retained by NLPB. Registrants are not required to reformat this information; it will be reformatted at a later date following the annual renewal period. |
| Documenting CEs
Service as a Preceptor PEBC Examination
For more information on documenting PEBC Examinations visit the PD FAQ – Special Situations on the NLPB website. For more information on documenting CEs, please review the Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Interpretation Guide. |
Annual Registration Renewals
The deadline to document learning activities for the 2022 PD Year in the registrant portal and renew your registration for 2023 is Thursday, December 15, 2022.
As this will be the first renewal period using the new NLPB Registrant Portal, please refer to the NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Renewing Registration for step-by-step instructions for successfully renewing through the online system.
Please note, the deadline has now passed to complete learning activities for the 2022 PD Year. As per the NLPB Professional Development Requirements for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians were required to complete a minimum of 15 CEUs between December 1 and November 30, of which half must have been accredited programs.
Annual Pharmacy Licence Renewals
Pharmacists in charge can access the Pharmacy Portal using the same login credentials as the Registrant Portal.
To access the portal please visit https://nlpb.portalca.thentiacloud.net/webs/portal/business/#/login.
Please use the most up-to-date version of one of the following recommended browsers: Chrome or Firefox.
Please note, the pharmacist-in-charge must first renew their registration before renewing the pharmacy licence.
Before renewing, pharmacists-in-charge should ensure they have a current list of all owners (including profession, mailing address, phone number, and email address) and a list of all registered and non-registered staff members (including pharmacy assistants and clerks). Prior to completing the licence renewal online, pharmacists-in-charge must ensure the staff listing and hours of operation are up-to-date and accurate in the pharmacy portal.
- For instructions on updating the Hours of Operation, please refer to the NLPB Pharmacy Portal User Guide – Adding/Updating Hours of Operation.
- For instructions on updating the Staff Listing, please refer to the NLPB Pharmacy Portal User Guide – Adding/Updating Staff Listing.
The pharmacist-in-charge is responsible for ensuring the licence has been renewed for 2023 and all regulated staff is registered to practice in 2023 before the end of the year.
Registration & Licensing Renewal Fees
Registration and Licensing is not complete until all fees are paid. Please refer to the 2023 Schedule of Fees for a list of applicable fees.
Additional Fees may apply:
- Any payment received after December 15, 2022, will be subject to an automatically applied 50% late fee.
- A processing fee will be charge for a declined credit card or an NSF cheque.
NLPB’s Public Register
The Public Register is currently available by download only.
As NLPB moves to a new registrant portal, the current registrant portal from which the Public Register is generated is currently not accessible. As such, the register will be updated manually as registrant or licensee information changes. The date of the last update can be viewed above the links to each section of the register on the website. Should you have any questions or need further clarification regarding NLPB registrants and/or licensed pharmacies, please contact us at inforx@nlpb.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 log into the NLPB Online Registrant Portal to update your file with your new contact information as soon as you can.
- 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. 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.