We’re Hiring!
Complaints and Discipline Administrator
NLPB is now hiring for the full-time position of Complaints and Discipline Administrator. For full details please visit the NLPB website: https://staging.nlpb.ca/now-hiring-complaints-and-discipline-administrator/
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 Friday, November 17, 2023.
While NLPB appreciates all applicants, only those short-listed for an interview will be contacted.
Upcoming Webinar: PHIA – A Personal Health Information Act Overview
NLPB has partnered with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Newfoundland and Labrador to present PHIA: a Personal Health Information Act Overview webinar for pharmacy professionals on Thursday, November 23, 2023, 7:00-8:15pm (NST). In this webinar, Allison Oser, Access and Privacy Analyst, OIPC and Sean Murray, Director of Research and Quality Assurance, OIPC will review the role and responsibilities of a custodian as it pertains to pharmacy professionals, including:
- collection of personal health information,
- documentation and storage requirements,
- requirements and obligations for disclosure of information,
- security obligations and safeguards,
- conducting a privacy impact assessment, and
- privacy breaches and notification requirement
Date: November 23, 2023
Time: 7:00-8:15 pm (NDT)
| Presenters: | Allison Oser, Access and Privacy Analyst, OIPC |
| Sean Murray, Director of Research and Quality Assurance, OIPC |
Click to Register
This webinar will be hosted through Microsoft Teams.
Recent Revisions to Authorization to Administer Drug Therapy by Inhalation or Injection Regulations and Standards of Practice
Recently approved revisions to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Authorization to Administer Drug Therapy by Inhalation or Injection Regulations and the NLPB Standards of Practice – Administration of Drug THerapy by Inhalation or Injection now permit NLPB registered pharmacy technicians to apply for authorization to administer injections.
Pharmacy technicians must complete accredited education and training on the administration of injections and acceptable certification in First Aid and CPR and provide related documentation to NLPB when applying for authorization.
| Where can I access an acceptable injection education and training course? |
| The Canadian Council on Continuing Education in Pharmacy (CCCEP) provides competency-mapped accreditation for injection education and training programs and maintains a list of programs that currently have accreditation on their website at: https://www.cccep.ca/pages/immunization_and_injections.html. |
| Memorial University School of Pharmacy is in the process of redeveloping their injection training program for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and currently awaiting approval on their accreditation request from CCCEP. NLPB will share any communications related to this offering when it becomes available. |
Pharmacy technicians who have met the requirements listed above can apply for authorization through the NLPB Registrant Portal.
Other changes that have been made to the Standards of Practice at this time include:
- Reducing the age limit for the administration of vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza from 5 years of age to two years of age
- Integration of the previously standalone practice policy related to pharmacy interns and students participating in the administration of inhalations or injections.
- Adding wording restricting pharmacy professionals from administering drugs or other substances for cosmetic purposes.
Annual Registration and Pharmacy Licence Renewals
Pharmacy professionals and pharmacists-in-charge have two weeks left to renew their registration and/or pharmacy license for 2024 and avoid late fees.
NLPB’s annual renewal period for registration and pharmacy licensing is now open. 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.
For more information regarding renewals, including tips and how-to guides, please visit NLPB’s Annual Registration and Pharmacy Licensing Renewal webpage.
Professional Development Documentation Requirements for Renewal
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 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. |
TIPS FOR DOCUMENTING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
A 30-minute inactivity log-out feature is one of several security measures enabled in the registrant portal. You will automatically be logged out of your account after 30 minutes of inactivity and the system does not recognize typing as an activity. If you spend more than 30 minutes typing in a single field, your information will not be saved.
To assist you in adjusting to this 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 before submitting your renewal.
- Make sure the learning objectives/description and key learnings and 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 and Integration into Practice fields.
Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment Standards of Practice Consultation
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 At this time, we are inviting pharmacy professionals and other interested parties to provide feedback on a new draft of the Standards of Practice.Background section below for more details regarding this project.
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.
- 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) - 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.
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.
For more information, please visit NLPB’s website at https://staging.nlpb.ca/opioid-agonist-maintenance-treatment-standards-of-practice-consultation-now-open/
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.
Project ECHO NL: Substance Use (Cycle 1)
Session 5: Alcohol Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment
Wednesday, November 29 (12:00-1:00 pm NST)
Speaker: William Lummis, BSc, MSW, RSW, Regional Addictions Prevention Consultant, Mental Health Promotion and Addictions Prevention Services, Eastern (Rural) Zone
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the best practices for alcohol screening
- Explain how brief intervention can be implemented within client-centered care
- Outline the referral process for the inpatient treatment pathway
Sessions take place on Zoom.
To register for Session 5, please complete the registration form here by Monday, November 27.
Please direct any questions about Project ECHO NL: Substance Use to Brittany.Howell@easternhealth.ca
Immunization Resources for Health Professionals
If you are a pharmacy professional participating in vaccine administration this fall, check out the Government of Canada’s immunization resources for health professionals webpage for printable awareness products, including guidance for managing anaphylaxis following immunization and planning guidance for COVID-19 immunization clinics.
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.
NAPRA Survey – Invitation to Participate
Professional Competencies for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice in Canada
NAPRA is inviting you to participate in a survey to help validate a new draft of the entry-to-practice competencies for pharmacy professionals in Canada if:
- you are a practising pharmacist or pharmacy technician in Canada that provides care directly to patients
- you supervise the work of practising pharmacists or pharmacy technicians in Canada
- you provide education to pharmacist or pharmacy technician students in Canada
- you work in regulation of pharmacy practice in Canada
The survey will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. In appreciation of your effort, NAPRA will enter your name into a draw for $300.
There are separate surveys for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Please complete the survey that matches your role. For example, if you are a pharmacy technician, you will complete the survey for pharmacy technicians. If you provide education to pharmacists, you will complete the survey for pharmacists.
The survey closing date is December 22, 2023.
This survey is part of NAPRA’s project to review and update the Professional Competencies for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice in Canada to ensure that they clearly reflect the competencies required for safe and effective practice of pharmacy professionals. NAPRA began a review of the entry-to-practice competencies in 2022 and has developed a revised draft of the document with the help of a working group comprised of practising pharmacy professionals, representatives of pharmacy regulatory authorities, as well as representatives from relevant external organizations with a role related to the document.
By choosing to participate in this survey, you will be contributing to the quality of assessment and education of pharmacy professionals in Canada in the future. On behalf of NAPRA and the Working Group, thank you for your participation!
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.
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.