Annual General Meeting Rescheduled
NLPB’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was originally scheduled to take place on Friday, August 25, 2023, has been rescheduled to accommodate the second call for nominations for board representatives, which was issued on June 30, 2023. The NLPB Bylaws outline the timeline requirements regarding board elections as it relates to the AGM. As NLPB was required to issue a second call for nominations, the election timeline has been extended.
The second call for nominations has now closed and elections will begin on August 29, 2023. All eligible voters will be notified by email at that time.
Advanced Primary Care Pharmacist Training Program (sharing on behalf of AFPC)
As the scope of practice expands, the more opportunities there are for pharmacists in primary care. The new Advanced Primary Care Pharmacist Training Program from the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) can prepare you with skills and confidence.
The innovative program uses a combination of online and in-person training over 20 weeks (October 2023 to February 2024). Start at your own site, train alongside primary care colleagues on an external rotation, then start applying what you have learned back at your own site. There is no cost to you — receive income replacement while on your 4-6 week experiential placement at an interdisciplinary primary care clinic.
Why take this training?
- Increase your confidence and competence to perform to the full extent of your scope of practice, as you become more efficient and capable with enhanced skills.
- Gain more job satisfaction with the skills and techniques you learn to provide even better patient care.
- Become more competitive in the job market with advanced skills, to improve your opportunities.
Only 15 pharmacists will be accepted and the deadline to apply is August 18, 2023. To be eligible, you must be a practicing, licensed pharmacist in Canada with at least 3 years of experience.
The program is one of AFPC’s Pharmacist Training for Comprehensive Primary Care (PT4CPC) projects, which are part of the national initiative to accelerate change in how primary care practitioners work together, Team Primary Care: Training for Transformation. This initiative is funded by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program.
For more information visit the AFPC website.
Professional Liability Insurance – Coverage and Documentation
Have you recently renewed your Professional Liability Insurance (PLI)? All registered pharmacy professionals, whether or not you are currently practicing, are required to carry sufficient PLI as per NLPB’s Professional Liability Insurance Requirements for Registration.
Upon policy renewal, you are required to upload an annual certificate of coverage and update your policy information in your NLPB profile. To upload your insurance certificate and update your policy information, log into the Registrant Portal and select Professional Liability Insurance from the menu. For specific instructions, refer to the NLPB Registrant Portal User Guide – Adding/Updating Professional Liability Insurance.
Please note, as of September 30, 2023, all registered pharmacy professionals are required to ensure their policy contains a clause that the insurer will notify NLPB if the policy is canceled, expires, or no longer meets NLPB requirements.
Keep your insurance up to date to protect the public and protect your practice.
Additional resources:
Webinars
- Professional Liability Insurance: Protect the Public and Protect your Practice webinar is now available through the NLPB Online Learning Portal.
IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE IN 3 WEEKS
Standards of Pharmacy Operation for Community Pharmacy
As announced in the fall of 2022, NLPB has approved the revised Standards of Pharmacy Operation for Community Pharmacy.
The expectation is that the requirements of the Standards should be met at the earliest possible date but no later than September 1, 2023. All new pharmacy openings will be expected to meet the Standards at the time of opening.
Pharmacy professionals, including pharmacists-in-charge, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians, should review the recent article in the Fall 2022 issue of The Apothecary for a summary of key changes and also review the Standards in their entirety at their earliest convenience.
Additional resources:
Webinars
- Implementing Standards – Revised Standards of Pharmacy Operation for Community Pharmacy Part 1 & Part 2 are now available through the NLPB Online Learning Portal.
Maintaining the Pharmacy Profile
Are you a new Pharmacist in charge (PIC) or a PIC who has recently changed pharmacies?
As PIC, it is your responsibility to ensure the pharmacy profile is kept up to date. Upon approval to become PIC of a pharmacy, log into the Pharmacy Portal and ensure all information is correct and that the pharmacy email is not that of the previous PIC. Please note, the pharmacy email is listed on the pharmacy profile in the public register and may be used by the public or health professionals to contact the pharmacy, as such it should be a dedicated pharmacy email, rather than a personal email, that is checked regularly.
Please note, PICs can log into the Pharmacy Portal using the same email and password as is used to log into the Registrant Portal.
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.
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.